By Chen Meiyue, Becky Lo and Stacey Chia

Campus facilities do not get an A.

That's what students of the three local universities tell The Sunday Times as climbing enrolments put a tight squeeze on space in canteens, campus transport and libraries.

The number of freshmen entering the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) has swelled in recent years, with more than 14,500 last year, compared to 11,419 five years ago.

This year, the three universities are offering 14,700 places. School resumes next month.

While the yearly increases have been gradual, the numbers have added up over the years, resulting in a significantly larger student population on campus.

Last year, the total undergraduate population hit an all-time high of more than 49,000, a jump from 40,000 in 2003.

The bulk of the increase was at NTU, where the student population soared from 15,764 five years ago to 20,206 last year.

At NUS, the number reached 24,092 last year, from 22,149 in 2003.

In the same period, SMU's undergraduate intake more than doubled, from 2,182 to 5,178.

These increases are in line with Singapore's aim of providing subsidised university education to one in four Singaporeans, which was achieved earlier this year.

In a bid to widen the offerings to students, many courses have been introduced in recent years, including NTU's School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2005 and SMU's School of Law last year.

While new buildings and hostels have been built, these have not expanded fast enough to keep pace with the burgeoning numbers.

'I can't go anywhere without running into crowds. The amenities and buildings are not keeping pace with the increase in the number of people,' said fourth-year NTU computer science student Dennis Lin, 25, who feels new courses should kick off only when supporting infrastructure is in place.

Of the 60 students from the three local universities whom The Sunday Times spoke to, 50 felt that their campuses were getting increasingly congested.

Some have also found it harder to register for popular subjects.

And even if students manage to sign up for the subjects of their choice, there are other inconveniences.

Chairs have been added at the back of some NUS lecture theatres, but third-year pharmacy student Lin Yingjia, 21, tries to get in early for a good seat since not all come with attached writing surfaces.

'It's really uncomfortable and difficult to take notes if you get a seat without a table,' she said.

The jostling for hall accommodation has also become more competitive, with students needing more points from taking part in school activities to be able to stay on in the following semester.

At NTU, students need at least 15 points to secure a place in one of the 16 halls next semester, up from last year's 13 points for females and 14 points for males.

Similarly, an NUS student publication, The Ridge, reported that the minimum number of points students needed to stay on campus next semester was at a record high.

An NUS spokesman said the increase in the cut-off point was largely due to the rise in demand for hostel stays, but did not want to reveal the minimum number of points required.

But the schools are addressing the space crunch. In the next five years, NTU plans to build eight more halls which can accommodate 4,800 undergraduates.

Next year, a new building for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which will include a 300-seat lecture theatre and laboratories, will be completed.

In the last three years, five new school buildings and two hostels have sprung up at NTU.

Some seminar rooms and lecture theatres were also recently renovated to increase their seating capacities.

By early 2010, the NUS' University Town campus, costing between $500 million and $600 million, will be completed. It will provide eight residential colleges and two graduate residences to cater to 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

SMU, meanwhile, said it has no plans to expand for now because the student population is within the 6,500 that the campus was built to accommodate.

Still, the overcrowding is driving some students away from school.

First-year NUS business administration student Brent Pang, 21, avoids going to school whenever he can by holding project meetings elsewhere.

'I can't concentrate when it's so packed. It affects my mood and makes me feel frustrated,' he said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 6 July 2008.