Each year the six autonomous universities survey their graduates about six months after final examinations, and the Ministry of Education publishes the results by programme. The 2025 survey was taken as at 1 November 2025 and published in March 2026. This article ranks the programmes by the median gross monthly salary of graduates who were in full-time permanent work.
The figure is a starting salary, not a career figure. It covers the first job after graduation, and for most programmes it describes a cohort that finished its degree in mid-2025.
How far apart are the courses?
Across the 128 programmes with a published median, starting pay runs from S$3,350 to S$6,950 a month, a spread of S$3,600. The middle programme sits at S$4,500.
- 29 programmes have a median of S$5,000 or more. Computing, medicine and double degrees make up most of this group.
- 85 programmes sit between S$4,000 and S$4,999. Most engineering, business, science, social science and allied health degrees are here.
- 14 programmes have a median under S$4,000, among them design, media, hospitality, food, early childhood, social work and two therapy degrees.
- Over a year, the highest median comes to S$83,400 before bonus and the lowest to S$40,200.
Programme medians at each university, taken together, differ less than the programmes within one university. The middle NUS programme is at S$4,640, SMU at S$4,600, NTU at S$4,500, SUTD at S$4,925, SIT at S$4,200 and SUSS at S$4,000. SMU's seven programmes and SUTD's five are fewer and more alike than the 33 to 40 programmes at NUS, NTU and SIT.
Which courses start highest?
| Rank | University | Programme | Basic, median | Gross, median | Gross, middle 50% | Full-time permanent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTU | Double Degree in Business and Computer Engineering / Computing | 6,500 | 6,950 | 5,520 to 8,000 | 83.3% |
| 2 | NTU | Medicine (Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine) | 5,050 | 6,500 | 6,000 to 7,000 | 100.0% |
| 3 | NUS | Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery | 5,050 | 6,500 | 6,000 to 6,930 | 100.0% |
| 4 | NUS | Computer Science | 6,250 | 6,400 | 5,300 to 7,500 | 84.1% |
| 5 | NUS | Bachelor of Business Administration | 6,000 | 6,000 | 4,000 to 9,000 | 82.5% |
| 6 | SMU | Computer Science | 6,000 | 6,000 | 5,000 to 7,083 | 83.3% |
| 7 | NUS | Information Systems | 5,665 | 6,000 | 5,000 to 7,000 | 92.1% |
| 8 | NUS | Information Security | 5,500 | 6,000 | 5,150 to 6,800 | 84.0% |
| 9 | NUS | Business Analytics | 5,500 | 5,700 | 5,000 to 7,083 | 85.7% |
| 10 | NUS | Computer Engineering | 5,500 | 5,600 | 5,230 to 6,500 | 78.5% |
| 11 | NTU | Double Degree in Engineering / Computer Science and Economics | 5,000 | 5,500 | 5,000 to 7,500 | 68.8% |
| 12 | NTU | Computer Science | 5,400 | 5,500 | 4,900 to 6,565 | 79.7% |
| 13 | SMU | Information Systems | 5,000 | 5,400 | 4,800 to 6,028 | 83.4% |
| 14 | NTU | Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | 5,250 | 5,250 | 4,850 to 6,130 | 75.9% |
| 15 | NTU | Interdisciplinary Double Major (Science) | 5,226 | 5,226 | 5,020 to 6,500 | 71.9% |
| 16 | NTU | Computer Engineering | 5,000 | 5,150 | 4,900 to 5,850 | 75.4% |
| 17 | NTU | Science (Academic Discipline and Education) | 5,109 | 5,109 | 5,014 to 5,400 | 100.0% |
| 18 | NUS | Data Science and Analytics | 5,000 | 5,000 | 4,450 to 6,000 | 65.1% |
| 19 | SUTD | Computer Science and Design | 5,000 | 5,000 | 4,800 to 5,825 | 76.9% |
| 20 | SIT | Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation | 4,900 | 5,000 | 4,660 to 5,500 | 83.9% |
Fifteen of the twenty are computing or data degrees, or double degrees with a computing half. The NTU double degree in business and computer engineering or computing leads at S$6,950, with a middle 50% of S$5,520 to S$8,000. Medicine at NTU and NUS follows at S$6,500, and both report 100% of graduates in full-time permanent work; medical graduates enter housemanship posts after the degree.
Computer science at NUS has a median of S$6,400 and a 75th percentile of S$7,500. SMU's computer science programme is at S$6,000 and NTU's at S$5,500. Information systems at NUS combines S$6,000 with a 92.1% full-time permanent rate, the highest employment rate among the computing programmes in the list.
Two entries need a note. The NUS Bachelor of Business Administration without honours reports S$6,000 with a middle 50% of S$4,000 to S$9,000, a far wider band than any other programme in the table; the honours programme is at S$4,860. The NTU science degree taught with the National Institute of Education, at S$5,109, is a teaching degree whose graduates join the Ministry of Education's teaching service; its middle 50% runs from S$5,014 to S$5,400 and its employment rate is 100%.
Which courses start lowest?
| Rank | University | Programme | Basic, median | Gross, median | Gross, middle 50% | Full-time permanent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128 | NTU | Art, Design and Media | 3,350 | 3,350 | 3,000 to 3,600 | 34.8% |
| 127 | SIT | Food Business Management | 3,000 | 3,500 | 3,400 to 3,800 | 63.6% |
| 126 | SIT | Bachelor of Hospitality Business with Honours | 3,500 | 3,500 | 3,310 to 4,000 | 70.7% |
| 125 | SIT | Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours | 3,500 | 3,600 | 3,200 to 4,040 | 55.1% |
| 124 | SIT | User Experience and Game Design | 3,550 | 3,600 | 3,300 to 4,100 | 50.0% |
| 123 | SIT | Digital Communications and Integrated Media | 3,600 | 3,675 | 3,400 to 4,010 | 69.4% |
| 122 | NTU | Biomedical Sciences | 3,500 | 3,700 | 3,500 to 4,400 | 89.3% |
| 121 | SUSS | Marketing | 3,600 | 3,715 | 3,500 to 4,200 | 56.2% |
| 120 | SUSS | Bachelor of Early Childhood Education | 3,700 | 3,800 | 3,500 to 3,995 | 93.8% |
| 119 | NUS | Bachelor of Landscape Architecture | 3,800 | 3,800 | 3,800 to 4,008 | 40.0% |
The ten lowest medians run from S$3,350 for art, design and media at NTU to S$3,800 for landscape architecture at NUS and early childhood education at SUSS. Five of the ten are SIT degrees in hospitality, food, media and game design.
Pay and employment do not move together at this end of the list. Early childhood education has a 93.8% full-time permanent rate, and the two therapy degrees just above the ten, occupational therapy at S$3,925 and speech and language therapy at S$3,900, report 98.0% and 95.5%. Art, design and media reports 34.8%, landscape architecture 40.0% and user experience and game design 50.0%; in those programmes the salary median describes half or fewer of the graduates in the labour force.
How do the universities compare for the same discipline?
| Discipline | University | Programme | Gross, median | Gross, middle 50% | Full-time permanent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accountancy | NTU | Accountancy and Business | 4,680 | 4,350 to 6,000 | 89.3% |
| Accountancy | NUS | (Accountancy) (Hons) | 4,375 | 4,350 to 4,999 | 90.9% |
| Accountancy | SIT | Bachelor of Accountancy with Honours | 4,350 | 4,000 to 4,550 | 87.3% |
| Accountancy | SMU | Accountancy | 4,350 | 4,300 to 5,000 | 91.4% |
| Accountancy | SUSS | Bachelor of Accountancy | 4,350 | 4,300 to 4,500 | 85.9% |
| Computer science | NUS | Computer Science | 6,400 | 5,300 to 7,500 | 84.1% |
| Computer science | SMU | Computer Science | 6,000 | 5,000 to 7,083 | 83.3% |
| Computer science | NTU | Computer Science | 5,500 | 4,900 to 6,565 | 79.7% |
| Computer science | SIT | Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation | 5,000 | 4,660 to 5,500 | 83.9% |
| Computer science | SUTD | Computer Science and Design | 5,000 | 4,800 to 5,825 | 76.9% |
| Business | NUS | Bachelor of Business Administration | 6,000 | 4,000 to 9,000 | 82.5% |
| Business | NUS | Hons | 4,860 | 4,300 to 6,000 | 80.2% |
| Business | SMU | Business Management | 4,600 | 4,000 to 5,525 | 75.9% |
| Business | NTU | Business | 4,500 | 4,000 to 5,300 | 71.8% |
| Mechanical engineering | NUS | Mechanical Engineering | 5,000 | 4,495 to 5,591 | 75.7% |
| Mechanical engineering | NTU | Mechanical Engineering | 4,500 | 4,090 to 5,000 | 73.3% |
| Mechanical engineering | SIT | Mechanical Engineering (University of Glasgow) | 4,200 | 3,890 to 4,675 | 75.0% |
| Mechanical engineering | SIT | Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Engineering (Newcastle University) | 4,200 | 3,900 to 4,500 | 72.3% |
| Electrical engineering | NUS | Electrical Engineering | 4,900 | 4,500 to 5,400 | 82.1% |
| Electrical engineering | NTU | Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 4,800 | 4,250 to 5,200 | 75.8% |
| Electrical engineering | SIT | Electrical Power Engineering (Newcastle University) | 4,250 | 4,000 to 4,745 | 73.2% |
| Civil engineering | NUS | Civil Engineering | 4,378 | 4,100 to 5,000 | 92.4% |
| Civil engineering | NTU | Civil Engineering | 4,200 | 4,000 to 4,620 | 79.6% |
| Civil engineering | SIT | Civil Engineering (University of Glasgow) | 4,200 | 4,000 to 4,400 | 75.0% |
| Nursing | NUS | (Nursing) (Hons) | 4,200 | 4,025 to 4,390 | 87.7% |
| Nursing | SIT | Nursing (University of Glasgow) | 4,163 | 3,900 to 4,422 | 75.5% |
| Nursing | NUS | Nursing | 4,000 | 3,850 to 4,300 | 87.6% |
The gap between universities depends on the discipline. In accountancy the five programmes sit within S$330 of each other: NTU's combined accountancy and business degree is at S$4,680, NUS at S$4,375, and SMU, SIT and SUSS at S$4,350. All five report full-time permanent rates between 85.9% and 91.4%.
In computer science the gap is S$1,400: NUS at S$6,400, SMU at S$6,000, NTU at S$5,500, and SUTD and SIT at S$5,000. In mechanical engineering NUS is at S$5,000, NTU at S$4,500 and the two SIT programmes at S$4,200. Electrical and civil engineering show the same order with smaller gaps.
Nursing is the closest match across institutions: the NUS honours programme at S$4,200, SIT at S$4,163 and the NUS three-year programme at S$4,000.
Many SIT programmes are joint degrees with overseas partner universities, named in the programme title. The SUSS publication covers its full-time programmes; nine of them have a salary figure.
How many graduates were in full-time permanent work?
The employment rate is the share of graduates in the labour force who held a full-time permanent job on 1 November 2025. Across the 128 programmes the middle rate is 73.8%. Nineteen programmes are at 90% or above, and seventeen are below 60%.
- Five programmes report 100%: medicine at NTU and NUS, the NTU science and arts degrees taught with NIE, and dental surgery at NUS (median S$4,550).
- Pharmacy at NUS reports 97.4%, with a median of S$4,475.
- The lowest rates are in art, design and media (34.8%), landscape architecture (40.0%), linguistics and multilingual studies (47.2%) and industrial design (47.6%).
A low full-time permanent rate does not mean the rest were unemployed. Graduates in part-time, temporary or freelance work count as employed but are left out of the salary figure, and graduates still looking for work six months after finishing are counted in the labour force.
What the figures include and leave out
- Gross monthly salary is basic pay plus fixed allowances, overtime and commissions, before the employee's CPF contribution. It leaves out the employer's CPF contribution and bonuses.
- Full-time permanent jobs only. Graduates in part-time, temporary or freelance work, in further study, or still looking for work are not in the salary figure.
- Response rates vary. Each university programme reports its own response rate; medicine at NUS stands at 22%, pharmacy at NUS at 27% and medicine at NTU at 46%, so those medians rest on fewer answers.
- Not every programme has a figure. Twelve of the 147 rows in the university publications carry no salary figure (shown as N.A.); law at NUS, SMU and SUSS and music at NUS are among them. SMU's separate honours-tier rows are not programmes and are not ranked here. One SIT engineering row whose published figures do not line up is left out until checked.
- Polytechnic graduates are surveyed separately; their figures are on the fresh graduate salary page.
- Course clusters such as Information and Digital Technologies or Engineering, as reported in the joint publication, are also on that page.
Related guides
Sources
MOE Graduate Employment Survey 2025, joint and university publications
- MOE, Graduate Employment Survey 2025, joint web publication Survey as at 1 November 2025, published March 2026. Definitions of gross monthly salary and full-time permanent employment.
- MOE, NUS GES 2025 web publication
- MOE, NTU GES 2025 web publication
- MOE, SMU GES 2025 web publication
- MOE, SIT GES 2025 web publication
- MOE, SUSS GES 2025 web publication
- MOE, autonomous universities: GES 2025 publications, including SUTD