Temasek Foundation Scholarship and Leadership Programs for ASEAN Students

Temasek Foundation's ASEAN focus

Temasek Foundation is a Singapore philanthropic organisation that runs leadership, exchange and community programmes across Asia, several of them open to ASEAN students and young professionals directly. Its flagship degree funding scheme, Temasek Foundation Scholarships, is reserved for Singapore citizens studying at Singapore ITEs, polytechnics and universities, so ASEAN applicants from outside Singapore should look at its other programmes instead.

Programmes at a glance

1. TF LEaRN (Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking)

TF LEaRN is Temasek Foundation's main undergraduate programme for ASEAN students. It runs through Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, and targets ASEAN undergraduates with strong academic standing and demonstrated leadership potential. The programme combines a period in Singapore with a segment in another ASEAN city, pairing regional students with Singaporean peers on shared projects.

2. Asia Journalism Fellowship

The Asia Journalism Fellowship brings working journalists from across Asia, including ASEAN newsrooms, into an 8-week hybrid fellowship, 4 weeks online followed by 4 weeks in-person in Singapore. Fellows attend training sessions, exchange reporting practices with peers from other countries, and build a professional network across the region. It targets mid career journalists rather than students, so it fits ASEAN applicants a few years into a media career more than fresh graduates.

3. SCALE (Specialists' Community Action and Leadership Exchange)

SCALE connects polytechnic and TVET (technical and vocational education and training) students from Singapore with counterparts across Asia. The programme centres on cross-cultural leadership exchange and community projects rather than classroom study, and suits ASEAN vocational and polytechnic students looking for a short, project-based leadership credential instead of a full scholarship.

4. Scouts Young Peace Builders

This programme trains young scout leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to run social cohesion and peace-building activities in their communities. It is narrower in scope than TF LEaRN, built specifically for applicants already active in scouting movements in those four countries.

5. Asia Leaders Connect

Asia Leaders Connect is an annual gathering that brings senior leaders from the public, private and philanthropy sectors across Asia together for dialogue. It is not a student programme, but ASEAN professionals further along in their careers, especially those already inside Temasek Foundation's alumni network, receive invitations through programme partners.

How to strengthen an application to any Temasek Foundation programme

Temasek Foundation programmes select on demonstrated community impact and leadership potential rather than test scores or GPA alone. Describe a specific project you led in your school, workplace or community, and the outcome it produced, rather than listing memberships or titles. Because most of these programmes run in cohorts with participants from multiple ASEAN countries, reviewers also look for applicants who represent their home country's perspective clearly in group discussions and shared projects.

Timing your application around the academic year

Undergraduate programmes like TF LEaRN typically align with university semester breaks, since they combine time in Singapore with a segment in another ASEAN city. Check with your home university's international office or exchange coordinator first, since your university often needs to nominate or approve your participation before you apply directly to NTU or NUS.

What Temasek Foundation programmes do not offer

None of the ASEAN-open programmes above function as a full degree scholarship the way SINGA or Schwarzman Scholars do. Temasek Foundation Scholarships, the organisation's largest funding pool by value, is restricted to Singapore citizens with a household per capita income under a set threshold. ASEAN students outside Singapore should treat Temasek Foundation's offerings as leadership and exchange credentials that strengthen a future scholarship or job application, not as a source of tuition funding.

How to apply

Each programme runs its own application cycle through its host institution or partner organisation rather than a single central Temasek Foundation portal. For TF LEaRN, apply through NTU's or NUS's international programmes office. For the Asia Journalism Fellowship, apply through the fellowship's own site once your newsroom experience meets its stated bar. Confirm current intake dates directly with the host institution before you prepare documents, since cycles do not run on the same calendar across programmes.

Where to find new Temasek Foundation programmes

Temasek Foundation adds and retires specific programmes over time, so a name found in an older scholarship guide sometimes closes before you apply. Check the foundation's current programme listing directly, and cross-reference with your target university's international office, since universities often list which Temasek Foundation programmes they currently host as an active partner.

If your goal is full tuition funding rather than a leadership credential, ASEAN students typically find a better match in SINGA, Schwarzman Scholars, or a country-specific award like Chevening or MEXT, and treat Temasek Foundation's programmes as a way to strengthen a future application for those larger scholarships.