Candid on-the-ground moment from a NOC location — students at a startup workspace

Build a startup. Anywhere in the world

NUS OVERSEAS COLLEGES

Live, study, and intern at high-growth startups across 15+ entrepreneurial hubs. For NUS undergraduates who want to learn how ventures actually get built.

How NOC works Apply now
NUS Overseas Colleges

NOC sends NUS undergraduates abroad for 6 or 12 months to study at a partner university and intern full-time at a high-growth startup — in 15+ cities including Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Munich, New York, and Toronto.

It's not study abroad. It's an immersion in how startups actually run: anchored by a working internship, supplemented by entrepreneurship coursework at the world's top universities.

Since 2001, over 5,000 alumni have come through. More than 1,200 have gone on to start their own companies. A bit more text goes here.

Apply now
Twenty years of impact

15+

Locations worldwide

5,000+

Alumni

1,200+

Startups founded by alumni

75%

Alumni active in I&E

3

Unicorns

What you'll actually do

Three things, every day, for 6 or 12 months.

  1. 01

    Study

    Take entrepreneurship and innovation courses at one of NOC's partner universities — Stanford, Tsinghua, TU Munich, KTH, and others. Coursework connects to what you're seeing inside your startup, not abstract theory.

  2. 02

    Intern

    Work full-time at a high-growth startup in your host city. Real responsibility, real product, real customers. NOC's network has placed students at companies that became Stripe, Carousell, ShopBack, and 3 unicorns.

  3. 03

    Build

    Live alongside other NOC students at N-House, attend founder events, meet investors and operators. The network you build during NOC tends to compound for the rest of your career.

15+ Locations

Choose where you want to learn how startups get built

View all 15+ locations
Stanford University campus, Silicon Valley

Stanford University

Silicon Valley

Full Year · Short programme

Columbia University, New York City

Columbia University

New York

Full Year

Fudan University, Shanghai

Fudan University

Shanghai

Full Year

Technical University of Munich

Tech. University of Munich (TUM)

Munich

Short 6mo

How NOC began

From a 2001 handshake at Stanford to 14 colleges across four continents.

  1. Stanford
    2001

    NUS signs MOU with Stanford under President Shih Choon Fong

  2. 2002

    First cohort lands in Silicon Valley (14 students)

  3. 2003

    Philadelphia and Bio Valley open

  4. 2004

    Shanghai and Stockholm open

  5. 2008

    iLEAD launches as a Singapore-based local programme

  6. 2010

    iLEAD becomes NOC Singapore

  7. 2016

    Munich and Lausanne open with deep-tech focus

  8. 2017

    Toronto and Southeast Asia programme launch

  9. 2018

    Shenzhen opens

  10. 2025

    14 colleges, 15+ programme variants

VERIFY all dates with NOC team

01 CAMPUS

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Campus life
Workspace
City
Founders
Event
Team
Alumni grid

Selected alumni whose stories define what NOC has produced

NOC Silicon Valley · 2018

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP

Resident 2024 · Cohort 2023 NOC Munich

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP

NOC Shanghai · 2014

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP

NOC New York · 2019

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP
NOC AY26/27 Sem 2 — Jan 2027 Intake

Applications are open

[ Closes 30 March 2026 ]

What is required

  • Travel Preparedness Course (TPC)

    24 hours to reflect

  • Resume and latest unofficial NUS transcript

  • 1-minute video introduction

    MP4, hosted via shareable link

See requirements Apply now
FAQ

The most common questions before applying

  1. [1] Can I apply if I’m in Year 4?

    NOC is open to NUS undergraduates in [year range — CONFIRM]. If you're in your final year, talk to the NOC office about whether your degree timeline can accommodate 6 or 12 months abroad.

  2. [2] Does NOC count toward my degree?

    Yes. NOC internship and coursework units count toward your degree, with mapping rules that vary by faculty. See the Curriculum Overview for your faculty's specifics.

  3. [3] What does it cost?

    You pay regular NUS tuition for the semester(s) you're abroad. Living costs vary by city. NOC offers stipends, scholarships, and travel awards — see Awards & Scholarships.

  4. [4] Will NOC find me an internship, or do I need to find one myself?

    NOC's host-city teams support placement, but securing a specific role is collaborative. You apply to startups; NOC's network and reputation open doors.

  5. [5] What’s the difference between Full Year and Short Programme?

    Full Year is 12 months at a single location, undergraduates only. Short Programme is 6 months — open to undergraduates at all eligible locations, and to postgraduates at a subset.

  6. [6] Do I need to speak the local language?

    No. Coursework is in English at all NOC locations. Basic local language helps for daily life but isn't a requirement.