SMU Lee Kong Chian

Singapore, Singapore · Public · Full-time MBA, 15 months (can be completed in 10 months); January and August intakes (part-time option also offered)

Program tuition: S$64,722 (full program)

Deadlines

Deadline 1 (January 2027 intake): March 15, 2026
Deadline 2 (January 2027 intake): July 15, 2026
Final deadline (January 2027 intake): Nov. 30, 2026
Deadline 1 (August 2027 intake): Nov. 30, 2026
Deadline 2 (August 2027 intake): Feb. 28, 2027
Final deadline (August 2027 intake): May 31, 2027

Essays

Personal Statement 1 (500–600 words)

Explain in 500-600 words your career and personal aspirations, and your motivation for pursuing the Master of Business Administration Programme.

Personal Statement 2 (choose one topic) (500–600 words)

Discuss in 500-600 words one of the following topics: 1. Describe your greatest weakness and how you have tried to overcome it. 2. Describe your outstanding talents, skills and inherent abilities that are not reflected in your academic qualifications and records. 3. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.

Leadership Potential scholarship essay (after admission offer) (500 words)

Please explain in 500 words why you consider yourself a leader

Community Impact scholarship essay (after admission offer)

Please share an example of how you have impacted your greater community and what you think is the best way to serve society.

Impact on Asia scholarship essay (after admission offer) (500 words)

Please explain in 500 words the professional development, entrepreneurial or personal projects of an Asian focus, that have contributed positively to Asian regions or companies or have increased awareness of Asia in other locations.

Women in Business scholarship essay (after admission offer) (500 words)

Please explain in 500 words why you should be awarded with the Women in Business Scholarship

Editor's notes

Pick your intake first. For a January 2027 start, only the final deadline is left, and SMU says seats and scholarships may run short by then. For August 2027, the first deadline (Nov. 30, 2026) is the one to aim for. Confirm the January final date with admissions, because the page shows both Oct. 30 and Nov. 30.
The two statements should cover different ground. Statement 1 is forward-looking (goals and why an MBA). Statement 2 is evidence of character through one of three topics. If both essays end up describing your career path, you've wasted one.
Plan for the interview to decide your money. Four of SMU's scholarships are applied for after an offer and are judged partly on interview performance, so prepare for the online interview as if it's a scholarship round.
Be careful with the class-profile numbers. The 30 average age and 5.9 years of experience come from the Classes of 2018 to 2021, part-time included. The only firm rule is the two-year minimum; SMU says participants average five to six years.