DSTA Merit Scholarship: 2026 Profile
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)03 Oct 2025, 19:35 Z
TL;DR\ The DSTA Merit Scholarship funds your local tech degree, pays allowances, sponsors exchanges, and guarantees internships. Expect a one-year bond for every sponsored academic year and plan to rotate across the Defence Technology Community.
Scholarship Snapshot
- Status: Applications open until 31 December 2025 (last verified 2025-10-03)
- Official Listing: DSTA Merit Scholarship
- Who It Targets: Polytechnic, JC/IP, and undergraduate students pursuing engineering, computing, or digital degrees in Singapore
- Eligibility: Singapore Citizens with strong academic records, active CCA/leadership portfolios, and genuine passion for defence technology missions
- Tenable Institutions: Local universities approved by DSTA (e.g., NTU, NUS, SUTD, SIT, SMU) offering relevant engineering or computing majors
- Bond: One year of service with the Defence Technology Community per sponsored year, typically fulfilled at DSTA, DSO, or CSIT
Award Components
- Tuition and compulsory fees for the remainder of the degree at a local university
- Annual allowance plus support for course materials and essential equipment
- Sponsorship for overseas exchange programmes endorsed by DSTA
- Structured internship and mentorship pipeline through the Defence Technology Community
Eligibility Highlights
- Academic strength: Distinction-level performance in pre-university exams or current university modules aligned to engineering or tech disciplines.
- Course alignment: Majoring in areas such as Computer Science, Information Security, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Data Science, or similar.
- Leadership & conduct: Evidence of teamwork, community contribution, or leadership roles in CCAs, projects, or service initiatives.
- Citizenship: Only Singapore Citizens may be considered; applicants should be prepared to commit to public service work.
Application Roadmap
- Gather transcripts, CCA records, portfolio highlights, and recommendation letters before starting the application.
- Submit your BrightSparks application by 31 December 2025 and respond promptly to additional information requests from DSTA.
- Prepare for technical interviews focusing on your engineering foundations, project experience, and motivation to support Singapore's defence technology needs.
- Clarify university admission status (if pre-university) and keep DSTA updated on your enrolment plans.
- Upon award, schedule required internships and familiarisation programmes to align with your semester calendar, and plan for the one-year-per-year bond structure.
Preparation Playbook
- Build a portfolio that showcases engineering prototypes, coding projects, or research posters tied to defence-relevant problem statements.
- Attend DSTA outreach events or webinars to understand current capability development priorities.
- Reach out to alumni or mentors within the Defence Technology Community to gain insight into possible rotations and roles.
- Map out how postgraduate ambitions (e.g., sponsored Master's) fit with the bond timeline so you can discuss expectations during interviews.
