Every year, the release of Singapore’s Joint Graduate Employment Survey (GES) triggers a fresh round of “which degree is worth it” conversations among students and parents. This guide breaks down what the latest data actually shows about starting salaries and employment rates across degrees at Singapore’s autonomous universities, and just as importantly, how to weigh that data against other factors before choosing a course.

What Are the Best University Degrees in Singapore?

Based on the most recent Graduate Employment Survey, the highest-paying degrees in Singapore are Law (NUS and SMU, around S$7,000 median monthly salary), Medicine (NUS and NTU, around S$6,500 with 100% employment), and computing-related double degrees like NTU’s Business and Computer Engineering/Computing programme (around S$6,950). However, “best” depends on what you’re optimising for, starting salary, long-term employability, or genuine interest and aptitude, since these don’t always point to the same course.

Understanding the Graduate Employment Survey (GES)

The GES is a joint annual survey conducted across Singapore’s six autonomous universities: NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUTD and SUSS. Graduates are surveyed roughly six months after completing their final examinations, and the results include overall employment rate, full-time permanent employment rate, and gross monthly starting salary (usually reported as both mean and median, along with a 25th and 75th percentile range).

A few things worth understanding about how to read GES data:

• Median is generally more reliable than mean for typical outcomes, since a handful of very high earners can skew a mean salary upward.
• The percentile range matters. A course with a wide gap between its 25th and 75th percentile salary suggests more variation in individual outcomes than the headline figure implies.
• Smaller cohorts produce noisier data. A niche course with only a handful of graduates can show dramatic year-to-year swings that don’t necessarily reflect a real trend.

Highest-Paying Degrees in Singapore (Latest GES Data)

Degree	University	Approximate median monthly salary
Business + Computer Engineering/Computing (Double Degree)	NTU	Around S$6,950
Law	NUS / SMU	Around S$7,000
Medicine	NUS / NTU	Around S$6,500
Computer Science	NUS	Around S$6,400
Computer Engineering	NUS	Around S$5,900
Business Artificial Intelligence Systems	NUS	Around S$6,000
Information Security	NUS	Around S$6,000
Business Administration	NUS	Around S$6,000
Computer Science	SMU	Around S$6,000
Information Systems	SMU	Around S$5,400 to S$5,500

Figures are indicative, based on the most recently published Joint Graduate Employment Survey, and are typically reported with a range rather than a single fixed number. Salaries shift from year to year based on market conditions, so always check the latest official GES release for current figures before making decisions.

Overall Employment Rates by University

Employment outcomes are reported at both the university level and the course level. Recent overall figures across the three most established autonomous universities show broadly similar results:

University	Overall employment rate	Full-time permanent employment rate	Median monthly salary
NUS	Around 88% to 90%	Around 82%	Around S$4,500 to S$4,600
NTU	Around 90%	Around 85%	Around S$4,500
SMU	Around 90% to 91%	Around 83% to 84%	Around S$4,600

At the course level, Medicine at both NUS and NTU has consistently achieved 100% employment in recent surveys, alongside select NIE-run teaching degrees. This reflects both strong demand for these professions and, in Medicine’s case, a structured pathway directly into housemanship after graduation.

Which Degrees Have Lower Employment Rates or Salaries?

For a balanced picture, it’s worth noting that some courses have shown comparatively lower full-time permanent employment rates or starting salaries in recent surveys, including some Sociology, Linguistics, Art, Design and Media, and certain Social Sciences and Economics tracks at specific universities. This doesn’t mean these degrees are without value, many lead to strong long-term careers in fields like public policy, the arts, media, design and academia, but starting salaries in these fields tend to be more back-loaded, with earnings potential growing more with experience, specialisation and portfolio than with the degree title alone.

Why “Best” Isn’t Just About Salary

Starting salary is one useful data point, but it has real limitations as a way to choose a degree:

1. It only measures the first six months. A course with a lower starting salary can still lead to strong long-term earning potential, particularly in fields where reputation and experience matter more than the initial job title.
2. It doesn’t measure job satisfaction or fit. A high-paying course pursued purely for the number, without genuine interest or aptitude, often leads to disengagement, weaker performance, and in some cases, a costly career pivot later.
3. Some of the highest-paying fields have very demanding admission and workload requirements. Medicine and Law, for example, require strong academic performance just to gain entry, plus years of intensive, high-pressure study.
4. Market conditions shift. A field that looks lucrative today, particularly in fast-moving areas like technology, can shift within a few years as supply and demand change.

Factors to Consider Beyond Starting Salary

• Genuine interest and aptitude. A student who is engaged with their subject typically performs better and finds the years of study more sustainable, which matters given how demanding many degree programmes are.
• Course structure and rigour. Some fields, like Medicine, Law and Engineering, have highly structured, demanding curricula, while others allow more flexibility to explore, minor in a second subject, or study abroad.
• Alternative pathways. Not every strong career requires a traditional university degree; polytechnic diplomas, specialist diplomas and industry certifications lead to strong outcomes in many fields, particularly applied and technical ones.
• Double degrees and specialisations. As the salary data shows, combined programmes like Business and Computing double degrees often command a premium over either standalone degree, reflecting genuine cross-disciplinary demand from employers.
• Long-term career flexibility. Some degrees, particularly broad-based ones like Computer Science, Business or Economics, offer more flexibility to pivot across industries than highly specialised professional degrees.

How to Choose a Degree: A Practical Framework

1. Start with genuine interest, not just projected salary. A degree pursued primarily for its starting salary, without real engagement in the subject, tends to be harder to sustain through several demanding years of study.
2. Research the actual day-to-day work of the career the degree leads to, not just the degree title, since many fields look very different in practice than their reputation suggests.
3. Look at GES trends over several years, not just the latest release. A single year’s figures can be affected by short-term market conditions or a particularly small or large graduating cohort.
4. Consider your JC or polytechnic academic trajectory realistically. Certain competitive courses, like Medicine, Law and Computer Science at top universities, require very strong grades for admission. Our guide to JC cut-off points in Singapore is a useful starting point for understanding academic competitiveness earlier in the pipeline.
5. Talk to people actually working in the field, if possible, rather than relying only on published statistics, since lived experience often reveals trade-offs that don’t show up in a salary table.
6. Keep an open mind about combined and emerging programmes. Interdisciplinary degrees, particularly those combining technology with another domain like business, healthcare or the arts, have shown strong recent outcomes and continue to expand across Singapore’s universities.

The Role of Secondary and JC Education in This Decision

The path to a strong university outcome starts well before university applications. Strong performance at the O-Level and A-Level stage, combined with subject combinations that keep options open, gives students more flexibility when it comes time to choose a degree. Our guides to secondary school rankings and cut-off points and choosing the right tuition support cover how families can plan for this earlier in the education journey, well before degree choice becomes the immediate decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the highest-paying degrees in Singapore?

Based on the latest Graduate Employment Survey, Law and Medicine consistently rank among the highest-paying degrees, with median starting salaries around S$6,500 to S$7,000. Computing-related degrees and double degrees combining business with computing also rank highly, with some exceeding S$6,900 in median starting salary.

Which Singapore university has the best graduate employment outcomes?

NUS, NTU and SMU all report broadly similar overall employment rates, typically between 88% and 91%, with median salaries clustering around S$4,500 to S$4,600. Rather than the university itself, the specific course tends to matter more for employment outcomes and starting salary.

Is Computer Science a good degree choice in Singapore?

Computer Science has consistently ranked among the higher-paying degrees across NUS, NTU and SMU in recent Graduate Employment Surveys, with strong employment rates and median salaries generally above S$5,500. However, students should also consider their genuine interest in the field, since the coursework is demanding and specialised.

Does a lower starting salary mean a degree isn’t worth pursuing?

Not necessarily. Starting salary only reflects the first six months after graduation and doesn’t capture long-term career growth, job satisfaction, or fields where earnings potential builds more gradually with experience and specialisation, such as the arts, design and some social sciences.

How is the Graduate Employment Survey conducted?

The GES is a joint annual survey across Singapore’s six autonomous universities, NUS, NTU, SMU, SIT, SUTD and SUSS, conducted roughly six months after graduates complete their final examinations. It reports overall employment rate, full-time permanent employment rate, and starting salary figures by course.

Should I choose a degree based on salary data alone?

It’s best used as one input among several. Genuine interest, aptitude, course rigour, and long-term career flexibility all matter alongside starting salary. A degree chosen purely for its salary ranking, without real engagement in the subject, can be harder to sustain through a demanding programme.

Final Thoughts

The latest Graduate Employment Survey data shows clear patterns, Law, Medicine and computing-related degrees currently command the highest starting salaries in Singapore, but “best” is a genuinely personal calculation that should weigh interest, aptitude and long-term career goals alongside the numbers. Use GES data as a starting point for research, not a final verdict, and remember that strong outcomes in less obviously lucrative fields are entirely possible with the right specialisation and experience over time.

For more on the academic pathway that leads up to university admissions, explore our education guides and schools section.

Salary and employment figures in this article are based on the most recently published Joint Graduate Employment Survey and are indicative. Figures change annually based on market conditions and cohort size. Always check the official GES release for the most current data before making education or career decisions.