Frequently Asked Questions
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The SAWL Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for physically and/or intellectually disabled students in financially difficult circumstances.
The Scholarship covers candidates pursuing education at Special Education schools, MOE secondary schools, the Institute of Technical Education, Polytechnics, Junior Colleges, or public Universities in Singapore (“eligible educational institution”).
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The Scholarship is for one academic year. The following is an estimate of the amounts which will be awarded to successful applicants:
Special Education school - $2,000
Secondary school - $2,000
Institute of Technical Education - $3,000
Polytechnic - $3,000
Junior College - $3,000
University - $8,000
Please note that these amounts may be subject to adjustment depending on the availability of funds in the Fund and the number of applicants for the scholarships received each year.
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To be eligible for the Scholarship, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
Citizenship
Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore.
Financial
The applicant’s household (i.e. those living under the same roof, related to the applicant by blood or marriage or adoption) must have a Household Monthly Per Capita Income (PCI) of $2,250 and below. Please refer to Q5 for details on the PCI calculation method.
Disability
Have a physical and/or intellectual disability, formally diagnosed and certified by a medical professional. See below for a list of possible conditions.
Physical disabilities:
Mobility issues where causes could include, for example: Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Spina Bifida, Amputations or Limb Differences
Sensory issues such as visual or hearing impairment
Intellectual disabilities where conditions could include, for example:
Down Syndrome
Global Development Delay
Applicants in this category must be enrolled in a Special Education school in the secondary school age group (born 2014 and before).
Social & Behavioural Difficulties; Learning & Language Difficulties:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) only.
Applicants in this category must be enrolled in a Special Education school.
Please note that the following are not eligible for funding under this scholarship:
Mental health conditions such as clinical depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia
Medical conditions such as cancer, unless as a result the applicant develops a category 1 or category 2 disability
Social and behavioural difficulties or learning and language difficulties aside from ASD, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Academic
Be attending an eligible educational institution for the next academic year. The applicant must not be in his or her final year of study at the time of the application.
Qualities of a SAWL Scholarship Fund scholar:
Passed most of their examinable subjects for their most recent examinations and are eligible to promote to the next level.
Demonstrated good character and attitude.
Demonstrated all-rounder qualities e.g. have unique skills, taken on passion projects, made special contributions to the community; embody a spirit of resilience, and show potential to contribute to society in future.
Those with the greatest potential to go on to ITE level and above education, or to take on some form of employment (whether open or sheltered, but preferably open) will be at an advantage.
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The timeline for the Scholarship is set out below:
August: Call for scholarship applications: The SAWL Scholarship Fund (SSF) Secretariat will send an email blast to various educational institutions. This email will include a link to the scholarship application form and instructions on how to apply. The application window will be open for one month.
September: The application window closes at the end of August. All applications must be submitted by this deadline, unless the deadline is extended. Applications received after the stipulated deadline will not be accepted. The submission system will prevent late submissions. Requests for clarification on applications may be sent by the SSF Secretariat to the applicants during this month (e.g. for missing information or documents).
October to November: The scholarship committee will review all complete applications and decide on the awards.
December: Application results will be released to the respective educational institutions and applicants. Scholarship funds will be disbursed by end December.
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The Household Monthly Per Capita Income (PCI) is calculated by dividing the total monthly gross household income* by the number of members in the household**, including working siblings. The total household income includes all sources of income from all household members, whether from employment, rental of property or any other sources.
*Household members’ monthly gross income refers to monthly income before employee Central Provident Fund (CPF) deductions. It includes regular allowances and other sources of income (e.g. pension, alimony, rental income). One-off payments, annual bonuses and full-time National Service (NSF) allowance are excluded.
**Household members are all those living at the same residential address as the applicant, as reflected in their NRICs, who are related to the applicant by blood or marriage or adoption, such as, parent(s), grandparent(s), and sibling(s).
To be eligible, the calculated PCI must be $2,250 and below.
Refer to the illustration below for an example.
Illustrated Example:
Tom comes from a family of 4. His family also rents out a room.
Household member / income
Tom: Student income: $0
Sister: Student income: $0
Mother: Self-employed monthly income: $2,200
Father: Driver monthly income: $3,200
Rented room: Monthly income: $900
PCI Computation
Total Monthly Household Income: $2,200 + $3,200 + $900 = $6,300
Per Capita Income: $6,300 / 4 = $1,575
Tom fulfils the financial requirement of the SAWL scholarship (PCI $2,250 and below).
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Yes. However, please indicate this in the application form and provide details on any other scholarships or bursaries the applicant has applied for, including the estimated amount of those scholarships/bursaries and the date when the results of those applications will be known.
An applicant who has received other scholarships or financial assistance will not automatically be disqualified from the Scholarship. However, the Trustees may take this into account when deciding on whether to award the Scholarship, and the amount to be awarded.
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No, the student may only apply after he/she has obtained a place in an educational institution covered by the Scholarship, as set out in Q3 above.
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Yes, if they continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria set out in Q3 above.
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No.
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Applications for the Scholarship can be made by clicking the "Apply" tab at the top of this page. Details on the documents to be submitted with the application are set out in the next section.
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No. All applications must be submitted via the e-Form in the link provided in Q10 above.
General Information
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Prior to filling in the form, please prepare the following three documents to be uploaded – they must be clear, legible, and in PDF format:
Financial Aid letter or IRAS Notice of Assessment (“Financial Documents”)
Medical Report to certify disability (“Medical Documents”)
Testimonial filled in and signed by a school authority (“Testimonial”)
All documents must be renamed as follows:
1_ApplicantName_FinancialDocument.pdf
2_ApplicantName_MedicalDocument.pdf
3_ApplicantName_Testimonial.pdf
Each of the above documents must be uploaded in a single PDF file. Q18 & Q19 will help you with the technical aspects of combining or compressing your PDF files.
Please note that incomplete or missing documents may delay the processing of your application or result in disqualification.
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Financial Documents:
(a) Financial aid letter,
if the applicant is on any of the MOE financial assistance schemes or university financial aid, a letter/email confirming that they are on the relevant assistance and that their PCI is $2,250 or less.
OR
(b) Financial documents for working members of the applicant’s household to demonstrate the applicant’s household’s financial situation,
if applicant is not on any of the MOE financial assistance schemes or university financial aid.
Acceptable documents include:
IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) Notice of Assessment statements showing annual income. This is the preferred document to submit.
In the absence of an IRAS Notice of Assessment Statements, applicants should provide an explanation for not being able to do so and provide alternative documents in the following order of preference:
Last 3 Months of payslips; but if not available then
Any other credible documentation to substantiate their income
Examples of such documents include:
CPF contribution statements
Employment confirmation letters or contracts
Bank statements reflecting income deposits
Letters from employers or accountants confirming income.
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The applicant should provide the following documents in respect of the unemployed household member, such as:
·A termination letter or retrenchment notice from the previous employer or a letter of resignation (in case of recent job loss (in the last 6 months)).
Proof of unemployment benefits, if any.
Any other relevant documentation that explains the lack of income (for example a medical report certifying that the person is not able to work), or an explanation of why the person is unemployed (for example they are a homemaker).
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The applicant should submit the following documents to verify the income of the self-employed household member, such as:
IRAS Notice of Assessment Statements; if not available, then
Any other document such as the latest profit and loss statements from the household member’s business, that was submitted to IRAS; if not available, then
Any other relevant documentation or explanation that shows the income of the household member, and an explanation of why the documents in (a) and (b) of Q13 are not available.
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The applicant must provide a medical professional’s memo or report certifying the applicant’s disability.
However, applicants enrolled in a SPED School are exempted from submitting a medical professional’s memo or Report.
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The template for this form is available online in the application portal.
This form should be filled in by the form teacher, principal, lecturer, school administrator, or any other relevant educational professional who can attest to the applicant’s academic abilities, good character and attitude, achievements and potential (Download → Print → Fill in & sign → Scan → Upload).
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You can combine multiple PDF documents into a single PDF using Adobe's free online tool: https://www.adobe.com/sg/acrobat/online/merge-pdf.html
Upload your files and click merge.
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You can compress your PDF document using Adobe’s free online tool: https://www.adobe.com/sg/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html.
Upload your file and click compress.
Document Submission
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All applicants will be notified of their application outcome via email by end December.
The SAWL Secretariat will send an official communication to the email address provided in the application form. Please ensure that the email address provided in the application form is accurate and regularly checked to avoid missing any important updates. The SAWL Secretariat will also forward to the educational institutions a list of the successful applicants with details of the scholarship award, including the amount and disbursement process.
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For university-level students who have provided their own bank accounts in the form, the funds will be disbursed directly to their bank accounts. For others, the funds will be sent to their respective educational institutions, which will then disburse them to the students. An email will be sent to all scholarship award holders once the funds are disbursed to their educational institutions/their own bank accounts.
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No, there is no award ceremony. Successful applicants will be notified via email, and the scholarship funds will be disbursed directly as set out in Q20 and Q21 above.
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No.
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No. If a student is unable to start or continue their course for any reason, they will not receive the scholarship funds, or will be asked to return the scholarship funds, even if they were successful in their scholarship application. The Scholarship is contingent upon the student’s enrolment and continuation in the educational programme they stated in their application form for the Scholarship.
Results Release and Disbursement of Funds
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Late applications will be automatically rejected by the online system. However, in exceptional cases, extensions may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If the applicant has a valid reason for needing an extension, he or she must contact the SSF Secretariat well before the deadline to explain the situation. Approval of extensions is within the SAWL Scholarship Fund’s sole discretion.
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For additional information or clarification, please contact the SSF Secretariat at contact@sawlscholarshipfund.org.sg.