HEDGE Education · Employment Research · 2026 Edition
Singapore Employment Competitiveness Report for International Graduates
Comparing overseas universities, majors, employers and salaries
Which university and major might bring you closer to working in Singapore? This report compares academic training, recruitment channels, actual roles and work pass requirements for students considering careers in Singapore, together with parents and education advisers.
PDF · Chinese · 23 pages · Approximately 1.88 MB · Free to read
Prepared by HEDGE Education · 2026 edition
23 pages Full report in Chinese
18 Comparison tables and action checklists
39 Policy, university and employer sources
Three key assessments
Before choosing a university, clarify your target roles, the skills you can demonstrate and your work eligibility on graduation. The following is HEDGE Education's analysis based on public sources.
Start with the role, then compare universities
HEDGE Education's assessment is that a university's name can signal academic background, but specific courses, project outcomes, internships and recruitment channels better help students assess their distance from a role. The report does not invent Singapore employment rates for overseas universities.
Recruitment channels do not establish employment outcomes
MIT internships in Singapore, Imperial's and Cambridge's research platforms there, and ETH's Singapore center demonstrate resources and opportunities for contact. They cannot be converted directly into the share of graduates hired in Singapore. MIT official source [18] · Imperial official source [19]
Assess salary and work eligibility together
Graduate surveys, advertised salaries, experienced professionals' pay and EP fixed monthly salary thresholds answer different questions. Identify the population measured before assessing whether an actual offer and employer conditions support your job-search pathway. MOM policy [2]
From university background to role selection
Pages 6–16 compare regions and subject areas. The coverage is outlined below. University comparisons analyze pathways; employer names are provided to help locate public recruitment information.
UK universities
Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick and others. The report compares quantitative and technical, finance, consulting and research pathways, distinguishing course-related skills, alumni networks and research platforms in Singapore.
US universities
MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell and others. The focus is on how computer science, engineering, quantitative and business training relate to specific roles, and on preparation for cross-border applications.
Australian and Canadian universities
Melbourne, Sydney, UNSW, Monash, Toronto, UBC, Waterloo and others. Courses, internships and project evidence come first, rather than assessing employment competitiveness solely from overall university rankings.
Hong Kong and European universities
HKU, CUHK, HKUST, ETH, EPFL, INSEAD, LBS and others. Regional recruitment, technical research and business-school pathways are considered separately. MBA samples with work experience cannot be compared directly with new bachelor's graduates.
Singapore university benchmarks
NUS, NTU and SMU provide comparisons for local internships, campus recruitment and graduate surveys. Populations, subjects and degree levels differ; university-wide medians are not guaranteed salaries for international graduates.
Searching by subject and employer
Covers computing and data, finance, consulting and accounting, engineering and semiconductors, supply chains and life sciences. Example employers include DBS, OCBC, UOB, Grab, Micron, BCG, Deloitte, P&G, DHL and GSK.
Listing these companies does not imply a recruitment partnership with HEDGE Education, current vacancies or visa sponsorship. Check each employer's official requirements for location, graduation year, experience and work eligibility when applying.
Singapore graduate salaries: check the definition first
The report presents university surveys and advertised pay separately. The table below provides only university-wide benchmarks for 2025 bachelor's graduates from local universities. Industry, major and individual experience affect actual offers.
Median gross monthly salary of 2025 bachelor's graduates in full-time permanent employment, in Singapore dollars
These are statistics for each university's survey population, not figures specifically for international students or starting salaries for overseas master's graduates. This page does not filter samples by nationality or employment location in Singapore, so the figures should not be treated as a standard starting salary for Singapore jobs. Gross monthly salary differs from the fixed monthly salary used for EP eligibility. Page 17 provides subject-specific data and historical advertised pay samples for entry-level roles in December 2025, explaining the sample year and interval calculations.
Report contents
Select a section to open the corresponding PDF page. If your reader does not support page links, use the page numbers in the table.
Contents of the Singapore Employment Competitiveness Report for International Graduates
These answers explain the policies and statistical definitions used in the report. Work pass and recruitment rules change; revisit official sources before applying.
Approximately how much do new graduates earn in Singapore each month?
In the 2025 Joint Graduate Employment Survey, the median gross monthly salary of new graduates in full-time permanent employment was S$4,500. This is a survey statistic, not a standard offer for international graduates. Major, experience and role affect individual pay. Joint survey [10]
What is the minimum monthly salary for a Singapore EP application in 2026?
As of October 3, 2026, the minimum fixed monthly salary for applicants aged 23 or below was S$5,600 outside financial services and S$6,200 in financial services, with thresholds increasing by age. From January 1, 2027, the minimums for new applications will rise to S$6,000 and S$6,600 respectively. Meeting the salary threshold must still be considered alongside COMPASS and other applicable conditions. MOM eligibility criteria [2] Fixed monthly salary includes basic monthly salary and fixed allowances, excluding bonuses, commissions and overtime pay. MOM salary definition [3]
Does a degree from a leading overseas university guarantee employment in Singapore?
No. Eligible qualifications from designated institutions may earn COMPASS qualification points, but do not replace the EP minimum salary requirement. HEDGE Education recommends comparing universities in relation to target roles, internship outcomes, actual offers and employer conditions. Research partnerships or internship programs in Singapore cannot be treated as graduate employment rates. COMPASS institution list [4]
Preparation notes and references
Prepared by HEDGE Education, this report primarily draws on official Singapore government, university and employer materials. Sources were reviewed on October 3, 2026. The full reference list is on PDF pages 21–23. Statistical facts are distinguished from HEDGE Education's pathway analysis.
NUS Computing GES 2025 results Published March 11, 2026; bachelor's salaries for computer science, business analytics and other subjects, not salaries for overseas master's graduates.
MOM Entry level PMET opportunities December 2025 Historical advertised pay sample from December 2025. Uses the full table and footnotes returned by the official index; some direct access to the original file failed during this review. Lower and upper bounds are each calculated as medians.
MIT MISTI Singapore No fixed publication date; nearly 300 internships in Singapore over multiple years. An internship channel, not a formal employment rate.
London Business School MBA Employment Report 2025 2025 cohort report; employment locations include Singapore. Average pre-enrollment work experience was six years, so figures are not comparable to new bachelor's graduate salaries.
BCG Southeast Asia Campus Recruiting Changing employer page; application channels for US, UK and other international universities include Singapore.
Google Singapore Software Engineer Mobile iOS A sample experienced engineering role, not a graduate vacancy. The page specifies existing work authorization and sponsorship conditions.
Grab Careers Job Search Changing job-search page; filter for Singapore, role category and experience.
Sea Global Management Associate Programme FAQ Changing program description; initial work location depends on business needs and matching. Long-term placement in Singapore is not guaranteed.
Micron Singapore Careers Changing official careers page; internships, new-graduate and engineering opportunities.
DHL Singapore Supply Chain Careers Changing Singapore careers page; student and graduate opportunities. Do not confuse these with programs in other countries.
GSK Singapore Changing official regional page; Singapore business, manufacturing and careers links. Check specific vacancies separately.
MOM Entry level PMET opportunities March 2026 Published June 15, 2026; March 2026 data. The measure changed to the 25th–75th percentiles of minimum advertised pay. Used to explain the statistical change, not for direct comparison with the historical advertised pay figures in the report.
Suggested citation: HEDGE Education (2026), Singapore Employment Competitiveness Report for International Graduates, HEDGE Education Resource Library. When citing figures, retain the statistical year, sample scope and original source. Analysis is credited to HEDGE Education.
Read the full report with your goals in mind
Start from target roles and review courses, projects, internships and work eligibility to plan your next steps.
Consider your Singapore career goals when planning your studies
Discuss the report's university, subject and skills information in relation to your target roles and academic background to help compare your study options.
