Singapore Management University (SMU) and the NYU Gallatin School of Individualised Study are launching an exciting exchange programme that offers students transformative and cross-cultural learning experiences. Starting in January 2026, SMU’s College of Integrative Studies (CIS) students will have the opportunity to partake in a semester of study in New York City, while NYU Gallatin undergraduates can immerse themselves in a dynamic academic environment on SMU campus, located in the very heart of Singapore’s vibrant business and cultural precincts.
CIS, launched in 2022, is the first college in Singapore to take an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to teaching and research. The College’s students craft their own bespoke majors, tailoring their education to their individual passions and career aspirations. Choosing from over 1,000 courses across SMU’s six schools, CIS students tackle real-world challenges through interdisciplinary learning, with the support of a faculty adviser and an industry mentor.
CIS and NYU Gallatin share a common vision at their core—both institutions champion individualised and interdisciplinary learning. Before CIS even opened its doors, it had looked across continents for a kindred spirit such as Gallatin, finding inspiration in its pioneering approach to liberal arts education, in its embrace of a wide variety of academic interests. A partnership between CIS and Gallatin has since blossomed, with this new student exchange programme representing one of several exciting initiatives. CIS and Gallatin students on exchange will now have the chance to experience diverse cultures, gain new global perspectives, and apply their learning to real-world contexts.
“This collaboration is an exciting bridge between two schools at the forefront of innovation in liberal arts education,” commented Victoria Rosner, NYU Gallatin Dean.
Studying at SMU or NYU broadens horizons beyond the classroom, complementing career aspirations by equipping students with enhanced confidence, adaptability and cultural intelligence. At CIS, students have access to all that SMU offers, including the Wee Kim Wee Centre, a key CIS partner which shares the College’s view that that dialogue and integration across a wide range of perspectives will profoundly benefit society.
In its goal of promoting “cultural consciousness” and cultivating civic competency and lifelong learning, the Centre shares the College’s aims to equip future graduates to look beyond the boundaries of a single discipline to develop integrated solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.
Elaborating on the exchange programme, Elvin Lim, Dean, SMU College of Integrative Studies said, “We are delighted to formalise our student-exchange programme with NYU-Gallatin and strengthen the relationship between our Schools. Gallatin understood the value of education as an individualised journey from its very inception, and it is a vision, still relevant for what the future looks like from today, that CIS strongly affirms. This exchange programme will support Gallatin students to further experience a “university without borders,” and allow CIS students to deepen their experience in interdisciplinary learning and problem-solving by joining their counterparts on the other side of globe in a shared commitment to the future of education. This is an exciting milestone for Gallatin and CIS!”