Yale-NUS believes that learning continues beyond the formal academic spaces of classrooms, labs and the library. It also happens in our dining hall, creative spaces, suites and lounges. This is why all of our students, both international and Singaporean, live oncampus for all four years. Residential College life is an integral part of the Yale-NUS experience; it’s a time to build community, create college traditions and engage in late-night conversations.
Yale-NUS has three Residential Colleges: Saga, Elm and Cendana. These Colleges will become your home away from home. With everything you may possibly need, including dining halls, laundry rooms, faculty offices, common lounges, butteries and social spaces, there is no shortage of space to connect with friends or host meetings with faculty.
- STUDENT SUITES
- DINING HALLS
- SCIENCE LABS
- SPORTS FACILITIES
- LIBRARY
- ARTS WALK
- FABRICATION LAB
- COURTYARDS
- PERFORMANCE HALL
- COMMON LOUNGES
- SKY GARDENS
- BUTTERIES
- ACADEMIC SPACES
- UNIVERSITY TOWN
Student Suites
Yale-NUS students live within nested communities on our campus. Within each Residential College, students live in suites made up of four or six single bedrooms. This means you will have your own space to study and rest, while still having easy access to conversation, collaboration and fun with your suitemates. Each suite has a shared bathroom and common living space.
Student Suite
Suites offer a comfortable and immersive residential experience for students. Made of either four or six single rooms, suites bring together people from local and international backgrounds.
Student Suite
Suites are uniquely your own. Decorate your room and common area how you see fit, and make yourself feel at home. Photo: Dean of Students Office
Student Suite
Express yourself in a comfortable and private space. Both social and private living is easily accessible with the suite experience. Photo: Dean of Students Office
Student Suite
Residential life will be a huge part of your Yale-NUS experience. Your time in your Residential College will provide you with a more connected living and learning experience, and enable you to spend time developing yourself within your extra-curricular interests. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Dining Hall
For convenience, each Residential College has its own dining hall. But as a Yale-NUS student, you will have access to all three dining halls. Food is served buffet style, with a wide range of options to suit the diverse tastes of our student community.
Dining Halls
Each dining hall is unique to the residential college yet to open to all Yale-NUS students. The dining halls are equipped with private dining rooms for meetings and often house performances and movie screenings, making them a diverse and multipurpose space.
Dining Hall
Served buffet style, each meal has a wide range of fresh options appealing to all taste buds. Eastern and Western food options are available and different dietary requirements are catered for. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Dining Hall
The dining halls offer an ideal opportunity for students to recharge while collaborating with fellow students and faculty alike.
Dining Hall
Dining Halls are lively and interactive spaces to catch up with friends and talk with professors.
Science Labs
Yale-NUS offers state-of-the-art science labs, equipped with ample equipment for research and experiments in everything from Biology to Physics.
Science Lab
Yale-NUS offers state-of-the-art science labs that are easily accessible on campus. Going beyond just learning in a classroom, science labs offer immersive tools and programs for everything from Biology to Psychology. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Science Lab
Yale-NUS professors conduct groundbreaking research using the science labs. Research positions are open to all open to all Yale-NUS students. Work with some of the greatest minds in science and explore your own passions in the sciences within the labs.
Science Lab
As part of the Common Curriculum, all of our students will be exposed to Scientific Inquiry, which is a year-long module investigating multi-disciplinary issues such as evolution and climate change. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Sports Facilities
From basketball to badminton, you will have plenty of opportunity to keep active on the Yale-NUS campus. You will find students playing netball in the Multi-Purpose Hall, lifting weights in the gym and learning new steps in the dance studio. Whether exploring a new sport, keeping up with your fitness or joining one of Yale-NUS’s competitive sports teams, the campus is ready to meet all sporty needs.
Multi Purpose Hall
The Multi Purpose Hall serves as the focal point of sporting activities. Yale-NUS offers the equipment and teams for all athletes whether they are training for a competition or hosting a friendly match, from basketball to badminton to tchoukball.
Multi Purpose Hall
Yale-NUS is also a great place to be a fan! Kingfishers from every college and cohort show their support and school pride by cheering on their suitemates and friends to sporting greatness, whether it be for Inter-Collegiate championships or casual matches.
Yale-NUS Gym
A state of the art gym facility is available exclusively for Yale-NUS students, staff, and faculty, offering aerobic, strength and stamina training equipment needed for athletes and casual training alike.
Library
Known as a favourite spot on campus, the Yale-NUS library serves as a hot spot for both individual and group study. Within the library, you will find private study spaces, a high performance computing lab and comfortable spots to relax with a book. With access to study materials from both the physical and digital collections of NUS and Yale, resources are practically endless. Our librarians are on-hand to support students in any of their research tasks – from tracking down rare or out of print books to personally guiding you through a vast array of online journals and resources.
Library
The library is the keystone of campus. Located at the highest point of campus, with the idea that knowledge will flow from the library to other parts of campus, the Yale-NUS library represents the pinnacle of knowledge, design and thoughtfulness. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Library
High quality photography and video equipment, a high performance computing lab with professional suites preloaded, and private study spaces are just a few examples of the equipment and spaces readily available for Yale-NUS students. And if there is a book or other resource Yale-NUS does not already have needed by students, librarians are on hand to acquire those materials. The possibilities are endless.
Library
The Yale-NUS library is home to more than just books. A wealth of activities and learning opportunities await Yale-NUS students in the library at all times of the day.
Library
Librarians are not only on hand to help with sorting and finding books, but actively assist students in the whole research process by helping identify different types of sources and a tailored research plan for any assignment or project regardless of a student’s research background.
Arts Walk
The Arts Walk is a hub of creative expression for Yale-NUS students. Dedicated art studios are used by students from all majors who want to dabble in the fine arts. The Dance Studio offers a dedicated space for both novice and experienced dancers to perfect their steps. The state-of-the-art Black Box Theatre is abuzz with student performances, as well as guest lectures and productions. The Black Box is also equipped with a fully adjustable lighting and sound system to allow students to learn and master the technical side of various productions. Private practice rooms are also available for rehearsals with different instruments or jam with a student band.
Dance Studio
The multipurpose dance studios, with full length mirrors and specialized Harlequin flooring, offers a professional and dedicated space to dancers, performers and practitioners of all capacities. A wide range of dance classes are available, from Hip Hop to K-Pop to Ballroom. The Dance Studio also houses non-dance activities and classes, such as yoga courses led by Yale-NUS faculty. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Black Box Theatre
Everything from professional performances to casual improv happens in the Black Box Theatre. Open to all students, student-led offerings such as the 24 Hour Play, where students write, direct, produce and perform a play within 24 hours, brings together cohorts and talents regardless of prior experience from all over the campus. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Black Box Theatre
Students and faculty utilise the state-of-the-art Black Box Theatre, with a fully adjustable lighting and sound system integrated by a full scale catwalk to showcase high quality performances and plays. Recent student productions include colon Broadway musical “A Little Shop of Horrors”, local playwright Jean Tay’s “Boom”, semesterly showcases by the Yale-NUS Ballroom Society, and “Overtime” the first Yale-NUS original musical.. Photo: YNC Photography Club
Outdoor Amphitheater
Yale-NUS offers the facilities, opportunities and equipment necessary for the serious or the beginner artist. The Amphitheatre is an informal gathering space for various Open Mic events, cultural celebrations such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, readings by local and international authors organised by the Writers’ Centre, and dialogue sessions where students engage in current issues that affect the campus or wider communities. Photo: YNC Photography Club
Fabrication Lab
Visual artists have a dedicated space, located conveniently on campus, where they can have access to sophisticated fabrication equipment. Students learn how to use this equipment, such as 3D printers, through ongoing workshops and tutorials.
Fabrication Lab & Georgette Chen Arts Studio
All students have access to the Fabrication Lab and Georgette Chen Arts Studio whether they choose to specialise in the fine arts as part of their major, pursue art making with a student organisation on campus, or are looking for a space to pursue their own creative projects. Workshops and tutorials are held throughout the academic year to showcase artists at work in various media. Photo: YNC Photography Club
Courtyards
Each Residential College has its own courtyard, which are outdoor spaces for students to relax in-between classes with friends, meet classmates and professors to talk about projects, or hold social gatherings with their student organisations. It’s a common space where the Residential College community of students, staff and faculty comes together to celebrate a multitude of events.
Campus Core
With heritage trees that are species native to Singapore, the Campus Core is the largest green space on campus where the original topography of University Town was preserved during the construction of Yale-NUS. Many first-time visitors are drawn to this green landscape at the core of the campus. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Main Quad
Student activities thrive in the Main Quad, an open and flexible space dedicated to the residents of Yale-NUS. Want to do yoga midday, or even organise an outdoor acapella performance? Many public events open to friends, family, and the general public have been held in the main quad. Photo: Public Affairs Office
*Image: Within the Main Quad
Courtyards
Each of the three Residential Colleges have their own courtyard. They are social spaces on campus where students from different cohorts, faculty members, and residential staff meet and mingle or bond over activities organised by the Residential College offices and their respective College Councils.
Courtyards
The community comes together for a multitude of events, bringing students from different cultures and background together to experience new and exciting traditions and events. Examples include a Jamaican Jerk festival and Chinese New Year; and regular staples such as tea parties and end of semester programming. Photo: YNC Photography Club
Performance Hall
Prepared to be wowed! The Performance Hall is the biggest seated space on campus and boasts impeccable acoustics. The Performance Hall is used to host everything from Common Curriculum lectures to the notable guests of the President’s Speaker Series.
Performance Hall Foyer
The Performance Hall, is a stunning place to hold lectures and performances from students, faculty and guests alike. A grand foyer, featuring a Sol LeWitt mural which was installed by the Yale-NUS community of students, staff, and faculty serves as a modern facade to the hall. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Performance Hall
The Performance Hall was engineered to house grand acoustics that bring the best out of student and guest performers. Everything from concerts by the member groups of the Singers’ Guild and the Yale Whiffenpoofs are examples of student and guest that have graced the Performance Hall stage. High profile guests have also held talks and lectures to share more about their professional field or pressing contemporary issue. Past President’s Speaker Series guests have included: the President of Iceland, the Chief Executive Officer of Disney, Pulitzer Prize winner Professor Stephen Grenblatt, Ambassador-at-Large Professor Tommy Koh, and CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria.
Performance Hall
Student organisations are frequently highlighted in the Performance Hall. You will be enthralled by student and guest performances throughout the year. Photo: YNC Photography Club
Performance Hall
Many memories are made and shared in the Performance Hall, like the Centre for International and Professional Experiences (CIPE) Week 7 and Learning Across Boundaries (LAB) showcases and student-made films. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Performance Hall
The whole community comes together in the Performance Hall. Whether you are on stage or in the audience, you will find yourself marveling and embracing the space in new ways throughout your time at Yale-NUS. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Common Lounges
Each residential college has its own common lounge – an intimate and cosy space where students can come to relax, study, organise events with their student organisations or listen to guest speakers. With a baby grand piano, games books and capstone projects of graduated seniors in each lounge, it is a great space to unwind or take part in exciting activities with new friends.
Common Lounges
Common Lounges, housed in each Residential College, offer a flexible and comfortable space for a range of programs from guest lectures to intimate performances. The spaces are open at all hours to fulfill students' academic and social needs.
Common Lounges
A fun and inclusive space, students make new memories and friends in a dedicated space for students. Invited speakers and panelists bring complex contemporary global issues into the residential space, making each Residential College a home for living and learning. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Common Lounges
With a community as diverse as Yale-NUS, the Common Lounges host such a wide variety of activities that programmes each day are never quite alike!
Sky Gardens
All Residential College towers feature sky gardens which is a shared outdoor garden space on every second or third floor. Different colleges have different layouts for sky gardens. These gardens complement student suites, offering a communal space to socialise with your suitemates while enjoying fresh air and gorgeous views.
Sky Garden
Sky Gardens are a form of nested community building in every Residential College. The six suites that form a Sky Garden community are composed of students from different nationalities, cohorts, and academic interests. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Sky Garden
Many students use these spaces for smaller social gatherings, surprise birthday celebrations, or just to reconnect with friends both old and new with views that overlook parts of the main campus.
Butteries
Each Residential College has a unique buttery – a space that provides a fun and engaging place for students to come together. These student-run cafes offer kitchens and common areas to provide the opportunity to indulge in late-night meals and gatherings.
Butteries
The buttery, found in each residential college, is perhaps the most social space on campus after classes are over for the day. Serving as a common area and a student-run late night eatery, the buttery is a place to come and relax, socialise and enjoy an assortment of entertainment and food offerings. Photo: Dean of Students Office
Butteries
Parties and receptions are frequent in the Butteries, along with open mic events and other performances organised by student organisations. Photo: Elm College Council
Butteries
A warm and buzzing atmosphere, Yale-NUS students love to utilise the butteries to relax, socialise, and engage with the student community.
Academic Spaces
You will find small seminar classrooms scattered throughout the Yale-NUS campus. We believe the best discoveries and intellectual curiosities come from engaging conversations with your peers and faculty. To support group work and round-table discussions, all classrooms have movable furniture that can easily be arranged to best facilitate these conversations. The Performance Hall and a small number of lecture theatres are available for Common Curriculum lectures and special guest lectures.
Seminar Classroom
The core of the Yale-NUS academic experience takes place during seminars led by our international faculty members. All classes feature a low student to professor ratio to increase the amount of interaction that each student has with their course instructor. Seminar is a time for any student to practice their critical thinking and problem solve skills, while presenting complex ideas lucidly and eloquently. The Education Technology Department has also installed software to facilitate group learning to bolster your learning experience. Photo: Public Affairs Office
Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre
These academic spaces make lectures and academic conferences accessible and engaging. Learn from professors, prestigious guests and your peers within unique three lecture spaces across campus. Photo: Dean of Students Office
Writer’s Center
Yale-NUS’ Writers’ Centre is a resource to support all students with academic or creative writing regardless of their background or training. Writing Fellows and Peer Tutors offer individual sessions to assist students with any assignment, presentation, or application process that requires a written submission. Local and international authors, illustrators, and film makers are also invited regularly to give readings and specialised workshops that are open to any student. Photo: YNC Photography Club
University Town
Venture to neighbouring NUS University Town (U Town) to access a variety of facilities and amenities. Have a go at rock climbing, take a dip in the infinity pool or sample the cuisine at the food courts, restaurants, and cafes available.
NUS U-Town
Do you enjoy a small campus, or prefer to be in a sprawling one? Yale-NUS enjoys the best of both worlds. Yale-NUS students have the option to venture into neighbouring NUS U Town, with access to all the study spaces, computer labs, sports facilities and lifestyle amenities housed in one building.
NUS U-Town
Larger sports facilities that are catered to NUS students are also accessible by Yale-NUS students. U Town has a large fitness centre, indoor rock climbing wall, multiple halls for different indoor sports, dance studios, and a central atrium where different cheerleading teams practice throughout the week.
NUS U-Town
Become a part of a larger NUS community with Yale-NUS being situated within U Town. Whether you want to eat out or just spend the day relaxing on U Town green, there is something for everyone within the University Town. Photo: Dean of Students Office
STUDENT SUITES
Yale-NUS students live within nested communities on our campus. Within each Residential College, students live in suites made up of four or six single bedrooms. This means you will have your own space to study and rest, while still having easy access to conversation, collaboration and fun with your suitemates. Each suite has a shared bathroom and common living space.
DINING HALLS
SCIENCE LABS
SPORTS FACILITIES
LIBRARY
ARTS WALK
FABRICATION LAB
COURTYARDS
PERFORMANCE HALL
COMMON LOUNGES
SKY GARDENS
BUTTERIES
ACADEMIC SPACES
UNIVERSITY TOWN
Student Suites
Student Suite
Student Suite
Student Suite
Student Suite
Dining Hall
Dining Halls
Dining Hall
Dining Hall
Dining Hall
Science Labs
Science Lab
Science Lab
Science Lab
Sports Facilities
Multi Purpose Hall
Multi Purpose Hall
Yale-NUS Gym
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Arts Walk
Dance Studio
Black Box Theatre
Black Box Theatre
Outdoor Amphitheater
Fabrication Lab
Fabrication Lab & Georgette Chen Arts Studio
Courtyards
Campus Core
Main Quad
*Image: Within the Main Quad
Courtyards
Courtyards
Performance Hall
Performance Hall Foyer
Performance Hall
Performance Hall
Performance Hall
Performance Hall
Common Lounges
Common Lounges
Common Lounges
Common Lounges
Sky Gardens
Sky Garden
Sky Garden
Butteries
Butteries
Butteries
Butteries
Academic Spaces
Seminar Classroom
Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre
Writer’s Center
University Town
NUS U-Town
NUS U-Town
NUS U-Town
Financial Aid Info Session (Feb 6): Join us for a virtual session where a member of our financial aid team will explain the types of funding available, the application process, and the supporting documents required to apply. Sign up for this event to get insight on how to fund a Yale-NUS education and the opportunity to ask our financial aid team questions
Personal Essay Workshop (Feb 20): Get expert writing advice from an Admissions Team member who will explain how you can make the most of your personal essay. Join us on the journey of crafting your story, and making your personality shine!
All event timings are in Singapore Standard Time (GMT +8).
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