ANNEX 3
RO.369/07
ASEAN FOUNDATION RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Eligibility
1. Applicants must be university graduates with a good Bachelor’s degree with strong academic records or equivalent at the time of the award of the ASEAN Foundation Research Scholarship. The award is open to candidates who are citizens of an ASEAN Member country (except Singapore citizens and permanent residents) and who has applied for and been assured of admission as a candidate for a Master’s degree by research in the following faculties/schools at this University in the following fields:
Faculties/Schools:
(a) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
(b) School of Design and Environment (Real Estate & Building courses)
(c) Faculty of Law
(d) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Fields:
(a) Developmental Studies;
(b) Environment; or
(c) Information and Communication Technology.
2. Candidates receiving the research scholarship cannot apply to upgrade their candidature. They will have to submit their Master’s thesis for examination before they are allowed to register for a Ph.D. programme.
3. Doctoral candidates who have downgraded their candidature to the Master’s degree by research are not eligible to be considered for this research scholarship.
Terms and Conditions of Award
4. The effective date of the award for the different categories of candidates are as follows:
(a) Incoming full-time students who are unemployed – the effective date will be the commencement date of the relevant semester or the actual date of registration, whichever is later.
(b) Incoming full-time students who are employed – the scholarship will only begin after he/she ceased to draw a salary from the current employer
5. Please note that the award is tenable at the National University of Singapore only and scholars must reside in Singapore during the duration of the award. As full-time students, they are expected to report to their department of study and/or supervisor at the University during the period of the award, save for periods of approved leave.
6. The research scholarship will cover the following items:
(a) Stipend of Singapore Dollars Two Thousand (S$2,000) per month;
(b) Full tuition fee (Non-laboratory based course);
(c) Cost of a single trip air ticket by the most economical and direct route from the home country to Singapore upon award of the scholarship;
(d) Mandatory Miscellaneous Fees:
(i) Registration;
(ii) Student Activity & Services;
(iii) Health & Insurance:
(iv) Academic Related; and
(v) Examination;
(e) Book allowance of up to Singapore Dollars (S$200) per candidate;
(f) Accommodation subsidy of Singapore Dollars (S$3,000) per year;
(g) Thesis related expenses;
(h) Graduation gown rental fees; and
(i) Cost of a single trip air ticket by the most economical and direct route from Singapore back to the home country upon successful completion of the course of study leading to the award of the degree.
Other than approved allowances, reimbursements will be made on the basis of actual expenditure incurred. If the total cost of the above items exceeds the maximum award amount, the excess amount shall not be covered by the award.
7. The research scholarship is tenable for one (1) year in the first instance; but subject to the scholar's satisfactory progress, it may be renewed annually. The maximum tenure of the award is two (2) years.
8. Scholars may be required by the Head of Department concerned to assist in departmental work (e.g. conducting tutorials / lab demonstrations, preparation of teaching materials or developing new experiments for teaching etc), subject to the following conditions:
(a) the total time spent on both teaching duties and departmental work must not exceed four hundred (400) hours per financial year (1 April to 31 March), and preferably also not exceed sixteen (16) hours a week;
(b) the assignment of teaching duties and departmental work would be subject to the satisfactory progress of the scholar in his/her course of study;
(c) emoluments for teaching duties and departmental work range from S$30 - S$60 per hour. However, please note that the scholar may be asked to perform such work without any remuneration for up to six (6) hours a week.
9. Save as provided in paragraph 6 above, during the period of the award, the scholar may not accept employment, whether or not he is remunerated, or hold concurrently any other scholarship, fellowship or award without the prior approval of the ASEAN Foundation and the University. In addition, the scholar may not change to a different programme or take up any additional course(s) without the prior written permission of the ASEAN Foundation and the University.
10. The scholar will cease to receive the award once:
(a) the scholar converts the candidature from full-time to part-time (written request through the supervisor(s), Head of Department and Vice Dean of the Graduate Studies is required for such a conversion);
(b) the scholar submits his/her thesis for examination, in which case the last day of the award is the earlier of:
• the date of receipt of the thesis by the Registrar; or
• the date on which the thesis was certified ready for examination by the scholar’s supervisor(s) or Head of Department (where the supervisor is not available);
(c) upon the expiry of the award period (Note: Payment for the last month of the award period will only be made after the scholar’s Department has certified that the scholar has no outstanding liabilities);
(d) if the scholar withdraws from or fails to complete the research programme for whatever reason; or
(e) if candidature of the student is terminated by the University for any reason whatsoever.
11. The ASEAN Foundation and the University reserve the right to terminate the research scholarship:
(a) at any time without notice if:
(i) the scholar's progress is not satisfactory or for the misconduct of the scholar, (including the provision of inaccurate or false information or the omission of material information by the scholar in his/her application for the research scholarship) or any other similar causes
(ii) the scholar withdraws from the research programme;
(iii) the candidature of the scholar is terminated by the University for any reason whatsoever; or
(iv) the scholar, for any reason, fails to obtain the Master’s degree for which the research scholarship was awarded within the prescribed period or any extended period allowed by the University; or
(b) at any time by giving one (1) month's notice in writing to the scholar without assigning any reason.
12. The scholar may terminate the research scholarship by giving one (1) month's notice in writing.
13. Where the research scholarship is terminated for any reason whatsoever, the scholar is only entitled to a prorated amount of the research scholarship for the month in which the research scholarship is terminated. If the full amount has already been paid to the scholar, then he/she must refund the excess amount to the University.
14. The scholar must refund to the University an amount equal to either the full or half amount of the total emoluments received by the scholar under the terms of the research scholarship, unless the ASEAN Foundation and University otherwise determine, if the Scholarship is terminated due to the following reasons:
(a) the scholar withdraws from the research programme;
(b) the candidature of the scholar is terminated by the University for any reason whatsoever;
(c) the scholar, for any reason, fails to obtain the Master’s degree for which the research scholarship was awarded within the prescribed period or any extended period allowed by the University.
The scholar shall be required to provide the University with an undertaking in this regard.
15. The scholar is required to acknowledge the ASEAN Foundation and the Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund in his/her thesis and publication(s), if any.
General
16. Apart from the items set out in paragraph 6, the ASEAN Foundation and the University do not provide any additional assistance towards travel or costs nor do they guarantee employment to the scholar on the successful completion of his/her Master’s degree candidature.
17. The ASEAN Foundation and the University shall be entitled to make and issue additional guidelines/revisions with respect to the award from time to time and to revise or amend such guidelines / revisions as it deems fit. All such guidelines / revisions shall be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of the award.
