Cost of Studying in Brunei: Tuition Fees and Living Expenses
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 30, 2026 • Updated Sep 30, 2026 • Money & Budgeting, Study in Southeast Asia
Local students without a government scholarship pay B$12,000 to B$14,000 a year for a standard bachelor's degree at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, more for Medicine and Dentistry, while monthly living costs in Bandar Seri Begawan run roughly B$500 to B$1,400 depending on housing choice.
💵 UBD non-lab bachelor's degree: B$12,000/year local, B$16,500/year international.
UBD lab-based degree: B$14,000/year local, B$18,500/year international.
Medicine: B$30,000/year local, B$54,000 international. Dentistry: B$45,000 local, B$60,000 international.
Politeknik Brunei diploma: B$9,000-10,800 non-lab, B$10,250-12,300 lab-based, for the full course.
🏠 A 1-bedroom apartment averages roughly B$1,040/month in central Bandar Seri Begawan, B$620 outside the centre.
Most Bruneian students who win a government scholarship pay none of this: tuition, accommodation and a monthly allowance are covered.
Tuition fees at Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Students without a government scholarship pay UBD's fee-paying rate directly. The rate depends on whether a degree is lab-based and on citizenship status.
| Programme type | Local citizen / PR (per year) | International (per year) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-lab bachelor's degree | B$12,000 | B$16,500 |
| Lab-based bachelor's degree | B$14,000 | B$18,500 |
| Medicine | B$30,000 | B$54,000 |
| Dentistry | B$45,000 | B$60,000 |
These figures come from UBD's own undergraduate fees and funding page . Fees are billed yearly and paid in Brunei dollars.
Politeknik Brunei diploma fees
Politeknik Brunei charges its local fee-paying students by programme length and whether the diploma is lab-based.
| Diploma type | Duration | Total fee |
|---|---|---|
| Non-laboratory | 2.5 years | B$9,000 |
| Non-laboratory | 3 years | B$10,800 |
| Laboratory-based | 2.5 years | B$10,250 |
| Laboratory-based | 3 years | B$12,300 |
These are totals for the full diploma, not a per-year figure, according to Politeknik Brunei's fee schedule .
How a government scholarship changes the picture
Most Bruneian students who get into a public university also apply for the Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship through HECAS. A scholarship award covers tuition in full, plus accommodation, books, food, personal spending money, medical treatment at government hospitals and travel, according to UBD's fees and funding page . The fee tables above apply mainly to fee-paying students who fall outside the scholarship scheme.
Monthly living costs in Bandar Seri Begawan
Most students live in or near Bandar Seri Begawan, where the main universities and colleges are based. Renting privately costs noticeably more than staying in a university hostel.
| Item | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 1-bedroom apartment, city centre | B$1,040 |
| 1-bedroom apartment, outside centre | B$620 |
| Utilities, 85m² apartment | B$93 |
| Basic living costs, single person, without rent | B$665 |
| Inexpensive restaurant meal | B$5.40 |
| Local transport monthly pass | B$43 |
These are cost-of-living estimates compiled by livingcost.org , converted from US dollars to Brunei dollars. Treat them as a planning range rather than a fixed price, since actual costs vary by lifestyle and location.
A realistic student budget
A student in a university hostel pays around B$250 a month for the room, plus B$10 for Wi-Fi, well below the private rental market. Add food, transport and personal spending and a hostel-based student spends roughly B$500 to B$800 a month outside tuition. A student renting privately outside the city centre, sharing a unit with roommates, lands closer to B$900 to B$1,400 a month once rent, utilities, food and transport are added together.
Brunei dollars trade 1 to 1 with Singapore dollars under a currency interchangeability agreement between the two countries, a useful reference point if you already know Singapore prices.