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Experience impact. Work in a startup with real stakes.

Live, study, and work at high-growth startups across 13+ tech hubs, producing the worlds most innovative startups. NOC is for NUS undergraduates who want to learn how ventures are really built.

How NOC works Apply now (opens in a new tab)
NUS Overseas Colleges

NOC is not a study abroad program. NUS undergraduates work in real roles, with real world stakes. Working inside high growth startups, within leading innovation ecosystems.

You leave with a year of real experience and a network that many are never able to build. You leave understanding how startups are built from the inside.

NOC alumni go on to raise money, form teams, build companies, and solve pressing challenges the world needs. You could be one of them.

Twenty years of impact

13+

Locations worldwide

5,000+

Alumni

1,200+

Startups founded by alumni

75%

Alumni active in I&E

3

Unicorns

What you'll experience

The most rewarding year of your degree.

  1. 01

    Work

    You will be full-time at a high-growth startup in your host city. You will take on real responsibility, build things customers actually use, and answer for them when they break.

  2. 02

    Learn

    You will take courses at a top partner university in a leading startup ecosystem, Stanford, Tsinghua, KTH, among others. What you study you will immediately be able to put into practice.

  3. 03

    Grow

    You return more capable and prepared than when you left. Lessons from working with operators in leading innovation ecosystems, give you the experience and network to tackle the most ambitious challenges.

15+ Locations

Choose where you spend the year building and learning.

13+ locations
Location Card Silicon Valley 4

Stanford University

Silicon Valley

Full Year · Short programme
Location Card – New York

Columbia University

New York

Full Year
Image

Fudan University

Shanghai

Full Year
Munich Card

Technical University of Munich

Munich

Full Year
How NOC began

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

  1. location 01 stanford
    2001

    NUS signs MOU with Stanford under President Shih Choon Fong

  2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    2002

    First cohort lands in Silicon Valley (14 students)

  3. Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia
    2003

    Philadelphia and Bio Valley open

  4. National University of Singapore
    2004

    Shanghai and Stockholm open

  5. Nagoya NOC location
    2008

    iLEAD launches as a Singapore-based local programme

  6. Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen
    2010

    iLEAD becomes NOC Singapore

  7. Peking University, Beijing
    2016

    Munich and Lausanne open with deep-tech focus

  8. Fudan University, Shanghai
    2017

    Toronto and Southeast Asia programme launch

  9. Reichman University, Tel Aviv
    2018

    Shenzhen opens

  10. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
    2025

    14 colleges, 15+ programme variants

Life at NOC

There are no slow days. Your year at NOC does not sit still.

NOC Page – Students 6
NOC Page – Students 1
NOC Page – Students 2
NOC Page – Students 3
NOC Page – Students 4
NOC Page – Students 5
Alumni grid

Learn from Alumni who’s journeys have been shaped by NOC.

portrait 1

NOC Silicon Valley · 2018

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP
portrait 2

Resident 2024 · Cohort 2023 NOC Munich

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP
portrait 3

NOC Shanghai · 2014

Name Surname

Co-founder, [Startup]

FounderAI/IP
portrait 4

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 (opens in a new tab)
FAQ

The most common questions before applying

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

    Yes, as long as you'll still have at least one semester at NUS after you return. NOC requires a remaining semester back on campus, so most students go in Year 2 or Year 3. You can talk to the NOC office to see if your degree can accommodate 6 to 12 months abroad.

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

    Yes, NOC is credit-bearing. The startup internship and entrepreneurship courses earn NUS units; most students clear them as unrestricted electives, and Engineering and Computing students can apply some toward major requirements with faculty approval.

  3. [3] What does it cost?

    NOC is part of your NUS degree, so you pay your normal semester tuition rather than a separate programme fee, and the startup internship pays a monthly stipend.

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

    NOC matches you with a startup through its partner network in each host city. You rank locations, interview, and the programme places you with a host company.

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

    Full Year is 12 months at a single location, for undergraduates only. Short Programme is 6 months long open to undergraduates at all eligible locations, as well as a subset of postgraduates.

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

    No. Partner-university courses are taught in English and host startups take on international interns in English, so cities like Shanghai and Stockholm are open to you without the local language.