SINGAPORE - Alumni of the National University of Singapore (NUS) will be able to sit in on classes at their alma mater, in a three-year scheme billed as being in line with the Government's SkillsFuture movement.

The university is offering around 770 places in 140 courses - mostly at the postgraduate level - across eight schools and faculties, starting from the academic year this August.

However, priority will still be given to enrolled NUS students, with no more than one-tenth of spaces in each class set aside for alumni.

In the first year, alumni will not have to pay a cent, but for the next two years, there will be a student services fee of $261.85 a semester.

NUS provost Tan Eng Chye said in a statement: "With the rapidly changing world, our graduates have to learn and adapt as they develop their careers, and in tandem with that, our mental construct of a university education has to change."

Professor Tan, who is also deputy president of academic affairs, added: "Our initiative is an encouragement for our alumni, new and old, to start adopting this lifelong learning mindset."

Alumni have the option of auditing the classes or taking them for credit, and will be able to apply for an official transcript upon completion.

They may also apply courses taken for a grade towards other programmes and qualifications offered by the university. Participation in the initiative is capped at two courses in all, and each alumnus will be able to take only one in a semester.

Those interested can register from now until the end of the month at scale.nus.edu.sg/programmes/AlumniLifelongLearning.html