The SAF Scholarship, formerly known as the SAF Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS), is a scholarship conferred by the Public Service Commission (PSC). The scholarship is second in prestige to the

President's Scholar A President's Scholar is a recipient of the academic scholarship awarded by the Government of Singapore annually, to pursue undergraduate education at a university, usually abroad. The scholarship is considered to be the most prestigious public ...

ship. Scholars are groomed for the highest levels of command and management in the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

(SAF) and beyond. They will generally do another post-graduate degree in

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA),

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

(MPA) or

Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus o ...

(MPP) overseas in the middle of their careers to prepare themselves for appointments beyond the SAF. Upon graduation, scholars go through different tour of duty from other cadet officers.

Selection

The scholarship is awarded to outstanding officer cadets with excellent

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

IB Diploma The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

results, impressive co-curricular activities and outstanding performance in the

Officer Cadet School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Typ ...

(OCS). Candidates must also graduate from Basic Military Training (BMT) with an acceptable leadership score and excel in their

Individual Physical Proficiency Test The Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) is a standard physical fitness test used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to test the basic components of physical fitness an ...

(IPPT). After they are selected through rigorous rounds of interviews, scholars must complete and pass the 9-month Officer Cadet Course and receive their commission, before leaving for undergraduate studies. Medical or dentistry candidates will disrupt their cadet course for studies before returning for a 3-month Medical Officer Cadet Course (MOCC). Upon graduation, they will return to serve in the

(SAF). Their overseas studies typically takes place in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Popular choices amongst scholars include universities such as

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, and

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

Career prospects

Graduates receive their promotion to the rank of Captain (CPT) after a year of returning to service, thereafter serve 2-year command/instructor/staff tours, typically reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) and receive their battalion command by their 12-year of service. The rapid promotion and high salaries is to maintain competitiveness for the best minds in a highly educated society. Most scholars will go on to complete post-graduate qualifications in Public Administration or Engineering from the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...

universities. It is also common for these scholars to be headhunted to join the private sector or inducted into political offices.

Notable recipients

Politics

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Teo Chee Hean Teo Chee Hean ( zh, s=张志贤, poj=Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân, p=Zhāng Zhìxián; born 27 December 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Min ...

, Senior Minister *

Chan Chun Sing Chan Chun Sing ( zh, s=陈振声, p=Chén Zhènshēng; born 9 October 1969) is a Singaporean politician and former major-general who has been serving as Minister for Education since 2021 and Minister-in-charge of Public Service since 2018. A m ...

, Minister for Education *

Tan Chuan-Jin Tan Chuan-Jin (; born 1969) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore since 2017. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Par ...

Speaker of Parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

George Yeo George Yeo Yong-Boon ( zh, s=杨荣文, p=Yáng Róngwén; born 13 September 1954) is a Singaporean former politician and brigadier-general who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011. Yeo served in the Singapore Army an ...

, Former

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

Lim Swee Say Lim Swee Say (; born 13 July 1954) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress between 2005 and 2015, Minister for Manpower between 2015 and 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Of ...

, Former Minister for Manpower *

Lim Hng Kiang Lim Hng Kiang ( zh, s=林勋强, p=Lín Xūnqiáng; born 9 April 1954) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Trade and Industry between 2004 and 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2003 and 2004, Minist ...

, Former Minister for Trade and Industry

Military

Melvyn Ong Melvyn Ong Su Kiat (born 1975) is a Singaporean lieutenant-general who has been serving as Chief of Defence Force since 2018. Prior to his appointment as Chief of Defence Force, he served as Chief of Army between 2015 and 2018. Education On ...

, Chief of Defence Force * Desmond Kuek, Former Chief of Defence Force * Bey Soo Khiang, Former Chief of Defence Force * Neo Kian Hong, Former Chief of Defence Force *

Perry Lim Perry Lim Cheng Yeow is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2015 and 2018. Education Lim studied at Raffles Institution and won the President's Scholarship and the Singapore Armed Forces Over ...

, Former Chief of Defence Force * Lim Neo Chian, Former Chief of Army *

Ng Chee Khern Ng Chee Khern (born 18 October 1965) is a Singaporean civil servant and former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2006 and 2009. He is currently serving as Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government) under t ...

, Former Chief of Air Force * Lew Chuen Hong, Former Chief of Navy *

Ng Chee Peng Ng Chee Peng is a Singaporean civil servant and former two-star rear-admiral who served as Chief of Navy between 2011 and 2014. Education Ng was awarded the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1989. He ...

, Former Chief of Navy

Public Service

* Lee Seow Hiang, Chief Executive of

Changi Airport Group Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...

Peter Ho Peter Ho (, born September 13, 1975) is an American-Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer, actor and model based in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since his debut in 1998, he has released seven albums and has starred in over 25 films and television series, most not ...

, Former Head of the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

References

{{Reflist 1. Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the 2013 Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship Award Presentation Ceremony http://www.mindef.gov.sg/content/imindef/press_room/official_releases/sp/2013/29jul13_speech.html Government scholarships Military of Singapore