Want a guided tour of NUS or NTU? Some third-party operators are charging as much as S$300 per person.
However, neither university authorised the tours.
CNA found five NUS and NTU tour listings on booking platform GetYourGuide. Prices ranged from S$63 to S$300 per person.
Both universities told CNA that they were not involved with the listings.
Importantly, one of the tours was listed at S$300.
CNA Joined a S$154 NTU Tour
CNA joined one of the unofficial NTU tours earlier in August.
The two-hour experience cost about S$154 and covered locations including the Nanyang University Arch and the UOB Innovation Hub, previously known as the Hive.
The group also visited spaces such as a lecture hall, auditorium, tutorial room and residential halls. Areas requiring staff or student access cards were viewed only from outside.
According to CNA, the guide tried the doors of tutorial rooms and eventually brought the group into one that was unlocked.
The guide was a PhD student from China, but he told CNA that he was neither an official NTU student ambassador nor conducting the tour under an approved university programme.
He said a senior schoolmate had introduced him to the work about a month earlier.
The student reportedly conducts as many as four tours each week, usually with about five participants per session, and earns around S$40 an hour.
For comparison, NTU told CNA that its official student ambassadors are paid between S$9 and S$15 an hour under the university’s Work Study Scheme.
That makes the unofficial gig considerably more lucrative, although it does not have the university’s approval.
Both Universities Say the Tours Are Unauthorised
NTU said the third-party operators were not part of its official campus tour programme and were not authorised to conduct tours for the university.
The university, which has about 40 official student ambassadors conducting guided tours, said it was considering how to deal with the listings.
Travel agencies must obtain approval before organising tours at NTU. Visitors must also remain in public areas and follow campus rules.
NUS similarly said it neither authorises nor endorses third-party tour operators.
Under measures introduced in 2024, campus tours may be conducted by licensed NUS student docents and ambassadors. Singapore Tourism Board-licensed guides may also conduct tours during off-peak travel periods.
NUS students who advertise or conduct tours without the required licence may face disciplinary action.
In an advisory posted on WeChat on 1 August, NUS warned that unauthorised guided tours were prohibited. Such tours could be stopped on the spot, while those conducting them could be referred to the authorities.
Visitors should therefore check whether a tour is recognised by the university before paying.
Why Are Families Booking These Tours?
CNA identified two operators behind the five listings: EliteStormUK and Trip2EU.
Trip2EU said it launched its Singapore campus tours in 2025 and receives around 100 to 200 participants monthly, depending on school holiday demand.
Its customers reportedly include tourists and parents travelling with children, mainly from China, Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia.
The operator said many parents wanted their children to experience the universities before potentially applying to study there.
Trip2EU claimed that its guides were trained and certified student representatives, but it did not answer CNA’s questions about its relationship with the universities.
Meanwhile, NUS has its own one-hour campus tours priced at S$50 per person.
