SMA Medical Students’ Assistance Fund (SMA-MSAF) AY2024/2025

Applications for SMA-MSAF AY2024/2025 will open in Aug 2024.

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SMA Medical Students' Assistance Fund

Help The Poorer Students With Their Basic Living Expenses

Make a difference by supporting SMA-MSAF. According to the NUS Medical Society 2018 survey:

Estimated Basic Expenses

Annually S$4,410 (S$367.50/mth)

A medical education, even a highly subsidised one such as the NUS undergraduate course, remains expensive to many.

A survey by the NUS Medical Society back in 2008 found that about 21%, or 250 medical students in the NUS undergraduate course, have a monthly household income of less than $3,000. Another 26% come from households that earn between $3,000 to $5,000 a month.

There are a number of bursaries, financial assistance schemes and loans which can help pay for the NUS tuition fees, but what about basic living expenses for the poorer students? We know some of these students have managed by giving tuition – unfortunately, at the expense of their own studies.

The same survey found that a NUS medical student needs at least $4,410 a year to survive day-to-day (transport, food, books and miscellaneous), or $367.50 a month.

To help the poorer students with their basic living expenses, and in partnership with the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and with the support of the NUS Development Office, SMA has set up the SMA MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSISTANCE FUND (SMA-MSAF), a bursary program to help these needy medical students. The bursary amount was set at $3,600 a year per student in 2007 and was subsequently adjusted to $4,000 from in 2009. SMACF raised the bursary amount to $5,000 a year starting from 2014. To date, the bursary progam has benefited 252 medical students from all 3 medical schools : NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Duke-NUS Medical School.

100% of bursaries disbursed go directly to the students and will not be directly offset against outstanding tuition fees, nor will it become part of an endowment fund.
Monetary donations of $50 and above will qualify for 250% tax deduction.

"Many years ago, I responded to an appeal by SMA to help needy medical students with their daily expenses. Since then, I have contributed annually to the SMA-MSAF. This is a cause worth supporting. I was fortunate to have been the recipient of the local merit scholarship during my undergraduate medical course. The scholarship paid for not only my tuition fees but also my books and living expenses.

Annual tuition fees and expenses for the medical undergraduate have increased by at least 15-fold from the ‘70s (when I graduated) till now. The financial burden is indeed heavy, especially for students from lower-income families. By giving financial assistance to these students, they will be able to pay full attention to their studies and achieve their full potential. I would like to ask all doctors to support this worthwhile cause by contributing to the SMA-MSAF."

Dr Ong Eng Cheng

Methods To Contribute

Online Donation
Online donation can be made using credit card
/smacf

 
Corporate Philantrophy
Get in touch with us via smacf@sma.org.sg
to explore corporate giving and CSR with us.
Mail To SMA Charity Fund
Download our donation form and mail it together with your cheque. Cheques should be made payable to “SMA Charity Fund".
Donation Form (280kb)

Please DO NOT send cash by mail. If you will like your donation to be specifically set aside for the SMA Medical Students' Assistance Fund, do indicate "SMA Medical Students' Assistance Fund" at the back of your cheque or in the remarks of your online donation.

Completed form & cheques can be mailed to:

SMA Charity Fund
c/o Singapore Medical Association
2985 Jalan Bukit Merah
#02-2C SMF Building
Singapore 159457

For any enquiries, feel free to contact Mr Ronnie Cheok at 6540 9186 / fax 6224 7827 or drop us an email at smacf@sma.org.sg