NUS to station security personnel, restrict access to foodcourts to manage tourist influx on campus

SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) on Aug 16 announced measures to manage an influx of tourists to the campus, even as its student union body called for a town hall with university management and undergraduates to address students’ unhappiness.

In a circular to staff and students signed by NUS associate provost for undergraduate education Daniel Goh, the university said that from Aug 19 to 30, security personnel will be stationed at selected bus stops to allow only students, staff and authorised visitors to board.

It will limit access to the UTown foodcourts only to these groups of people during peak hours.

These measures were among the proposals put forth by the National University of Singapore Students’ Union (Nussu), which called for a town hall on Aug 21.

The influx, first reported earlier in 2024, saw students up in arms about overcrowding in canteens and on internal bus shuttles, among other issues. The complaints

prompted the NUS administration to set up a pop-up visitor centre to better manage the flow of visitors.

In its Aug 16 circular, NUS said it was “aware that many independent tours are being offered and organised by freelance student guides”, and measures to regulate such tours were being evaluated.

It reiterated that all students and staff are not allowed to help visitors gain entry to restricted areas such as student residences, laboratories and classrooms, and those who do so face disciplinary action.

NUS said in an Aug 14 circular it would be implementing “targeted measures to manage visitor traffic and reduce disruptions to teaching and student life activities”. 

Under a two-month pilot initiative, 40 undergraduates are being deployed as NUS student ambassadors, where they will be paid to educate tourists on etiquette on campus and lead guided tours.

NUS said its student ambassadors have guided over 25 tours and about 500 tourists since the tours began on Aug 5.

The Straits Times understands there are four student ambassadors on the ground per hour. In an official tour led by a tour guide, an additional two student ambassadors will accompany the group.

Fourteen other measures were listed in the circular, which included ensuring tour buses pick up and drop off visitors only at designated points, increasing the frequency of internal shuttle buses, as well as prioritising access for staff and students during peak hours.

In response to the first circular, Nussu said in a statement on Aug 15 that the measures put in place by the university’s administration were “insufficient”. It proposed several solutions, which included the measures NUS announced on Aug 16.

Nussu also suggested:

When ST visited NUS on Aug 15, several tourist groups were seen, some with children in tow. ST understands that NUS is hosting a few dance groups and they will be around for five days, according to a tourist who declined to be named.

Tourists were seen walking around with umbrellas on campus, although students said tourists are not allowed inside restricted areas that require a key card. Some children were running around, weaving through the crowd.

ST spoke to 15 students and most of them said they have become used to the tourists. But they said they were frustrated they had to compete with tourists for seats and food in the canteen and on the shuttle buses.

Second-year biomedical engineering undergraduate Victoria Toh Wei said: “I’ve found it difficult to take the bus as tourists have been hogging it. I’ve resorted to walking to class a few times, which takes me around 15 minutes, doubling my travel time.”

Expressing annoyance at the situation, she added: “The campus is huge and we students rely heavily on the buses catered to us to get around, especially when we have back-to-back classes.”

Fellow student Bertran Lim agreed and pointed to another issue at canteens – tourists jumping the queue and not clearing the table after eating.

The crowds also become overbearing when they block entryways and walkways, getting in the way of students who are rushing to their next class, he said.

The situation at NTU

Over at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Year 4 business undergraduate Aazon Ang, 24, said that many tourists wander around on campus, especially at learning hub The Hive, a popular spot for photo shoots because it resembles a dim sum basket.

He recalled an incident earlier in the year when he nearly hit a tourist while driving: “She rushed out into the middle of the road, flouting traffic rules, to pose for a photo with The Hive.”

“The building is not designed to accommodate tourists to take photos with it,” he added, citing the narrow walkways and lack of a designated photo-taking area. 

There is also often overcrowding at canteens and on campus buses, he said.

In response to ST queries, a spokesperson for NTU said that all agencies planning campus tours have to seek prior approval.  

“The university welcomes visitors to our campus,” said the spokesperson. “However, as a place of learning and research, the needs of our faculty, staff and students must come first.”

All visitors are expected to strictly observe campus rules, including no-stopping zones for vehicles, and visitors must keep to the public areas, added the spokesperson. 

The university said in February that it would be deploying additional security personnel across its campus.

NTU’s policy of introducing an entry fee appears to be having an effect. It said the fee is to support campus maintenance and regulation of vehicle flow. It is unclear how much the fee is.

Ms Liang Wern Ling, co-founder of Le Yeah Learning, which runs educational tours and programmes, said she no longer organises tours to NTU due to the registration fee. 

“I don’t think that having to pay is reasonable – it’s an honour that people want to visit,” she said, adding that NTU should focus on educating visitors and travel agencies on proper etiquette instead. 

Students, prospective students and parents from China, South Korea and Japan make up the bulk of visitors on her tours. 

“I’ve also observed an increasing number of people, mostly families with teenage children, who visit the schools without a guide,” said Ms Liang. 

‘Numbers speak for themselves’

An NUS tour by her company includes stops at the NUS Museum, Central Library and UTown. Visitors are taken around the campus, passing by residential halls, in a chartered coach.

Mr Melvin Lee, chief executive and director of educational consultant Flying Chalks, has removed campus visits from some travel itineraries and now conducts fewer such tours.

He said he was unable to find updated policies for visitors following the February announcement that universities were revising regulations. He noted that the stricter policies are unlikely to stem the influx as “foreign visitors will continue to find ways to visit these campuses”.

When asked why tourists are flocking to the Clementi campus, Ms Liang pointed to the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings 2025 where

NUS was ranked eighth

and said: “Numbers speak for themselves. Just like how we go to Oxford or Cambridge, people want to visit NUS.”