Singapore's first liberal arts college will open in August with 157 students, seven more than the originally planned intake.

Ninety-seven students (62 per cent) are Singaporeans while 17 students are from the United States and Canada. 32 are from Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and 11 are from Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, and South America.

The college said in addition to the inaugural class, 63 Singaporean males have accepted offers to start at Yale-NUS in the next two years, after they complete their national service.

In all, Yale-NUS attracted over 11,400 applications from over 130 countries. Based on the response and high calibre of the applicant pool the college said it was on track to grow its class size to 250 students over the next few years.

Yale-NUS' Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Kristin Greene said: "The inaugural Yale-NUS class is a group of extremely diverse and talented young people. Students had opportunities at every Ivy League school, as well as leading universities throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore and yet chose Yale-NUS."

The college uses a broad admissions criteria. Besides examinations grades, interviews, recommendations, essays and extra-curricular accomplishments are also given significant weight in the process.

It has promised its students a broad-based education, with smaller classes and an intense residential experience to nurture graduates who can think deeply and across different disciplines.