It is a network of post-secondary education institutions (PSEIs) and community-based organisations offering a wide range of learning opportunities to seniors.

As at March 2020, there are 49 NSA course providers and they are:

Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs)

1.    Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
2.    LASALLE College of the Arts
3.    Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)
4.    Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
5.    Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
6.    National University of Singapore (NUS)
7.    Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
8.    Republic Polytechnic (RP)
9.    Singapore Management University (SMU)
10.    Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
11.    Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
12.    Temasek Polytechnic (TP)

Community-based Organisations

13.     Alzheimer’s Disease Association
14.     Brahm Centre
15.     Centre For Seniors
16.     Centre of Activity and Recreation for the Elders (CARE)
17.     Credit Counselling Singapore (CCS)
18.     Diabetes Singapore
19.     En Community Services Society (ECSS)
20.     Family Central
21.     Jamiyah Singapore
22.     Kampung Senang Charity and Education Foundation
23.     Life Point
24.     Loving Heart
25.     Mendaki SENSE
26.     National University of Singapore Society (NUSS)
27.     NTUC Learning Hub
28.     Photo-Art Association of Singapore (PAS)
29.     PPIS
30.     Primary Care Academy
31.     raiSE Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise
32.     Rotary Learning Institute
33.     RSVP Singapore
34.     Singapore Association for Continuing Education (SACE)
35.     Singapore Council Of Women’s Organisations (SCWO)
36.     Singapore Hotel Association (SHA)
37.     Singapore Institute of Directors (SID)
38.     Society for WINGS (WINGS)
39.     Society of Sheng Hong Welfare Services (SSHWS)
40.     SPEC
41.     Sustainable Living Lab
42.     The Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS)
43.     Tsao Foundation
44.     XIOHOO
45.     YAH!

Other Partners

46.     Institute for Financial Literacy
47.     Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
48.     Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)
49.     Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
     

Some short courses are public courses selected based on the relevance and interest to the seniors*. There are also short courses that are specially tailored for seniors*.

*Seniors age above 50 in calendar year

The NSA offers three main types of programmes for seniors (defined as those aged 50 and above):

1. Short courses of various durations and in areas which are both life-skill and work skill-oriented;
2. Exam-free modules that are drawn from existing full-qualification programmes such as certificate / diploma / degree programmes offered by ITE, the polytechnics and Autonomous Universities (AUs) that seniors can pursue without having to undertake course assessments. Seniors can attend selected modules alongside other regular students who take these modules for credit (i.e. with assessments); and
3. Ad-hoc learning opportunities such as the Intergenerational Learning Programme which pairs students with senior learners to learn about various topics and helps promote inter-generational bonding. Other programmes include short talks offered by community-based organisations which are targeted at seniors. 

The three types of programmes cover a wide range of topics such as Health & Wellness, Humanities, Media, Arts & Design, Ageing & Life Skills, Information Technology & Science, and Finance & Business.

The NSA courses were selected based on the relevance and interest to the seniors. The courses can be work-skills-oriented or life-skills-focused. The various categories are as follows:

1. Health & Wellness
   This includes topics such as healthy ageing, counselling, self-management.
    
2. Humanities
   This includes subjects like sociology, psychology and philosophy, amongst others.
    
3. Media, Arts & Design
   Examples include digital imaging, ceramic art and fashion design.
    
4. Ageing & Life Skills
   This includes topics which seniors might find useful to know for their everyday life or planning of their later years. Examples include interior design, plumbing, electrical maintenance, and appreciation of the ageing process.
    
5. IT & Science
   This includes technology-related courses such as using social media, smart phones, programming, database management and security technology.
    
6. Finance & Business
   Topics covered include those which enable seniors to start, manage or work towards supporting a business set up or function; examples include finance, organisational psychology, human resource, crisis communication and writing for the professional setting.

1. View by All Courses, Online Learning, Short Courses, Exam-free Modules, Bite-sized Courses, Intergenerational Learning Programme, Packaged Courses or SkillsFuture Series & Other Sources
2. Filter by Category, Price Range, Day of Week, Location, Commencement, Provider, SkillsFuture Credit Eligible for Short Courses, Exam-free Modules and Bite-sized Courses
3. Search for courses by Title using
   1. Search functionality at the menu (red) bar or Home page
   2. Search functionality in filter (left panel) for Online Learning, Short Courses, Exam-free Modules, Bite-sized Courses, Intergenerational Learning Programme, SkillsFuture Series & Other Sources

Let us help you find out your interests and focus well on your learning adventure with the self-assessment by clicking here.

They are typically conducted at the premises of the course provider. However, some courses may also be offered at community venues. Course timings vary. Please check the course details at www.c3a.org.sg for specific information on the course.

Selected courses will be offered in different languages other than English.

Seniors can expect to participate in tutorials, seminars and/or lectures and have access to course materials alongside other students who are pursuing the course as part of their full qualification programme.
 
Depending on the nature of the course, seniors may also be involved in classroom discussions, or selected group projects. Seniors will be exempt from formal assessments and will not receive any certification for having taken the module.

Applicants are advised to approach the respective course provider for more information on whether the option to switch to credit mode is available.

For short courses, anyone aged 50 and above can sign up for them.

 
For exam-free modules, only Singaporean seniors can apply.

 
For ad-hoc learning opportunities, kindly refer to the specific courses for the eligibility criteria.

To be eligible, you need to turn 50 in the calendar year.

The minimum entry requirements can vary across courses and course providers. Such requirements can range from having a basic level of proficiency in English to having basic technical knowledge in a specific topic. Applicants are advised to read the course details or check with the respective course providers for the exact requirements.

Short Courses:
Singaporeans will receive a subsidy of up to 50% off course fees (capped at $500 per course) excluding GST which would be fully borne by the senior.
 
For instance, if the full course fee for a short course is $400 and the course subsidy is 50%, the net fee payable by the senior post-subsidy is: ($400 x 50%) [Course Fee Balance] + ($400 x 7%) [7% GST] = $228

For short courses offered by PSEIs, only Singaporeans aged 50 and above will receive a subsidy of up to 50% off course fees (capped at $500 per course). For courses run by community-based organisations, Singaporeans and PRs aged 50 and above will receive a subsidy of up to 80% off course fees, and the final fee payable by seniors takes into account the support given by the government to community-based organisations to develop and offer the short courses.
 
Exam-free Modules Drawn from Full Qualification Programmes:
Only Singaporeans aged 50 and above are eligible to sign up for these modules and they will pay a token fee which to partially cover the administrative cost. As the token fee is deliberately kept affordable, there are no further subsidies for these modules.
 
Ad-hoc Learning Opportunities:
The short talks and Intergenerational Learning Programme are typically free for seniors aged 50 and above, but registrants are encouraged to confirm this with the course provider.

Short Courses run by PSEIs: Only Singaporean seniors.

 
Short courses run by the community-based organisations:Singaporean and PR seniors.

*Applicants should check with the respective course providers to find out whether one qualifies for the subsidies.

SkillsFuture Credit can be used on top of existing government course subsidies to pay for approved skills-related courses under the NSA. SkillsFuture Credit can be used to cover both the course fees payable and GST imposed on the course fees.

Applicants may contact the respective course providers to enquire about the mode of payment. Some of them accept online payment while others may require payment in the form of cash or cheque.

A full list of courses is available at www.c3a.org.sg. For more details on the course registration process, applicants are advised to read the course details or check with the course providers. Click here to find out more about registering for courses.

To register for a course,

1. Click on the Course Title to view the details.
2. Click on “Click Here to Course Site”.
3. You will be directed to the website of the institution / community-based organisation that is conducting that course. Do note that:
   1. Successful course registration is not a guarantee of a place in the course. Please read the registration instructions carefully or contact the learning provider to confirm. While registration for some courses may be on a first-come-first serve basis, other institutions / organisations may want to review the background of all applicants before offering places to successful candidates.
   2. Some courses may have pre-requisites, for instance, they may need you to know how to use basic computing software. These would be stated in the course description.
   3. Some courses may require students to pay an additional fee on top of the course fees. Such fees could be for the purchase of materials or field trips. Prospective students are advised to clarify such fees with the institutions / organisations before registering for the courses.

Short Courses:
There is no limit to the number of courses one can register for. The subsidies will apply to eligible seniors who have registered for any number of NSA courses.
 
Exam-free Modules Drawn from Full Qualification Programmes:
There is no cap on the number of such modules each Singaporean senior can enrol for. These modules are open to seniors’ participation without having to undertake course assessments.
 
Ad-hoc Learning Opportunities:
There is no cap on the number of ad-hoc learning opportunities one can enrol for.

Different course providers have different cancellation and refund policies. Applicants are advised to approach the course providers for more details on these policies at the point of registration.

Applicants are advised to approach the course providers for more details on these policies at the point of registration.

Here are the ways that you can go about to compare courses, 

1. On landing and listing pages like Home > Trending Courses, All Courses, Short Courses, Exam-free Modules, Intergenerational Learning Programme (ILP), you can click on the “Compare” button at the bottom right of the listing. Once you click on “Compare”, a box will be brought up to show the courses you have selected to compare. You can compare a maximum of three courses. Once you are done selecting, click on the “Compare” button at the bottom of the box.
2. In the respective course details’ page, you can click on the “Compare” button located right below the image. Once you click on “Compare”, a box will be brought up to show the courses you have selected to compare. You can compare a maximum of three courses. Once you are done selecting, click on the “Compare” button at the bottom of the box.

No, you do not need to have an account to register for the course(s). Refer to Question (P. How can I register for a course?) on how to register for a course. 

We would recommend to sign up for an NSA account so that you are able to bookmark courses that you have a keen interest in across different course providers, as well as to receive notifications when there are new course runs. Sign up for an account here.