Local
Singapore has six autonomous local universities, namely the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology & Design, Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore University of Social Sciences.
The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University each have more than 30,000 students and provide a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes including doctoral degrees. Both are also established research universities with thousands of research staff and graduate students. As of 2016, both universities are ranked among the Top 13 in the world by QS World University Rankings for the second consecutive year and Top 54 globally by THE World University Rankings.
A third university, Singapore Management University (SMU), opened in 2000, is home to more than 7,000 students and comprises six Schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes in Business Management, Accountancy, Economics, Information Systems Management, Law and the Social Sciences. The University has an Office of Research, a number of institutes and centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes for working professionals through its Office of Executive and Professional Education.
The government has planned the fourth autonomous university, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), to meet the rising demand for university education. It started its operations in April 2012. Its permanent campus at Changi was opened in early 2015.
A fifth autonomous university Singapore Institute of Technology was announced in 2009. The institution started in 2010 and is intended to provide an upgrading pathway for polytechnic and arts institution graduates.
In 2017, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) was declared as the country's sixth autonomous public university. The university was previously established in 2005 as SIM University by the SIM Group. Thereafter it undergone restructuring and is currently under the ambit of the Ministry of Education.
Foreign
Many foreign universities have established campuses in Singapore such as the Chicago Business School and Technische Universität München.
James Cook University, University of Adelaide, Southern Cross University University of New Brunswick, Queen Margaret University, Temple University, The City University of New York, Baruch College, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Aventis School of Management, Curtin University of Technology & Cardiff Metropolitan University have established offshore campuses in Singapore to provide local and foreign (in particular, Asian) students the opportunity to obtain a Western university education at a fraction of the cost it would take to study in Canada, the UK, the USA or Australia. Curtin Education Centre began operations in Singapore in 2008. Other Universities such as the University of London, offer their programmes through external providers, such as Singapore Institute of Management and Singapore Accountancy Academy.
Yale established a joint college with the National University in 2011 and took its first students in 2013; a member of the board stirred controversy by defending Singapore's laws criminalizing sex between men.