Costs of studying abroad are soaring, but even more Singaporeans want to do so now than before

AS AN undergraduate at Japan’s Waseda University, Ng Kay Chyn was acutely aware of how much it cost her parents to give her the overseas education she wanted.

Four years of tuition cost about 6.2 million yen (S$58,670) in total. Food averaged about 25,000 yen per month – which means she spent an estimated 12.3 million yen over the whole duration of her studies in Japan, including rent, transport and bills.

To cut down on costs, Ng would often cook her meals in large batches, then split the food into several portions to eat over the next few days.