University of the Arts Singapore Formed from NAFA and LASALLE Alliance
Singapore will see the launch of its first government-supported private arts university, the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), in August 2024. The new institution is the result of an alliance between the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and the LASALLE College of the Arts.
Applications for UAS will open in the third quarter of 2023, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE). The creation of UAS was first announced in 2021 by then-Education Minister Lawrence Wong during the Committee of Supply debates.
UAS will grant degrees validated by both NAFA and LASALLE and will also provide centralised services to the two institutions. The university will offer a broad range of programmes in fine arts, design, media arts, performing arts, arts management, and new disciplines in the applied arts. Further details on tuition fees and academic offerings for the 2024 academic year will be disclosed later.
No new campus is planned for UAS; instead, it will build upon the existing infrastructure of NAFA and LASALLE. Students will benefit from an enhanced experience, with new cross-college modules, joint electives, and access to shared resources and facilities.
Currently, LASALLE and NAFA offer degrees in collaboration with prestigious overseas universities such as Goldsmiths, the Royal College of Music, and the University of the Arts London. Starting in 2024, LASALLE will award degrees from UAS, rather than from Goldsmiths, while NAFA’s final intake under the University of Arts London’s validated programmes will be in 2025. NAFA will also introduce new degree programmes under the UAS name closer to 2024.
The university’s name was chosen after extensive consultations with various stakeholders, including staff, students, and alumni from both LASALLE and NAFA.
Diverse Pathways for the Creative Economy
The Ministry of Education highlighted the importance of talent from diverse fields beyond STEM disciplines, including the arts and humanities, to support Singapore’s future economy. The ministry noted that arts graduates from LASALLE and NAFA have strong employment outcomes, reflecting the value of arts education in the country’s evolving job market.
The UAS board of trustees will be led by Mr. Jose Isidro Camacho, with Professor Kwok Kian Woon appointed as the university’s first vice-chancellor and chief executive. Mr. Camacho, managing director and vice-chairman of Credit Suisse Asia Pacific, has been an influential figure in Singapore’s arts scene and was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2021. Prof Kwok, an experienced academic leader, has served on the National Arts Council and the National Heritage Board.
Prof Kwok expressed optimism for the university’s potential, stating, “The UAS can be a very special institution of higher learning, transforming arts education and energising our cultural landscape and the creative economy.”
