History & Evolution
19th Century | The 1950s | The 1960s | The 1970s
The 19th Century
Scholarships predate the PSC and as early as 1885, top students were awarded the Higher Scholarships to study at universities in the UK. These scholarships were founded in 1885 by Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, the Governor of the then-Straits Settlements, in honour of Queen Victoria.
The main objectives of introducing Higher Scholarships was to allow promising boys an opportunity to complete their studies in the UK, and to encourage a number of boys to remain in school and acquire a useful education. From the period 1885-1890, Higher Scholarships were thus only awarded to the top boys in the Straits Settlement.
Thereafter, the Higher Scholarships were renamed the Queen's Scholarships and was opened up to all British subjects of either sex. Recipients of the Queen's Scholarships would proceed to study at either Cambridge or Oxford universities.
The British colonial authorities saw the benefits of educating a select group of elite who could serve in the ranks of the public service, although few locals were absorbed into the public service and promotion prospects were not bright.
In 1940, the selection of Queen's Scholars was transferred to a Board of Selection appointed by the Senate of Raffles College in Singapore. The Queen's Research Fellowships were also introduced for outstanding graduates of Raffles College and King Edward VII College of Medicine to study postgraduate courses in selected UK universities. Raffles College and King Edward VII College of Medicine were later merged to form the University of Malaya.
Past Queen Scholars
Illustrious recipients of the Queen's Scholarships include the former Minister for Law, the late E.W. Barker, Professor Lim Pin, and Kwa Geok Choo, better known as Mrs Lee Kuan Yew
The 1950s
1950 - The Colombo Plan was conceived at a meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers in Colombo. The Colombo Plan provided training awards, expert services and equipment to South and Southeast Asia to aid these regions in their economic and social development. Awards were received from countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the UK. Singapore became an active member of the Colombo Plan in 1959 and stopped receiving Colombo Plan scholarship awards in 1988.
1959 - The Queen's Scholarship was replaced by the Singapore State Scholarship, with the constitutional change in Singapore's status to a self- governing state. Unlike the Queen's Scholarship, the Singapore State Scholarship was tenable locally at the University of Malaya as it was felt that Singapore had sufficient facilities for approved courses.
Past Colombo Plan scholars
Past Colombo Plan scholars include Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Chiang Chie Foo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister's Office.
Past Singapore State scholars
Past Singapore State scholars include Dr Tony Tan, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence.
The 1960s
1961 - PSC took over the selection of candidates for all scholarships, fellowships and training courses offered or sponsored by the Singapore Government.
1963 - The Scholarships Co-ordinating Committee and a Scholarship Unit in PSC were set up.
1964 - The Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarships were inaugurated. These replaced the Singapore State Scholarships and were tenable for studies locally and overseas. With His Excellency's patronage in the naming of these scholarships, the Yang di-Petuan Negara Scholarships sought to reclaim its position as the most prestigious scholarship award, distinct from other government scholarships.
- The Singapore Government Scholarships for Humanities Studies at Oxbridge was introduced. These aimed to encourage bright students to enter the Arts stream and to return to Singapore to assume positions in Government administration and leadership with a broadened and more varied education.
1966 - The Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarship were renamed the President's Scholarship, following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965. The President's Scholarship remains till today, the most prestigious and competitive scholarship award in Singapore.
Past Yang di-Pertuan Negara scholars
Past Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholar include Lim Siong Guan, former Head of Civil Service and currently Chairman of the Economic Development Board.
Past President's scholars
Past President's Scholars include Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, as well as Barry Desker, Dean, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
The 1970s
1971 - The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholarship was initiated. Awards were given to outstanding male cadets to pursue their undergraduate degrees at overseas universities on full pay and additional allowances. The PSC continues to administer these scholarships on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
1974 - The Donated Overseas Merit Scholarship (DOMS) scheme was introduced to supplement the Government's manpower training programme with the cutback in Colombo Plan Undergraduate Scholarships.
1976 - The DOMS was known as the Overseas Merit Scholarship (OMS) when some donors could not continue with their donations due to the economic downturn then. The Government therefore decided to finance these overseas scholarships.
1979 - The Singapore Police Force Scholarship was introduced. Like the SAF Scholarship, outstanding male candidates were sent to overseas universities on full pay and additional allowances.
- The Pre-University Overseas Merit Scholarships for the Humanities (PROMSHO) was introduced to encourage top students to study in the Arts stream at JC levels and subsequently, courses of study in the Humanities or Law at Oxbridge or other UK universities, so as to ensure a better spread of talent to meet the nation's needs.
Past SAF Overseas
Past Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship recipients include the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence.
Past SPF Overseas scholars
Past SPF Overseas scholars include Heng Chee How, Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, and Benedict Cheong, former CEO of National Council of Social Services (NCSS).
Past OMS scholars
Past OMS scholars include Liew Heng San, CEO, Central Provident Board and Leong Wai Leng, CFO, Temasek Holdings Limited.
The 1980s
PSC starts to award the Singapore Government Scholarships tenable in Australia and New Zealand. This was later extended to the UK in 1988 and the US in 1996.
1983 - The PROMSHO was renamed Humanities Scholarships and Pre-U students awarded these scholarships had to apply for undergraduate scholarships like all other students.
The 1990s
MOE took over the Humanities Scheme in July 1992 as this tied in with MOE's role as the administering agency for other Pre-U schemes for Singaporeans.
The Local-Overseas Merit Scholarship (LOMS) was introduced in 1997. As prestigious and competitive as the OMS scheme, LOM scholars may proceed overseas for a fully-sponsored Masters degree course after their undergraduate studies.
2000-2002
The administration of the Overseas Specialist Awards, Singapore Government Scholarships, and Local Merit Scholarships were delegated to the ministries. These delegated scholarships are now known as Ministry Scholarships and ministries are directly involved in the management and development of their scholars.
2002 - PSC launched the Management Associates Programme (MAP). The MAP is a career development programme to groom promising young men and women to be future leaders of Singapore. The MAP helps to ensure that PSC scholarships and the careers that come with them remain relevant and challenging.
Today
The PSC directly administers the following scholarship schemes:
The President's Scholarship
The Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship
The Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship
The Overseas Merit Scholarship
The Local-Overseas Merit Scholarship
PSC China Scholarship
The Singapore Government Scholarship (Open)
Local Merit Scholarship (Open) - Medicine
The Mid-Term Scholarship
The PSC Masters Scholarship
Over the years, awarding scholarships, picking the right people for the civil service, grooming and deploying them, and tracking their progress and performance became critical roles for the PSC. The PSC scholarships became a household word in Singapore.
Today, we aim to continue to be the leading scholarships authority in Singapore, able to attract and nurture top talent to lead our nation in the 21st century.