Vietnamese student, 20, secures double scholarships at NUS for bachelor's & master's degrees

A 20-year-old student from Vietnam was awarded two full-ride scholarships at the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS), covering both an undergraduate and a master's degree.

NUS, ranked eighth globally in the QS World University Rankings, is among the most competitive institutions in Asia and the world.

The scholarships will see her reading Materials Science and Engineering at NUS, followed by a master's degree at the university's College of Design and Engineering, reported VnExpress International.

The double scholarship

Nguyen Hong Gia Nghi initially applied for the ASEAN Merit undergraduate scholarship at NUS, which covers tuition fees, living allowance, in-campus housing, and an overseas exchange component.

But NUS decided to award her an additional full-tuition scholarship for a master’s programme in the College of Design and Engineering, valid for 2028 to 2032.

Nghi previously attended a high school in Vietnam. In 2021, she managed to secure herself a secondary ASEAN scholarship to the Singapore Chinese Girls' School.

She went on to excel academically at St. Andrew's Junior College, obtaining a bronze award in the 2023 Singapore Physics Olympiad, and a Gold award at the 2024 Nanyang Research Programme.

The student also earned distinctions in advanced H3 courses in physics and semiconductor devices, VnExpress reported.

"That was the most stressful time. I slept less and ate faster to make time for everything," she said.

Outside of her academic achievements, she established a tutoring initiative pairing older students with younger ones that has supported over 200 of her peers.

A drive to do better

To secure the scholarships, Nghi had to submit five short essays of around 150 to 200 words each, including one on her tutoring initiative.

She also had to obtain stellar grades and recommendation letters, and pass a 15-minute online interview.

Nghi said that the scholarships “relieve[d] [her] family of financial burden”, according to VnExpress.

She added that the joy was "overwhelming".

The student officially began her bachelor’s degree in NUS this July, and will embark on graduate studies after.

But she hopes to eventually pursue cutting-edge research and obtain a PhD.

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