School started for the third batch of students at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) last week. After admitting 283 students last year, SUTD has opened its doors further this time by taking in 332 for its latest cohort.

With 500 spaces available each year, SUTD’s intake numbers has raised questions about whether the institution was being too selective. When it first opened in 2012, it received more than 4,000 applications and admitted only 340. SUTD cited its rigorous curriculum, which was developed with the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as the reason it opted for "quality over quantity".

This is also the year the first batch of 45 students start their Dual degree in technology and management, jointly offered by SUTD and Singapore Management University (SMU). This is a four-year course where students will graduate with a Bachelor in Business Management from SMU and a Bachelor in Engineering from SUTD with a specialisation in one of the three engineering pillars: Engineering Product Development, Engineering Systems and Design or Information Systems Technology and Design.

Undergraduates will attend classes at both campuses and be taught by faculty members of both universities. They will also be able to participate fully in student life in both universities. The SUTD-SMU collaboration represents the first time two local universities have teamed up to offer joint degrees.

To attract top-grade applicants, scholarships are offered to deserving Singaporean students to cover full tuition fees, including allowances for overseas internship, community service, and more.

As more attractive opportunities become available to the Singaporean students, we do not expect the demand to be completely met by local universities. In fact these possibilities are going to encourage more to pursue their undergraduate studies and not stopping after their A-levels or diplomas. Therefore the challenge for all institutions, especially UK universities, is not just about numbers, but recruiting the most suitable students to study with them.

About SUTD
SUTD is set up in 2010, as Singapore's fourth publicly-funded university, and one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology into a multi-disciplinary curriculum.

It is developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The partnership between the two universities represents MIT’s most significant collaboration on education to date; and covers both education and research endeavours. Besides MIT, SUTD is also partnering Zhejiang University. These strategic alliances with top universities overseas will uniquely position SUTD to offer its students and faculty rich opportunities for international collaborations and global exposure.

SUTD provides a common curriculum for all students in the first year and first half of the second year, providing a foundation grounded in science, technology and design. After which, students can specialise in one of the four pillars of study: engineering product development, engineering systems and design, information systems technology and design, and architecture and sustainable design.