Details

• Singapore
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

In my opinion going on exchange should be an experience you never forget. Thats why I chose to do my exchange as far away as possible and I would recommend that to anyone considering an exchange or wanting to get out of their comfort zone. For preparing just follow every instruction the university gives then you should be fine. I dont think there is any special preparation necessary, just let the thinks come how they are.

2. Accommodation

I booked my accomodation via Cove, the housing website. Me and the other 5 guys got seperate rooms in a building called the Bayron. Many exchange students lived there which gave a quite nice vibe. It was very nice, it had a gym and a pool and was very central, only like 25-30 min walk from uni and also close to the city center (near Orchard road). The search was pretty easy via Cove because you have many choices and rooms to choose from, ranging from cheaper to very expensive. I shared my flat with 4 other strangers (2 students and 2 professionals), which was fine, you get used to it. My room was 15 square meter and I paid around 1.900 SGD (1.300 EUR). It was also very safe, the door is basically always open, there is security at the front door and Singapore in general is a very safe city. Also there was cleaning every week.

3. Academic life at host university

Going to SMU was one of the best choices. The campus is in the city center and you can get there with many busses and MRT. On campus youve got multiple libraries (law library is the best), a gym, a pool and many other sports facilities. There is also a hawker center on campus where you can get cheap and very good food from different asian cuisines. Academically, one SMU credit is 7,5 ECTS and i think that is a good comparison. The teaching style is very much like in VUE´s at WU, with high attendancy and participation is always graded in every course. There are also many group projects presentations and so on so that the exam isnt that big of a part. So you have to alwys do something during the semester, but i think it is doable. I did 4 SMU courses (30 ECTS) and i still managed to travel every week and get good grades. What you have to consider is the bell curve, meaning that the number of A´s is capped, thats why you get the feeling its more competitive. The profs are also very nice and its a more personal exchange than really professional.

5. Every day life in the host country

Singapore in general is a very safe city. The public transports are also very clean and punctual. Ofc you can visit all the tourist attractions (Marina Bay, Gardens by the bay,...), but the nicest thing to explore are the hawker centers. There are so many and you have a whole lot of variety of food and its usually so cheap. For sports, running at river vally is very nice, especially in the evening, there are also many runners and run clubs. Gym and pool youve got at Uni anyways so i dont think you need an extra membership. For going out I would recommend NOVA and Ce la Vie (top of marina bay), which are really nice clubs. For cheap alkohol you can get pres at Boat quay. Otherwise i have no recommendations for leisure in Singapore, you should use the time to travel as much as possible.

6. Testimonial

The exchange was one of the best times of my life. I got to know very good friends form WU and we traveled almost whole east asia together which was a great experience. I you are thinking of going to Singapore to SMU, do it you will not regret it. Singapore is such a nice city and the travel options are so great, every exchange student is basically there for travelling.