Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country.
In response to Singapore’s economic restructuring in the 1970s amid a shortage of engineers, the government established the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) in 1981 on the former campus of Nanyang University, with engineering and applied science-focused programmes that emphasised laboratory training and industrial attachments. NTI was elevated to full university status and officially inaugurated as NTU on 1 July 1991 through parliamentary legislation, incorporating the National Institute of Education to support national goals of industrial upgrading and research-intensive higher education in science and technology.
NTU's main campus, located in the west of the country in the Western Water Catchment planning area, covers of land, making it the largest university campus in the country. The university also operates a medical campus in Novena, Singapore's healthcare district. As of 2024, NTU enrolled 37,458 students, and employed 7,997 faculty and staff.
The university is organised into a number of colleges and schools, including the College of Engineering, College of Science, Nanyang Business School, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, College of Computing and Data Science, Graduate College, National Institute of Education, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the NTU Honours College.
History Nanyang University (1955–1980)
Nanyang University (abbreviated Nan-tah, ) was founded in 1955 on land donated by the Hokkien Huay Kuan, prior to Singapore's independence from British rule. Conceived as a Chinese-medium university, it was largely supported by the local Chinese community and became the first Chinese-language university in Southeast Asia.
Nanyang University was located south of the present Nanyang Technological University grounds, centered on what is now Yunan Garden. The former administration building of Nanyang University now houses the Chinese Heritage Centre, which has been designated as a national monument.
Nanyang Technological Institute (1981–1991) In 1980, Nanyang University merged with the University of Singapore to form the current National University of Singapore. Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI), a tertiary institution affiliated to the National University of Singapore, was formed to take over Nanyang University's campus in 1981.
NTI operated as an engineering institute for a decade and formed the academic and infrastructural foundation for the establishment of Nanyang Technological University.
Legacy of Nanyang University (1991)
As NTU subsequently grew into a full university, various efforts were made to have it claim the Nanyang University mantle. In 1996, the alumni rolls of Nanyang University were transferred from NUS to NTU. In 1998, the prominent local calligrapher and poet Pan Shou (), who had been the first vice-chancellor of Nanyang University, called for NTU to be renamed Nanyang University, as a way to "quieten the hearts of many" NU alumni.
Present form Establishment of Nanyang Technological University (1991) In March 1991, the Singapore Parliament approved the formation of Nanyang Technological University. It was officially established on 1 July 1991, with the National Institute of Education (NIE) incorporated into it. The alumni rolls of the former Nanyang University were transferred to NTU in 1996. Historically, Nanyang Technological University admitted students jointly with the affiliated National University of Singapore and charged the same fees. Students made only one application, and they would be accepted by either university. This arrangement ended in 2004 as both universities began to distinguish themselves with an end of its official affiliation. Currently, students apply separately to both universities. NTU became autonomous in 2006 and stands as one of the two largest public universities in Singapore today.
Developments in the 21st century Since the early 2000s, NTU has expanded its international engagement, graduate education, and academic profile.
Approximately 65% of NTU's faculty and staff are foreign nationals, placing it among the world’s top 100 universities with the highest proportion of international faculty, according to QS. (NTU was ranked joint 3rd in the world on this metric, alongside NUS.)
The university is also highly international in its student body: 31% (8,089) of students are foreign nationals, with 58% of them pursuing postgraduate degrees. It remains one of the few top 100 universities with more than 60% of foreign faculty.
Controversies in the 21st century In 2013, a public debate over academic freedom in Singapore arose after Cherian George, an outspoken academic at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information known for his criticism of the government, was denied tenure. Although George had been recommended for tenure by the Wee Kim Wee School, his application was rejected by a university-level committee that included representatives from the Government of Singapore. The decision prompted a petition by students at the Wee Kim Wee School, but George's subsequent appeal was rejected by the university.
In 2021, some applications for on-campus hostel accommodations in NTU were rejected due to COVID-19 isolation protocols. The university claimed that the rejections were due to a shortage of housing facilities, which at full capacity was still unable to house every applicant, as rooms were oversubscribed. These rejections raised concerns, especially among international students, as returning students from Academic Year 2020–2021 were not granted on-campus accommodation despite the university's much-publicised policy of guaranteeing all incoming students a minimum of two years of campus housing. NTU eventually reversed their decision on 2 July 2021, prioritising on-campus accommodations for international students that resided on campus at the time, students under scholarship programmes with guaranteed housing, and all Year 1 and 2 students under the guaranteed hall stay policy.
Coat of arms On its foundation in July 1991, NTU adopted the Coat of Arms granted to NTI (by the College of Arms of the United Kingdom in November 1982) as its coat of arms.
The Coat of Arms consists of a heraldic shield divided into two sections: the lower portion shows a stalking lion facing the spectator on a white background and the upper portion two atomic symbols, one on either side of a cog-wheel above a battlement on a red background.
It is blazoned:
The lion represents close links between NTI and NUS, the battlement represents School of Civil and Structural Engineering, the atoms represents School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the cogwheel represents School of Mechanical and Production Engineering.
Campuses Landscape and Architecture
NTU has been listed among the World's Most Beautiful Universities, with the Art, Design and Media (ADM) building featured in a 2012 report by Travel + Leisure.
Much of NTU’s campus layout dates back to the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) period between 1981 and 1982, when the master plan—centred on the central academic spine known as the North Spine—was designed by Japanese architect Kenzō Tange the recipient of the 1987 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The North Spine was officially opened in 1986.
Several landmark buildings on campus have since gained international recognition. The ADM building, featured in the Travel + Leisure report, was designed by Singaporean architect Lee Cheng Wee.
The UOB Innovation Hub, also colloquially known as The Hive, is another prominent campus landmark, featured by Times Higher Education, and designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick.
Yunnan Garden Campus
The former Nanyang University administration building was restored into the Chinese Heritage Centre and was gazetted as a national monument in 1998 – now overlooking the Yunnan Garden. The Yunnan Garden precinct has undergone restoration and redevelopment works that completed in 2021. This encompassed heritage conservation, landscaped public spaces, and upgraded facilities surrounding the Chinese Heritage Centre. The Nanyang University Memorial and original Nanyang University Arch were also declared national monuments of Singapore in 1998.
The NTU Art & Heritage Museum is an approved public museum under the National Heritage Board's Approved Museum Scheme; benefactors who donate artworks and artefacts to NTU enjoy double tax deductions. There is a small lake between the Chinese Heritage Centre and Hall of Residence 4 called Nanyang Lake. Only members of NTU Anglers' Club permit holder, the fishing club at NTU, are allowed to fish in this lake.
The campus also served as the Youth Olympic Village for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
Colleges and schools College / School Established College of Engineering 1991 Nanyang Business School 1991 National Institute of Education 1991 Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information 1992 School of Biological Sciences 2001 College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences 2004 School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences 2005 S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies 2007 School of Art, Design and Media 2009 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine 2013 Asian School of the Environment 2015 Graduate College 2018 College of Computing and Data Science 2024
NTU is organised into several colleges and schools covering engineering, business, science, computing, humanities, education, and medicine.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
In 2010, NTU announced the formation of a pro-tem governing board to guide the establishment of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, a collaboration with Imperial College London. The medical college was established in 2013. Prior to its opening in 2013, the school received record donations of S$400 million, including S$150 million from the Lee Foundation. The School's primary clinical partner is the National Healthcare Group.
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), named after Singapore's former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, offers graduate programmes in international relations and is an autonomous graduate institution of NTU. The school has the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.
Nanyang Business School
Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the largest business school in Singapore.
NBS houses the 165-square meter Centre for Applied Financial Education, the largest finance lab in Singapore. The lab is equipped with 60 dedicated Thomson Reuters Eikon terminals with Datastream, along with 24 Bloomberg terminals that will allow business students with access to real-time financial, economic and business information.
In May 2023, NTU opened Gaia, a six-storey mass timber building. It is NTU’s eighth zero-energy building and at its opening, the largest wooden building in Asia.
College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences HASS consists of four schools: The Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information is a school of communication studies and offers courses in Journalism, Broadcast, Advertising, Communication Policy and Information Studies. It originally established in 1992, and it was named after Singapore's former president Wee Kim Wee in 2006.
The School of Art, Design and Media is Singapore's first professional art school and offers an undergraduate programmes in Art, Design, and Media, as well as graduate degrees in arts research. Its building, which features a sloping grassy roof surrounding a central courtyard, is frequently featured in NTU's promotional materials.