UAS - SINGAPORE’S FIRST ARTS UNIVERSITY

UAS (University of the Arts Singapore) will be opening its doors in August 2024. The university – the first in Singapore to focus on the arts – will be formed by an alliance between Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

Lasalle and Nafa are to remain separate entities, but overseen by the university, to preserve their own heritage and identity. UAS’s role is to elevate both institutions as the Ministry of Education (MOE) will give the university the ability to grant degrees in areas of fine arts and music. This signifies the end to Lasalle and Nafa’s current system of awarding degrees in partnership with reputable British Universities, as a form of validation.

An MOE spokesperson has shared the need for Singapore’s future economy to have talents in the arts and humanities, aside from the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines. UAS would nurture such talents, becoming a focal point for the arts and a useful platform in plugging Lasalle and Nafa into the industry. Students and faculty can expect more opportunities as Lasalle and Nafa decolonize, signifying a long overdue coming of age for arts education in Singapore.