Overview

The NBS Finance PhD programme at Nanyang Business School (NBS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) research is consistently featured in international conferences and top finance and actuarial/insurance journals, including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Risk and Insurance, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and North American Actuarial Journal. Many of our colleagues have won international awards for their research and contributions to the field. We hold seminars featuring researchers from around the world and run an active brown bag seminar. Our division is consistently ranked among the top universities in Asia for financial economics research.

Why Choose NBS?

Recently, our graduates have taken up faculty positions at the following universities:

University of New South Wales

Australian National University

University of Technology, Sydney

Monash University

University of Adelaide

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Baptist University

Peking University

Renmin University of China

Fudan University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

University of Science and Technology of China

Central University of Finance and Economics

Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

University of International Business and Economics

Xiamen University

Programme Structure

Year 1: coursework, university training requirements, summer pape
Year 2: coursework, university training requirements, summer paper, pre-qualifying exam, qualifying exam
Year 3: thesis writing, brown bag seminar presentation
Year 4: thesis writing, internal defence, thesis submission, and examination
Year 4 or 5: thesis amendments, thesis oral examination

Courses include:

Corporate Governance and Contro
Econometrics
Empirical Research (Investment)
Empirical Research (Corporate)
Seminar in Accounting Research
Seminar in Capital Market Research in Accounting
Seminar in Entrepreneurship

Seminar in Microeconomics

Students may take courses offered by other local universities in Singapore, as part of the coursework exchange programme.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-01-31 00:00:00

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

OR

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Singapore, Singapore

Disciplines

Finance Actuarial Science Banking View 3 other PhDs in Finance in Singapore

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Academic requirements

GRE^®

3.5 _(analytical)

GMAT

Required

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

OR

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Recruitment for the Academic Year 2027 is open from October 2026 to January 2027.

Bachelor’s degree certificates and transcripts, and Master’s degree certificates and transcripts (where applicable)

Documents not issued in English must be accompanied by official English translations
Two academic referees’ reports
GMAT or GRE scores (taken within the last 5 years) – mandatory for all applicants
IELTS or TOEFL scores (taken within the last 2 years) – may be waived for applicants whose Bachelor’s degree was completed in English
A research proposal
A statement of objective/personal statement
Research publications and award certificates (if any)

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.

Studyportals partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Nanyang Technological University and/or in Singapore, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

41000 SGD / year

≈ 41000 SGD / year

Additional Details

The tuition fee is approximately S$41,000 per year for International Students.

Living costs

Singapore

1878 - 3880 SGD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

A range of competitive scholarships is available to support outstanding applicants. These scholarships cover the full amount of tuition fees as well as provide a monthly living allowance up to S$5,300 per month (approximately USD 4,070).