Graduates of Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) fared well as they got marginally higher starting salaries in companies compared to the graduates of other universities, revealed the joint graduate employment survey.
The median gross monthly salary among SUTD graduates employed in full-time permanent positions was SGD 3,650 in 2016. This latest finding surveyed 206 out of 246 SUTD’s second cohort of graduates from mid-February to March 2017.
Expressing joy over performance of the students, Professor Thomas Magnanti, SUTD’s president said, “Despite challenging economic conditions, we are heartened that there continues to be strong demand for our technology and design-trained students, and their high starting salaries show that employers value what our students can bring to the table.”
The survey was jointly conducted by SUTD, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).
The median starting pay for fresh graduates from NUS, NTU and SMU was lower, at SGD3,360 a month in 2016. That figure, released on February 22, was based on a joint graduate employment that polled a total of 10,904 of 13,953 fresh graduates from NTU, NUS and SMU.
Students from NUS, NTU and SMU usually graduate in May, while students from SUTD graduate in late August or early September.
The survey also revealed that more than nine in 10 of the graduates of SUTD found secured employment within six months of their final examinations, with 84 per cent securing full-time permanent employment.
Comparatively, only 80.2 per cent of graduates from NTU, NUS and SMU landed permanent full-time jobs in the same time frame last year.
Some of the top hiring sectors include information and communication, engineering manufacturing, financial and insurance and public administration and defence.