The Ultimate NTU Hall Guide (17 Questions Answered)

Are you considering staying in NTU halls for the upcoming semester? Wanting to experience the “hall life” that everyone has been talking about?

Well, I present to you this NTU Hall Guide that will cover those burning questions that you might have. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

How many halls are there in NTU?

NTU currently has 23 undergraduate housing and 2 dedicated Graduate Housing. 

Here are all 23 of the NTU Undergraduate halls that you can stay in:

• Hall 1 to 16
• Crescent Hall
• Pioneer Hall
• Binjai Hall
• Tanjong Hall
• Banyan Hall
• Saraca Hall
• Tamarind Hall

Each room is furnished with a wardrobe, a single bed, and a study table. 

Genders are split either according by wings, or by floors. 

Furthermore, each floor has a kitchen space that should be equipped with:

1. A microwave
2. A sink
3. An electric induction cooker, and 
4. A hot/cold water dispenser

And another laundry area that has washing machines, and dryers.

However, there are no communal fridges provided by NTU. 

Hence, if you want to store chilled products, you can purchase a personal fridge and pay an additional charge to use it in your hall room. 

Additionally, all rooms are also equipped with a ceiling fan for ventilation.

You can head here to take an extensive look at the amenities, room rates and room layouts offered by the different halls. When you scroll down the webpage, you should see something similar to this screenshot:

You can click into the hall that you’re interested in, and you will be redirected to a page looking like this:

The respective hall contact information is also provided, just in case you’d like to contact them for further enquiries. 

Here you could also check the room rates and room layouts of the NTU halls.

Here’s a legend to help you understand the symbols. Some might not be present in every room:

Symbol	Description
	Bed
	Study Desk
	Attached Bathroom
	Outdoor Clothes Line
	Closet
	Door
	Small movable pedestal

What are the different room types offered by NTU halls?

Every hall has its own room types and layouts. You can only choose from these few choices:

• Single / Double
• Attached Bathroom / Communal Bathroom
• Air-con / No air-con

Personally, I went for a Double, Communal Bathroom, and No air-con pairing. I knew that even though I treasured my personal space, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a small space alone for days on end. I didn’t mind sharing a space with another individual as long as ground rules were set.

I’d like to note here that I got the Double room, and was randomly paired with another freshman because I didn’t have anyone in mind as my roommate. 

I’ve heard horror stories from my seniors that had bad experiences with the randomized allocation and was really lucky to be paired up with my current roommate.

If you have a same-gendered friend that’s willing to stay with you, you can apply together and name each other as roommates. More on how to do this is answered in the “Can I apply to room with a friend/sibling?” question below.

Additionally, I wanted a communal bathroom because firstly, I am a little lazy on needing to clean the bathroom. Secondly, having an attached bathroom still required me to share with 3 others. So that meant that I had to be considerate of others’ bathroom habits/hygiene no matter what. 

I wasn’t willing to take that risk of having bad toilet mates, but if you’re okay with that, there are definitely some pros to having your own toilet (e.g. privacy, convenience).

Finally, I chose to have no air-con because I’ve grown up sleeping in such an environment, and the heat doesn’t really bother me that much. Furthermore, being a broke university student, I didn’t think that I needed to spend that extra money for additional comfort.

How much do I have to pay to stay in NTU hall?

The price of staying in an NTU hall can range from S$265 to S$605 per month, depending on the room type that you choose.

You can refer to NTU’s site for more specific room rates. Here is an estimate of what the rooms would roughly cost.

Room Type	Rental Fees
Single Room (Non-aircon)	S$390 – S$430
Single Room (Aircon)	S$415 – S$465
Double Room (Non-aircon)	S$265 – S$305
Double Room (Aircon)	S$305 – S$340
*Single Room (Attached bathroom and Non-aircon)	S$525
*Single Room (Attached bathroom and Aircon)	S$605

From the table above, as a new student applying for the campus hall, you can only choose your room type. So you might be allocated to the same room type (e.g. Double Room, Non-aircon) as your friend, but pay different rates (~S$265 to ~S$305). 

Additionally, these rates are for the rooms only, not including any other miscellaneous fees yet.

This was one of the costs that I hadn’t factored in when I was planning my finances.

On top of the mentioned room rates, there are other miscellaneous fees that you would have to pay for. This includes:

Miscellaneous Fees	Cost (GST Included)
Hall Application Fees	S$16.05 Compulsory charge when you submit your application, regardless of whether you obtain a hall place or not.
Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC)* Subscription Fees (per AY/admission/transfer between halls)	S$10.70 This subscription fee is a compulsory charge for activities organised by the committee.
Use of Refrigerator (per refrigerator, per semester)	S$85.60 Optional. Only if you have a personal fridge that you use in your room.
Purchase of Prepaid air-conditioning Card (per card)	S$5.35 Optional. Only if you have an Air-conditioned room. Then, you’d have to top up extra money into the air-con card. The cost of using the air-con in your room is about $0.30/hr.
Service fee to unlock the room door (per request)	S$20.00 Optional. Only if you locked yourself out of your room, and require assistance to unlock it.
Replacement of lost key fob* (per fob)	S$50.00 Optional. Only if you have lost your key fob*.
Replacement of mechanical mailbox key (per key)	S$10.00 Optional. Only if you have lost your mechanical mailbox key.

*Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC) – A term used for our hall committee.

*fob – A term usually used by NTU students to refer to our hall key device. It looks something like this:

The total amount that you would have to pay for campus housing per semester is estimated to be about S$1400 to S$2000.

Here was my housing bill (only for room + JCRC subscription fee) from 13 August 2021 to 31 December 2021.

So there you have it. Just be mentally prepared that you’d have to fork out more than the standard room rates, and perhaps do some financial planning if need be.

Does NTU Hall provide meals?

NTU halls do not provide meals, but not to fret. There are canteens located all around the campus that sell an extremely wide variety of food. 

If you’re tired of outside food, you can also consider cooking for yourself. Head to these marts to get groceries you need:

Mart	Location
7-Eleven	Near Hall 2
Giant Express	Near Hall 2
Prime Supermarket	North Spine Plaza
Nan Yang Guo Huo Convenience Store	North Hill Residence

Keep a lookout for vending machines that run 24/7, as some sell your usual snacks and drinks. Meanwhile, there are others that sell wraps, salads, and toasted sandwiches. These are perfect when you feel the munchies, want late-night suppers or feel like skipping the lunch/dinner crowd.

My personal recommendations for food around campus would be:

• Koufu @ North Spine Plaza, because I can be a picky eater at times, and they offer loads of choices for me to choose from. 
• Korean Cuisine @ Saraca, they are generous with their servings and it’s really worth the price (and the wait). 
• Hot Hideout @ North Hill Residence, I always get their Mala Collagen Soup Set Meal that comes with 1 staple of your choice (Rice, Noodle, Green Noodle), 1 meat of your choice (Pork, Chicken, Fish, Pork Belly), and 9 other ingredients (Sausages, Fried Potatoes, Vegetables, Mushrooms…)

However, I do understand that eating the same foods over and over again could become sian. Hence, on occasion, I do meal prep over the weekends when I’m at home. Afterwards, I would bring the food to the hall and microwave them for my meals — for variety sake.

That’s it for a short insight into the foods offered to those staying in NTU halls. There are definitely more options like food delivery (e.g. Grabfood, Food Panda, Deliveroo), but there isn’t much to cover. I’m sure that you are all quite well-acquainted with those platforms.

If you would like to find out more about the F&B, Retail & Services that NTU has to offer, I’d strongly recommend you to take a look at this link. The page would be able to provide you with more specific directions to the shop’s location, their opening hours, and even their contact details.

Can I choose which hall to apply for in NTU?

For first-year students, the answer is no. You are able to choose the type of hall rooms (e.g. Single w/ Aircon & Attached Bathrooms, Double w/ No Aircon & Communal Bathrooms…), but not the specific hall (e.g. 1, 2, Tanjong, Crescent, Saraca…). 

As for seniors, you’ll have to fill in a form asking about your preference for the hall that you want. 

However, it is not guaranteed that you will get a spot in those halls, or a hall at all (if you’re not in your first 2 years of studies).

The best possible way to increase your chances of being allocated into a hall, and the hall that you want, is to be recommended by your seniors or peers who are in the respective hall committees. 

Are NTU Hall applications first-come-first-serve?

NTU Hall placements are not first-come-first-serve basis. According to their website, new students are allocated randomly through a computer balloting exercise because there are only a limited number of rooms available.

If you want to know more about the specifics, NTU has set up a Hall Admission Scheme, and students are split into 3 categories. 

Category	Description
Category A*	Students that are guaranteed a place in Hall
Category B	Senior students who applied for a single room or double room vacancy
Category C	Senior students that have met the minimum Campus Life Involvement criterion

* Category A consists of:

1. New students (excluding inbound exchange students)
   • First 2 years of study
2. Students with special needs (Subjected to case-by-case basis)
3. Management Committee members in student organisations elected in the current academic year and not staying in Hall.
4. Students under the Special University Programmes:
   • CN Yang Scholars Programme
   • Renaissance Engineering Programme
   • University Scholars Programme
   • LKC Medicine MBBS Programme
   • NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme

According to the table above, the hall places will be allocated, starting from Category A → Category B → Category C.

For Category C, the minimum Campus Life Involvement criterion is something like CCA points. They are gained by joining different committees, and the higher level of position you get, the higher points you get. With higher points, the higher priority you’d have when being allocated into a hall.

Here are some committees that you can consider joining:

Committees	Brief Description
Student Union (NTUSU)	NTUSU is the representative of NTU’s student body. They organise giveaways, orientation and other events, with an aim to promote a sense of community among the students.
Hall Council (JCRC)	The Hall Council is elected to oversee the welfare of the respective hall residents, and organise activities that encourage community living and campus vibrancy.
Sports Club (NTUSC)	NTUSC organises and promotes sporting events to the student body in NTU, such as Surf N Sweat
Cultural Activities Club (CAC)	CAC organises activities pertaining to the performing arts and cultural activities. For example the NTU Arts Festival and Wearfare Day.

… Head over to this link to find other clubs and societies that you can join!

The points that you’ll receive can range from 2 to 9. If you’d like to receive the maximum number of points (9), this usually means that you would have to be in either the committee’s Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson position.

However, one thing you may want to note is that the points are not stackable. This means that if you join 2 activities, one giving you 5 points, and another giving you 3 points, the higher set of CCA points will be considered (5 points). 

The same concept applies even if you join over 2 activities.

Can I apply for a hall in Sem 2 of NTU?

It depends on whether there are sufficient rooms available in NTU.

NTU had announced at the start of 2021, that there are insufficient places this year to accommodate all students who wish to stay in the Halls.

Currently (in 2021), there are no vacancies available. Therefore, the Hall Application exercise for Semester 2 will only be held should there be sufficient rooms available.

This implies that in order to have a better chance of staying in the hall, I would recommend that you apply for a place in your first semester.

Can I apply to room with a friend/sibling?

You can apply for a Double (twin-sharing) room and indicate another NTU or NIE new student as your roommate. However, there is no guarantee that the preferred roommate pairing will be maintained.

If you have an older sibling (of the same gender) who is studying in NTU and would like to room together. The older sibling would have to submit an application, indicating the younger sibling as the roommate.

After that, both of you would be allocated to the hall and room assigned by the senior.

These will be asked in the hall application form when the application period opens.

What if I miss the NTU Hall application date? Would I be able to appeal?

If you miss the application date, you are unable to appeal for another chance to obtain a hall space. The applications are usually filled up and there is already a waiting list, in case anyone pulls out. 

Your next chance to apply for a hall would be when the semester 2 hall applications open or in the next academic year (AY).

Can I stay in my friend’s NTU hall?

You are unable to stay in your friend’s NTU hall as this will be defined as illegal squatting which is a serious offence. 

According to the NTU site:

Any person caught residing in a Hall without prior approval from the Hall Office is an illegal squatter. Illegal squatting is a serious violation. The illegal squatter and the rightful occupant(s) will be evicted from the Hall and barred from on-campus housing thereafter. 

​Last updated on 2020-03-02

Previously, there was a previous arrangement called “Temporary Sharing”, where they had allowed fully matriculated undergraduate NTU students to stay with their friends, with an additional monetary top-up. However, this has been cancelled and unavailable since 2020 and there seem to be no plans to continue it.

Is NTU hall guaranteed?

According to NTU’s housing policy, you will only be guaranteed a place in campus hall for your first 2 years of studies. 

In the remaining years of your study, you are no longer guaranteed a hall space. 

However, to increase your chance of obtaining a spot, you could join planning committees to attain hall points. The higher points you have, the higher priority you are on the list when being allocated into halls during the application process.

Otherwise, another way that I could recommend is to get roped in by friends who are in the hall committees.

Do NTU Halls have lifts?

It depends on which hall that you are allocated to. The newer halls (Binjai, Tanjong, Banyan, Saraca, Tamarind, Crescent and Pioneer halls) have lifts installed, while the rest only have stairs and slopes.

Those that have stairs have a maximum floor level of 7. As such, it doesn’t seem like too much of a problem other than the moving-in and out period.

Do NTU Halls have Wi-Fi?

NTU halls only provide you with a LAN port. This means that you would need to purchase a LAN cable and a Wi-Fi Router, and then connect all 3 in order to attain a Wi-Fi connection in your room.

The set-up is similar to the following image:

LAN Port  (Provided by NTU)	LAN Cable (Cat 5e or Cat 6 recommended)	Wi-Fi Router
This port looks like a single-lego and is mounted on the wall.  The LAN port provides a connection to the internet.	The LAN cable has many different names: RJ45 cable, Ethernet cable… However, they all mean the same thing. Usually, when we use a wire to connect 2 devices, we call it a wired connection and it is generally faster.	Routers allow us to have wireless connections (AKA Wi-Fi). Multiple devices can be connected to the router at once, and access the internet. The only drawback is that the internet connection speed might suffer a little.

Some cons when using a wired connection would be:

• Annoying, because each device will need a LAN cable
• Ugly, when there are too many wires
• Might require an additional adapter

Is it compulsory to stay in NTU hall?

It is not compulsory for NTU students to stay in the campus hall. You can apply if you want to, but you are only guaranteed a stay for your first 2 years of study. 

Though from my personal experience, I like to stay on campus because NTU is an island of its own and my transportation time is just too long. I live in the Bukit Batok area, which is already in the West of Singapore. And yet, it still takes me about 1.5 hours to travel to NTU by public transportation.

As compared to travelling from the doorstep of my hall room to my designated lecture hall, it takes about 30 minutes maximum. Personally, it seems quite reasonable to pay to stay in campus hall and save an hour of transportation time.

What is the application process like for NTU halls?

The exact date and timing might vary from year to year but the following table outlines the general application process for NTU housing.

Steps	Time period
Application for housing via the online system	June
Results of housing application via email notification +  Payment of Hall Acceptance Fee*	July
Check-in to hall	Late July – August

*Hall Acceptance Fee is an upfront payment to be done for the first 2-months of hall stay, depending on your room rate. This is not to be confused with the Hall Application Fee (S$16.05) mentioned in the above question.

The time periods might have slight variations from year to year. I’d suggest holding on tight for emails to be sent out by NTU for the specific dates and timing of the housing application process. 

However, if you have any further enquiries or are worried that you didn’t receive the email, you can always contact them at och-ug@ntu.edu.sg or at +65 67905155. 

What are some benefits of staying in NTU hall?

Some of you might still be debating on whether campus housing is for you. Here are 6 of my personal reasons for continuing to live in NTU halls:

#1 Transportation (NTU bus stops are located quite near to the halls)

While I prefer walking from place to place in NTU, there are buses going round in NTU during these times. As such, I’d recommend fitting in 30 minutes (including waiting time) of transportation time to get to your classes early/on time. 

It might sound long, but I assure you that you’d need way over 30 minutes of transportation time if you’re coming in from outside NTU.

#2 Living independently (No one there to wash your clothes for you, or to nag at you to shower)

It is your own space. If it’s dirty or clean, the responsibility entirely falls on you. 

Perhaps needing to set aside some time every week to clean up the space, and allocating laundry time are the not so fun things about hall life.

#3 Making hall friends (Go for gatherings, hang out together, but you have to get out of your comfort space first)

This would be loads of fun, but only if you’re willing to put yourself out there. To make things a little easier, try your best to look out for Hall Orientations, CCAs, and events to take part in. Hopefully, along the way, you’ll be able to find some people that you can click with.

For myself, I joined Muay Thai originally as a way to keep myself fit. However, along the way, I managed to bond with some of the seniors and other members of the club. Whenever the COVID restrictions allowed for it, we would have meals together and get to know each other better.

I would still continue with Muay Thai in my next semester and I’d have to say that I am looking forward to it. Not just for the activity, but also for the friends that I’ve met there.

#4 Residential Education (Cooking classes, Workout sessions, Seminars…)

Introductory learning programmes and activities have been set up to encourage creativity and interdisciplinary learning. The themes and activities covered by each learning space are shared among clusters.

#5 Free Gym Access

One of the perks of staying in NTU hall is that you’ll get free access to the gym. Though not all halls have their own gyms, all NTU students are able to book and head to the NorthHill Gym.

Here is what the gym’s entrance looks like:

In my opinion, the gym is split into 2 sections, one is the cardio side. Equipped with treadmills, bikes, lighter weights, and a space for you to do bodyweight workouts.

In the other section, you can make use of the weight machines and heavier weights for your strength workouts.

There are some COVID limitations put in place to restrict the number of people in the gym at once. However, I still think that it’s worth it, as compared to paying for gym memberships outside.

#6 Conducive Study Spots

Granted that your roomie (if you have one) is considerate enough, your hall room can be your very own study spot. Otherwise, you can always head out in search of your secret study spot in school.

Halls have a study room for students to head to whenever they need a quiet space to work in. It’s close to your hall rooms, air-conditioned and perhaps, the other students studying around you could provide more motivation for you to focus on yours.

Here is a sneak peek into the North Hill Study Room. It is open from 7 am – 11 pm and it’s extremely spacious. However, you would have to be a resident of the North Hill area in order for you to gain access to the study room. There are plenty of sockets located at every table, and it’s air-conditioned.

Personally, I feel more focused when I’m doing my work on campus as compared to when I’m at home. As such, I try to roam around the school during my free time in search of new conducive study spots.

What should I bring along to NTU hall?

For those who are worried about missing out on stuff to bring into the rooms, here’s a checklist done by NTU, to ensure that you have the necessities.

Some items that I feel are the most important to bring first, are:

• Bedsheets & Pillow(s)
• Extension Cord
• Cleaning Supplies (e.g. Broom, Vacuum, Sweeper…)
• Showering Items (e.g. Shampoo, Toothbrush, Towel…)
• A small basket to hold your showering items
• A box of tissues
• Chargers (e.g. For your phone, laptop, tablets…)
• Bug spray — If you’re scared of the creepy-crawlies

If you happen to ever forget any items that you need, there are minimarts located in NTU that would most likely sell them. Otherwise, you could also take the 199 SBS Transit bus out of campus, drop at Jurong Point, and head to the shops (e.g. NTUC, Value Dollar, Popular…) to get what you need.

Conclusion

Staying in NTU hall is an experience that I’d encourage all students to try out. Though remember to keep yourself in check because hall life might not be for everyone. 

With that, I hope that you have gained valuable insights and can better plan for your stay. Hope to see you around school!

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