SIM, PSB Academy, Kaplan and MDIS are private colleges in Singapore, not universities, and choosing one safely comes down to a single check you can do before you pay a rupee. That check also decides whether you can get a student visa at all, which is why it matters more than any brochure.
This page explains what these institutions are, the one thing to verify, and how to do it at the government’s own records rather than the college’s marketing.
What are SIM, PSB, Kaplan and MDIS?
They are private education institutions, which in Singapore is a specific legal category regulated under the Private Education Act, separate from the six autonomous universities like NUS and NTU. A private institution is a company that provides education, and most of the well-known ones deliver degrees awarded by an overseas partner university rather than their own.
That isn’t a warning in itself. These are established institutions with large international intakes, and for some courses a partner degree delivered in Singapore is a sensible, cheaper route. But it is a different product from an autonomous university degree, and the checks you should run before enrolling are different too.
Keep one distinction clear. SIM, PSB, Kaplan and MDIS are private institutions. James Cook University Singapore and Curtin Singapore are the local campuses of Australian universities, which is a different category again. This page is about the private institution tier, because that is where an Indian student most needs to check before paying.
What is the one check that decides everything?
The institution must hold EduTrust certification. That single fact carries more weight than any ranking or agent’s promise, because the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority ties your student visa to it.
ICA states that only EduTrust-certified private education institutions can offer placements to foreign students. To get a Student’s Pass you must be offered a place to pursue full-time studies at an EduTrust-certified institution. So a private college without EduTrust certification cannot enrol you as an international student at all, whatever its website claims.
That turns a vague instruction, check the college is good, into a test with a yes or no answer. Either the institution is EduTrust-certified and can legally take you, or it is not and cannot.
How do you read an EduTrust certificate?
EduTrust is a quality assurance scheme for private institutions, and it comes in three levels. The level tells you how the institution scored and how long its certificate lasts, which is a useful signal on its own.
| Level | Assessment score | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| EduTrust Star | 750 points and above | Up to 4 years |
| EduTrust | 600 to 749 points | Up to 4 years |
| EduTrust Provisional | 500 to 599 points | Up to 1 year |
A full EduTrust or EduTrust Star certificate, valid for up to four years, is the reassuring one. A Provisional certificate lasting a single year isn’t a disqualifier, but it usually means a newer or lower-scoring institution, so look harder at the specific course and its track record before committing.
What actually protects the money you pay?
The Fee Protection Scheme protects the fees you have already paid if the institution becomes insolvent or is closed by the regulator. It’s the protection that matters most to an Indian family sending a large sum abroad in advance.
Here is the useful part. Running a Fee Protection Scheme is built into EduTrust certification itself, as one of the scheme’s own assessment criteria covering student protection, contracts and refunds. So an institution that holds EduTrust already runs fee protection. The one check does double duty, confirming both that you can get a visa and that your fees are protected.
Whose degree do you actually get?
At most private institutions you graduate with a degree awarded by an overseas partner university, not by the Singapore college itself. That is the thing to pin down before you enrol, because the awarding university is what your degree certificate will say and what an employer or a foreign immigration officer will recognise.
Ask two plain questions and get the answers in writing. Which university awards this specific degree, and is that the university named on the final certificate. A college may run courses from several partners, so the answer depends on the exact programme, not the institution as a whole.
How do you verify a college before paying?
Do the checks at the government’s own records, not on the college’s website, and do them in this order.
- Find the institution in the regulator’s EduTrust records. This is the check that decides your visa and implies fee protection. Note whether its certificate is Star, full or Provisional.
- Find its registration under the Private Education Act. Registration is the baseline licence to operate, separate from EduTrust.
- Identify the awarding university for your exact course in the course documents, get the name in writing, and make sure the same university appears on the final certificate.
- Get the fee schedule and refund terms in writing before paying, and keep the receipt for every payment.
Do this at the current regulator. Singapore reorganised its skills and education bodies in July 2026, merging SkillsFuture Singapore into the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency, so older pages naming SkillsFuture Singapore or the Committee for Private Education are out of date. Search the current regulator’s records for the institution by name, and treat any consultancy list of “approved” colleges as a starting point to confirm, never as proof.
- SIM, PSB, Kaplan and MDIS are private education institutions, not autonomous universities. They usually deliver a partner university’s degree.
- ICA issues a Student’s Pass only for EduTrust-certified institutions. No EduTrust, no student visa.
- EduTrust has three levels: Star and full EduTrust last up to four years, Provisional lasts only one.
- Every EduTrust institution must run a Fee Protection Scheme, which protects the fees you have paid if it shuts down.
- Check the certification at the government regulator, which was reorganised into the SWDA in July 2026, not on the college’s own site.
Frequently asked questions
Is SIM a university in Singapore?
No. SIM is a private education institution, not one of Singapore’s six autonomous universities. Like PSB, Kaplan and MDIS, it typically delivers degrees awarded by overseas partner universities. That can be a reasonable route, but confirm which university awards your specific degree and that the college holds EduTrust certification before enrolling.
Are private colleges in Singapore safe for Indian students?
The established ones can be, and there is a clear way to check. ICA only allows EduTrust-certified institutions to enrol foreign students, so EduTrust certification confirms both that you can get a student visa and that your fees are protected under a Fee Protection Scheme. Verify it at the government regulator before paying.
What is EduTrust certification?
EduTrust is Singapore’s quality assurance scheme for private education institutions. It has three levels: EduTrust Star and full EduTrust, both valid up to four years, and EduTrust Provisional, valid for one year. Certification requires the institution to run a Fee Protection Scheme covering the fees students have paid.
Can I get a Student’s Pass to study at a private college in Singapore?
Only if the college is EduTrust-certified. ICA states that only EduTrust-certified private education institutions can offer placements to foreign students, and a Student’s Pass requires a place at such an institution. A private college without EduTrust certification cannot enrol you as an international student.
What is the Fee Protection Scheme?
It protects the fees you have already paid if a private institution becomes insolvent or is closed by the regulator. It is a required part of EduTrust certification, so any EduTrust-certified institution runs one. It is the main protection for an Indian family paying course fees in advance from abroad.
Leave a Reply