Singapore PM and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong has shared more details about the Singapore College of
Islamic Studies (SCIS) in his
National Day Rally 2025 speech on 17 August 2025.
Speaking in Malay, PM Wong shared that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has been working with local and
overseas partners to develop a curriculum for the SCIS.
"Tonight, I am happy to announce that SCIS will have its own campus. It
will be located next to the Singapore University of Social Sciences
(SUSS) campus in Rochor. SCIS and SUSS will be housed in their own
buildings, which will reflect their own unique identity and purpose," he said.
"SCIS students will be able to take SUSS’s social science courses as part of their studies. Both institutions will also share facilities. This way, students from both institutions can better interact with one another, enriching their campus lives."
MUIS announced on Facebook that the new SCIS campus will feature Islamic architectural elements and dedicated Islamic studies facilities in addition to shared spaces with SUSS, including its library and recreational areas. There will also be collaborative research and project opportunities for SCIS and SUSS faculty members.
Mufti Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, who is also head of the SCIS Steering Committee, said the strategic location of the campus would help prepare asatizah with skills to handle increasingly complex challenges ahead, and that the proximity of the two institutions would facilitate exchanges in expertise, skills and perspectives.
SCIS will welcome its first 60 students at the interim Bencoolen campus in 2028 while the new campus is being built.
The Singapore Muslim community currently lacks a national institution of higher learning to complete the Islamic learning journey begun by the establishment of full-time madrasahs. The concept of an SCIS had been mentioned as early as 2016, and as recently by PM Wong as 2024, where he said in his National Day Rally 2024 speech that the SCIS "will nurture our future Singapore Islamic leaders".
He later shared on LinkedIn that the SCIS will offer two full-time degree pathways: Islamic Studies and Social Sciences. "...So students can choose to graduate and become religious teachers, or they can join the social sector," he said in late 2024.
MUIS has announced the establishment of Singapore College of Islamic Studies’ (SCIS) Board of Governors (BOG) in November 2024. The BOG leads the strategic oversight of the college and is chaired by Abdullah Tarmugi.
The advisory panel for the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) gathered for its inaugural meeting in Singapore on 24 June 2025. There are 10 experts in the panel, which is chaired by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in Singapore, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, including HE Dr Nazir Ayyad, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, and Dr Salama Dawood, President of Al Azhar University.
SCIS has partnerships with SUSS, Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, the University of Jordan, and Al-Qarawiyyin University of Morocco to enhance interdisciplinary learning, cultural exchange, language skills, and Islamic scholarship, enriching students' education and careers.
MUIS sees the SCIS-SUSS partnership as presenting opportunities to foster interdisciplinary learning, cultural exchange, and networking between students from both institutions.
MUIS further hopes that collaborating with Dar al-Ifta, an Islamic advisory, justiciary and governmental body, will allow SCIS graduates to gain advanced standing in Dar al-Ifta's Professional Diploma Programme in Fatwa Studies.
The University of Jordan is to offer SCIS students opportunities for Arabic language immersion and cultural exchange, broadening their understanding of Islamic scholarship in a global context as well.
SCIS’s partnership with Al-Qarawiyyin University is expected to pave the way to developing new paradigms in Islamic studies that are both rooted in tradition and relevant to contemporary societies.
One of the key funding sources for the SCIS is the Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura (WMS), which receives donations at https://wakaf.sg/give-wakaf/
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