46.9% of private uni fresh graduates in S'pore find full-time jobs within 6 months of graduating, median gross salary stable at S$3,500

46.9 per cent of fresh graduates from Singapore's private universities held permanent full-time jobs in 2025.

While 78.9 per cent of them secured employment within six months of graduation, 46.9 per cent found full-time work.

Those with full-time jobs picked up a median gross monthly salary of S$3,500.

These findings were from the latest Private Education Institution Graduate Employment Survey (PEI GES) conducted from October 2025 to January 2026 by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

It collected responses from about 3,790 people who graduated between May 2024 and April 2025 from full-time Bachelor’s level external degree programmes across 26 private universities.

They make up nearly two-thirds of the total cohort.

Employment rates remained steady

According to the results released on Apr. 8, the 2025 employment outcomes of private university fresh graduates were similar to those the year before.

The rates of those who found employment within six months of graduation and those who found full-time jobs improved by less than one per cent compared with 2024.

In both years' surveys, about 24 per cent of fresh graduates had part-time or temporary jobs.

The proportion of those who had not secured employment went down slightly from 21.4 per cent in 2024 to 21.1 per cent in 2025.

The highest employment rates came from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), where 81 per cent of graduates found jobs, followed by ERC Institute, at 78.8 per cent.

At Singapore's autonomous universities, which include the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 74.4 per cent of fresh graduates secured full-time jobs in 2025.

Among post-National Service polytechnic graduates, 66.2 per cent accomplished this in 2025.

Salaries also stable

The median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates in full-time jobs remained the same as in 2024, at S$3,500.

Graduates from James Cook University recorded the highest median gross salary, at S$3,700, followed by Management Development Institute of Singapore, at S$3,580.

In terms of course type, those who graduated from health sciences came up top, with a S$3,935 median gross salary.

SSG noted that this course cluster had a small sample size of less than 30.

Graduates from engineering and information & digital technologies followed behind, at S$3,900.

The full-time median gross salary was S$4,500 among fresh graduates from the autonomous universities, and S$3,137 among post-National Service polytechnic graduates in 2025.

The director-general of private education at SSG, Angela Tan, said that the employment outcomes for private university graduates have remained steady, reflecting their adaptability and readiness for the workforce today.

SSG will continue to work with its partners to offer them skills and career guidance, as well as resources to build their careers, she added.

Top image from Canva