The fledgling Yale-NUS College will expand when it begins its second year in August, as it takes on 177 students - up from 155 in last year's pioneer batch.
The liberal arts college - a tie-up between United States Ivy League university Yale and the National University of Singapore - also attracted more interest for this intake with 12,000 applications, 600 more than last year.
In a statement released yesterday, Yale-NUS said that its plan to grow its annual class size to 250 students over the next few years is on track. This year's intake comes from 35 countries, with Singaporeans making up 60 per cent. The US is next at 10 per cent, followed by India and South Korea, both at 3 per cent, while 54 per cent of the students are female.
Yale-NUS' dean of admissions and financial aid Kristin Greene said the incoming class is a "highly talented, inspired, and intellectual group" that includes entrepreneurs, authors, musicians and actors. "The diversity and curiosity in our student body spark lively debates and exchange of ideas in our community of learning."
Mr Shaun Lim, 21, chose Yale-NUS over offers from universities in the US and Canada. "One of Yale-NUS' main draws is that it helps students to find opportunities like internships with exciting companies like Google and Chanel," said the former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student.
"I prefer a broad-based curriculum that will let me explore topics and train me to think critically, instead of jumping into a specialisation straight away. I'm also looking forward to meeting people going into different fields."
Yale-NUS students take common courses in the first two years and focus on a major in the third, choosing from subjects such as urban studies and economics.
Based temporarily at the NUS University Town campus, it will be moving into its permanent facilities in Dover Road in January next year.
