Housing for PSB Academy Students in Singapore

PSB Academy doesn't run its own dorms, so housing is something every student has to sort out themselves. The academy's two campuses, City Campus at Marina Square and Cathay Campus at The Cathay on Handy Road, both sit right in the city centre, so the practical question isn't which neighbourhood is "the" student area. It's which part of the island gets you to town on one MRT line without a transfer, at a rent that isn't priced for tourists.

That's what this guide covers: where PSB Academy actually is, why students end up hunting for their own place instead of getting assigned one, and what a co-living room near either campus looks like in practice.

Where are PSB Academy's campuses?

City Campus is inside Marina Square at 6 Raffles Boulevard, a short walk from Esplanade MRT on the Circle Line. It opened in 2017 and added a STEM Wing in 2022, so it's the larger of the two sites and where most of the science, tech, and engineering courses run.

Cathay Campus opened in April 2025 at 2 Handy Road, inside The Cathay building, right by Dhoby Ghaut MRT, the interchange where the North South, North East, and Circle lines all meet. It's a newer, smaller site, about 43,000 square feet over two floors.

Both are city-core addresses inside commercial buildings, not a leafy campus with student halls attached. That shapes everything about how PSB students end up housed.

Both are city-core addresses inside commercial buildings, not a leafy campus with halls attached.

Why doesn't PSB Academy provide student housing?

Because it isn't set up to. PSB is a private education institution, not a residential university with its own grounds, so there's no dormitory block to assign a room in. Its own accommodation page says as much: it doesn't operate housing itself, and instead lists external options for students to arrange directly, including a partner facility near Bugis, plus general categories like hostels, private student accommodation, and co-living.

The academy is upfront that this is a referral list, not a guarantee. It also flags that demand runs high and tells students to start looking well before they arrive. Co-living is one of the categories it points students toward, which is exactly the gap Lazybee sits in: a private room, generally furnished with utilities and wifi already bundled into the rent, with a listing you can check and book yourself rather than negotiate blind.

Who actually studies at PSB Academy?

A genuinely international mix. PSB has said its student body spans over 50 nationalities, taught across six schools covering everything from business and IT to health sciences and engineering, at certificate, diploma, degree, and postgraduate level. Degree programmes run through partnerships with nine overseas universities, including Coventry, Edinburgh Napier, La Trobe, and Massey, so PSB students are often working toward a UK or Australian degree while living in Singapore full time.

International students on a full-time course need a Student Pass, arranged through ICA, and PSB helps process the application. As at most private institutions, Student Pass holders here aren't permitted to take on paid or unpaid work while studying, which makes a predictable, all-in monthly rent more useful than it might be for a student who's also earning locally.

Because PSB runs a private-institution model rather than one fixed academic year, students arrive at different points, not just a single August intake. That means the housing search doesn't cluster into one narrow window either, and rooms with a clear, published move-in date matter more than they would for a cohort that all starts on the same day.

Getting to City Campus and Cathay Campus from a Lazybee house

Lazybee runs three co-living houses in Singapore, and each one connects to the city core differently.

Chiltern Park, in Serangoon near Lorong Chuan MRT, sits directly on the Circle Line, the same line that serves both Esplanade (City Campus) and Dhoby Ghaut (Cathay Campus). That means no line transfer to reach either campus, since the Circle Line runs as a loop connecting both.

Thomson Grove, off Yio Chu Kang Road near Lentor and Yio Chu Kang MRT, sits on the North South Line. Yio Chu Kang runs straight down to Dhoby Ghaut with no transfer, since both stations are on the same line. Reaching Marina Square means changing onto the Circle Line at Dhoby Ghaut.

Ivory Heights, in Jurong East, is also on the North South Line, which runs the length of the island through to Dhoby Ghaut without a transfer. From there, City Campus is a short Circle Line hop away, one change.

None of the three houses sits inside Marina Centre itself, and nothing genuinely does at a co-living rent. What each one offers instead is a direct or single-transfer MRT ride into the exact station either campus sits on top of, which matters more day to day than a shorter distance on a map with a worse train connection.

What to check before signing anything

A few things matter more for a private-academy student than they might for someone starting a fixed August semester at a public university.

• Move-in date flexibility. With intakes spread across the year, confirm the room is actually available on your start date, not just "soon."
• Minimum stay. Under Singapore law, private rentals can't run shorter than three months, whatever your course length is. Match the lease term to how long you're actually studying, not a landlord's default 12-month offer.
• What's included. Utilities, wifi, and cleaning of common areas should be spelled out, not assumed. A furnished room with these bundled in is usually easier to budget against than a bare unit plus separate bills.
• Deposit terms. Confirm the refund process and what counts as normal wear and tear before you pay anything.
• The commute you'll actually make. Check the real MRT line and interchange count to your specific campus, City or Cathay, since they're a few stops apart even though both sit in the city centre.
• Licence vs tenancy. A room in a shared house is usually a licence agreement, not a tenancy agreement. Read whichever one you're signing.

Frequently asked questions

Does PSB Academy have student dormitories? No. PSB doesn't operate its own housing. It refers students to external options, including a partner facility, hostels, private student accommodation, and co-living, and says clearly that it isn't responsible for arrangements made with them.

How far is Lazybee from PSB Academy's campuses? It depends on the house. Chiltern Park sits on the same Circle Line that serves both campuses directly. Thomson Grove and Ivory Heights are both on the North South Line straight into Dhoby Ghaut, with one change onto the Circle Line for Marina Square.

Can international students rent a co-living room for one term? Yes, as long as it's three months or longer, which is the legal floor for any private rental in Singapore regardless of operator. Shorter than that isn't a lawful private-market rental.

Do I need a Student Pass to rent a room? Renting itself doesn't require one, but if you're studying full time as an international student, you'll need a Student Pass to be in Singapore legally in the first place. That's a separate process from housing, arranged through PSB and ICA.

What's actually included in a Lazybee room? Typically a private, furnished bedroom in a shared house, with utilities and wifi bundled into the rent. Exact inclusions vary by room, so check the specific listing rather than assuming.

Current room availability for all three houses is listed at lazybee.sg, with real move-in dates and terms on each listing rather than a price to negotiate down. If you're deciding between houses, our full guide to Chiltern Park, Ivory Heights, and Thomson Grove covers each neighbourhood in more depth.

Sources: URA, Short-Term Accommodation guidelines; ICA, Apply for a Student's Pass.