Quick answer
Take a child born in 2020 with S$6,000 in the CDA today, plus S$200 a month saved at an assumed 4% return. By age 19 they are about 60% funded for a local subsidised degree. Closing the gap would take about S$247 more a month. The projection counts CDA interest, the move to the PSEA and the S$10,000 PSEA top-up at 17; the returns, inflation and degree costs are estimates you can change.
The useful number: In the example, CDA, PSEA and own savings cover about 60% of a local subsidised degree by age 19.
Who is this for?
Parents of Singapore citizen children who want a long-term picture of university costs, from a newborn to a teenager. It uses whatever is in the CDA today.
What are the steps?
- Enter your child’s birth year and the CDA balance today.
- Enter what you save each month for university and the yearly return you assume.
- Pick a route: local subsidised, local private or full-fee, or overseas.
- Read the share funded by age 19 and the extra monthly saving that would close the gap.
- Change the CDA interest and education inflation estimates if you expect different rates.
How does government money move from CDA to PSEA?
For Singapore citizen children born on or after 1 January 2015, the CDA stays open until the end of the year the child turns 16. Unused money then moves to the Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA), up to the PSEA cap. MOE’s PSEA page still states age 13 for that move; the SG Child Support Package page is the newer rule, and the projector follows it.
The PSEA earns the CPF Ordinary Account rate, 2.5% a year. The extra 1% on the first S$20,000 in CPF-OA does not apply to the PSEA. Singapore citizen children turning 17 from 2026 get a one-off S$10,000 PSEA top-up. Those turning 17 in 2026 or 2027 receive it in June 2027; later cohorts in June of the year they turn 17. The PSEA closes around the middle of the year the holder turns 31, when unused money moves to CPF-OA.
What does the example family have by age 19?
Take a child born in 2020 with S$6,000 in the CDA today. The parents save S$200 a month at an assumed 4% return and aim for a local subsidised degree, about S$70,000 in today’s dollars:
- CDA and PSEA at 19, including the S$10,000 top-up
- S$18,088
- Own savings at 19
- S$39,904
- Total at 19
- S$57,992
- Estimated degree cost at 19, with 2.5% education inflation
- S$96,496
- Gap
- S$38,503
- Share funded
- 60%
- Extra saving that closes the gap
- S$247 a month
Open the Education savings projector and replace each number with your own.
Which numbers are estimates?
The scheme rules are official. These are labelled estimates, compiled in mid-2026, and you can change them in the tool:
- CDA bank interest
- about 2% a year
- Education cost inflation
- 2.5% a year
- Local subsidised degree, 4 years, living at home
- S$70,000
- Local private or full-fee degree
- S$110,000
- Overseas degree (UK or Australia), with living costs
- S$250,000
Bank rates and promotions vary, and future fees are not known. Use the result to see which way things are heading, not as a promise.
What does the SG Child Support Package add?
For children born from 1 April 2027, the CDA First Step Grant is S$5,000, paid automatically when the CDA opens, and the co-matching cap is S$5,000. A fully topped-up CDA then holds S$15,000: S$5,000 grant, S$5,000 saved and S$5,000 matched. Every cap becomes S$5,000 from 1 October 2027; money already matched above that is kept.
The projector starts from the CDA balance you enter today, so it does not add future grants or matching. It also leaves out the S$2,000 a year Child Credits, which are paid in cash rather than into the CDA. If you choose to save them, add them to your monthly amount. To plan CDA top-ups for a newborn, see the Baby Bonus and CDA guide and print Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps.
Printables for this guide
Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps
The steps in order: register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days and enrol in the same flow. Then open the CDA for the First Step Grant and co-matching.
Try it with your numbers
Put in your own details to see your answer.
Open education savings projector →Frequently asked questions
When does CDA money move to the PSEA?
For Singapore citizen children born on or after 1 January 2015, at the end of the year the child turns 16, under the SG Child Support Package. MOE’s PSEA page still states age 13, which applies to children born before 2015.
Does the S$10,000 PSEA top-up count in the projection?
Yes, for Singapore citizen children turning 17 from 2026. Those turning 17 in 2026 or 2027 receive it in June 2027, and later cohorts in June of the year they turn 17. The projector adds it at 17, so it earns a year of PSEA interest before 19.
Are the university costs official?
No. They are estimates in today’s dollars, compiled in mid-2026: about S$70,000 for a local subsidised degree, S$110,000 for local private or full-fee, and S$250,000 overseas with living costs. Change them in the tool if you have better figures.
Why are Child Credits not included?
The S$2,000 a year Child Credits are paid in cash to your child’s PayNow-linked bank account, not into the CDA. If you plan to save them for university, add them to your monthly saving. Try the education savings projector →
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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Sources & assumptions
- MOE — Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA): Overview ↗
- LifeSG — SG Child Support Package ↗
- CPF Board — Earning CPF interest ↗
It does not add future CDA grants, co-matching or Child Credits, or spending from the CDA.