SINGAPORE — A graduate student at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has shocked social media users with a reveal of how much he pays for his campus accommodation: A costly S$950 a month for a double room.

In a video from a TikTok user known as "A Ze", a student is seen walking within the main NTU campus near the Jurong West Extension area when the TikToker approaches him to ask him about his housing rent in Singapore. 

The student then takes A Ze on a tour of his "student dormitory", showing off the room that he shares with a randomly assigned roommate, complete with two small study tables, a shared wardrobe and an ensuite bathroom.

He also introduces a communal pantry, which is equipped with halal and non-halal ovens and induction cookers for residents' use.

As they walk around the building, a number of clothing racks can be seen set up around an open space at the end of a corridor of rooms.

Confused, A Ze asks: "You're drying clothes — why are they all hanging in the hallway?"

The student then explains that full laundry service at the residence is "too expensive", costing S$4 for each use of the washing machine or dryer.

"Everyone is saving money, so..." he gestures to the racks. "This is where we solve (the problem)."

The video, which was posted on Nov 14 last year, has been viewed more than 1.1 million times and has more than 2,500 comments, many of which expressed shock at the steep rental price.

One NTU alumnus wrote: "S$950? My goodness, (during) my time (it was) only S$220 per month."

Another asked: "Wow, since when (did) hall become so expensive? I only graduated eight years ago and it was S$380 per month."

One other viewer commented in Chinese: "Surely with S$950, (you) can find a single room in a HDB (Housing and Development Board flat)?"

Others expressed suspicion, claiming that the accommodation "looks like (a) hotel" and the interior looks very different from other halls in NTU.

A TikTok user remarked: "Where got hall so nice one?"

A top comment for the video stated that the residence shown in the video is "actually not part of the NTU hostel residences" and is instead a private hostel on campus.

Comments identified it as the newly built private student hostel Maple Residences, which TODAY verified with a check on its website. It is also listed on NTU's website as an alternative housing option.

On Maple Residences' website, it is described as a "commercial boutique hostel that exclusively provides accommodation for NTU post-graduate students and is not under the management of NTU".

As of Wednesday (Jan 17), its monthly rental fee is listed at S$918 for a double room and S$1,350 for a single room.

The website also states that pricing is subject to yearly review and adjustments will be made in 3 per cent increments.

In comparison, NTU's undergraduate housing for the academic year of 2023-2024 — comprising 15 older halls and eight newer halls — ranges from S$319 for a non-air-conditioned double room with a shared bathroom to S$685 for an air-conditioned single room with an attached bathroom.

After finding out that it was a graduate rather than an undergraduate hostel, Singaporean online users then remarked that S$950 was "so much cheaper" than co-living options such as Coliwoo and Lyft or other private student hostels.

Unlike Maple Residences, most of these student hostels are not located within the NTU campus, online commenters pointed out. 

The student in the TikTok video, who is 29 this year, told A Ze that he studied international economics and trade as an undergraduate in China before enrolling in NTU to pursue a master's degree in educational administration.