National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is an autonomous research university in Singapore. As Singapore’s foremost and most prestigious institution of higher learning, NUS aims to advance knowledge and educate students, foster innovation and nurture talent, all in the service of country and society.

Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements & Federated Malay States Government Medical School, and known subsequently as the King Edward VII College of Medicine, University of Malaya, and University of Singapore, NUS is the oldest higher education institution in Singapore.

NUS is a comprehensive research university with over 40,000 students and 5,000 academic staff. It offers a wide range of disciplines, including the sciences, medicine and dentistry, design and environment, law, arts and social sciences, engineering, business, computing and music at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

NUS is a member of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), and Universitas 21 – a network of research-intensive universities.

NUS has been ranked the top in Asia Pacific by two international ranking systems, the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The university counts four Prime Ministers or Presidents of Singapore and two Prime Ministers of Malaysia among its alumni.

The School of Design & Environment (SDE) at NUS began as the Department of Architecture at Singapore Polytechnic in 1958. SDE is the only Faculty or School in a tertiary educational institution in Singapore responsible for offering education in architecture, urban design, building, project and facilities management, and real estate. Over the past 50 years, graduates from the School have contributed to the design, development and management of Singapore’s built environment.

The new building of the SDE commenced construction in 2016. Designed as a collaboration between international office Serie Architects and Singapore studio Multiply Architects, the new SDE is intended to be a net-zero energy building. “As a design school with an emphasis on energy-efficient technologies, this building embodies the principles it espoused and be an exemplar to the students, faculty and extended design community,” said the architects.

The National University of Singapore is an Associated University of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.