NTU Year 1 Guide

Why apply for Orientation at NTU?

Meet new friends and people in NTU and your course.

Which Orientation to join at NTU?

You can join more than one orientation programme:

• Club Orientation: join if you like fun.
• Hall Orientation: join if you stay in hall.
• Faculty Orientation: join to know more about your course and batchmates.

How do I matriculate?

Matriculate now using your Network Account during the window.

What is a Network Account?

Your Network Account logs you in to NTU portals, like NTU Learn.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

You can still matriculate two working days after creating your IT Network Account.

What to do after matriculation?

You will be able to see your class timetable on NTU STARS, most likely during your Faculty Orientation. Your modules are already preallocated, so you can only change indexes or register for BDEs (extra electives). For more info, check your faculty's Suggested Course Load and your Degree Audit.

What are NTU Omnibus and NTU Pass for?

NTU Omnibus checks NTU bus timings which is useful if you stay in hall. NTU Pass lets you flash your student card for discounts and to access facilities around NTU.

What is CareerAxis?

It is where you find jobs within NTU or internships (people these days can be really competitive… sigh).

What happens after I get a hall offer?

After you are offered a place in hall, you need to accept the offer. After accepting you need to pay two months of hall deposit.

In September you pay for the rest of Semester 1. For Semester 2 hall fees are usually charged around March to April.

What if I want to leave hall earlier?

In the middle of Semester 1, if you want to pull out of hall because you do not like the experience, NTU usually sends an email through Outlook for you to indicate your decision.

What to bring for hall in NTU?

Bring the basics that make daily hall life easier. Some things depend on your hall, room type and personal habits, but this list covers the common items year 1 students forget.

• Air freshener because the air can feel stale after a while.
• Antiseptic cream and plasters for emergency use.
• Coins because some halls do not have PayWave for washing machines.
• Condoms for protection.
• Dustbin because the nearest dustbin may be far from your room.
• Extension cord.
• Flat mop with attachable wipes to clean the floor.
• Fridge. You must declare it or risk a fine if caught.
• Insect repellent.
• Kettle because the nearest hot water dispenser may be far.
• Laundry bags. One clean and one dirty bag is useful.
• Laundry detergent because washing machines do not provide it. Machines that provide detergent are usually more expensive.
• Lanyard for your key fob. Most halls use a digital key fob and it is very easy to lose it.
• Mattress topper because the bed can be hard.
• Medicine. You can also get medicine from Raffles Medical in NTU.
• Phone chargers and other device chargers.
• Pillow, blanket, bedsheets and hangers.
• Plastic bags because Prime charges $0.50 for plastic bags.
• Portable aircon. You must declare it or risk a fine if caught.
• Scissors. This is very important.
• Shower basket because you need to bring your shower items to the toilet.
• Shower essentials, clothes, towels and a hairdryer. Bring at least two towels.
• Wet wipes.
• Wi-Fi router. SIMBA works around the Hall 4 and Hall 5 area.

Should I bring cooking equipment?

There is not much cooking culture in Singapore halls. Most Singaporeans eat at canteens or order GrabFood. If you plan to cook, bring your own cooking items like pots and pans, oil, spices, plates and utensils.

Most of the time you will only cook with friends. Do not bring a pressure cooker to hall.

What are Academic Units in NTU?

AUs represents the workload of a course. A common rule of thumb is that each AU roughly equals one additional hour of study per week. To graduate, you'll need to clear a certain number of AUs (depending on your programme) across different course types. You can track this in your Degree Audit.

Common NTU Academic Terms

• Core: Compulsory Courses required for your programme.
• Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC): Common university modules that all students have to take.
• Broadening and Deepening Electives (BDEs): Unrestricted modules you can take from any school across NTU outside of your own major, allowing you to explore other interests or earn a minor.
• Major Prescribed Electives (MPEs): Specialised modules you take related to your major according to your choice.
• Index: a fixed timetable group on NTU STARS made up of a specific combination of lecture, tutorial and/or lab slots.
• Prerequisite: a course you must clear before you are allowed to take another.
• GPA: your Grade Point Average on a 5.0 scale at NTU.
• CGPA: your cumulative GPA across all your semesters in NTU. You need at least 2.0 to graduate.

How do Modules work in Year 1?

In year 1 most of your courses are preallocated so you mainly swap indexes or add BDEs on NTU STARS.

How to see my Timetable?

Your timetable will be released nearing to Faculty Orientation.

How to register for Modules in future?

You can register for your modules on NTU STARS during your personalised course registration time and add/drop period.

How to swap indexes on NTU STARS?

On NTU STARS, you can swap your index to any available index. If there is no available index, you can arrange a direct swap with someone from your faculty, but this may require one person to share login information, which is risky and not recommended.