Pursuing higher education in any part of the world would often come with significant tuition fees. In Singapore, depending on the school, duration, and type of courses, estimated total tuition fees for an undergraduate degree can range from $25,000 to $170,000.
While some of us pursue further education as a passion, others pursue a university degree as a form of investment to ensure a good career. Regardless, not all degrees are equal, as the skills, knowledge, job market demand (and the commensurate salary) can vary from each course. Considering how much our tuition fees cost, some of us may be curious to know how much salary we can expect after graduation.
Here’s the estimated total cost of each university course and the corresponding gross median graduate starting salary.
Read Also: 2021 Cost Guide: Singapore Universities’ Tuition Fee Comparison
The following data tables are computed with data from the 2021 Graduate Employment Survey (GES) from the respective universities. Please note that:
- Gross median salary data is based on full-time permanently employed graduates with employee’s CPF contributions. Bonuses and other extra financial benefits are not included.
- Total Courses Fees are only an estimation based on typical course load. If a student takes a longer period to accumulate credits for graduation, the tuition fees will inevitably increase.
- Double Degree programmes are not included in the compilation.
- SUSS and SIT use total course fee instead of annualised course fees.
- SIT Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary is based on their 2020 report. The 2021 report was not available at the time of writing.
- NTU “Interdisciplinary double major**” refers to the following double majors: Economics and Psychology, Economics and Public Policy & Global Affairs, English Literature and Art History, Psychology and Linguistics & Multilingual Studies, Psychology and Media Analytics.
- Courses with “*” are based on a sample size of fewer than 30 respondents.
Read Also: Fresh Graduates: Here’s Why You Should Never Pay Your University Loans In Advance
NUS FY2022/2023 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| NUS Courses | Number Of Years | Annual Cost | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Bachelor of Arts | 3 | $8,200 | $24,600 | $3,200 |
| Bachelor of Arts (Hons) | 4 | $8,200 | $32,800 | $3,650 |
| Bachelor of Social Sciences | 3 | $8,200 | $24,600 | $3,600 |
| Bachelor of Dentistry | 4 | $30,200 | $120,800 | $4,200 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,590 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,150 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Science)* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,500 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial and Systems Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,500 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science and Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,900 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,800 |
| Bachelor of Laws | 4 | $12,700 | $50,800 | $5,600 |
| Bachelor of Science | 3 | $8,250 | $24,800 | $3,100 |
| Bachelor of Science (Hons) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,528 |
| Bachelor of Science (Computational Biology)* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,500 |
| Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) | 4 | $9,100 | $36,400 | $3,915 |
| Bachelor of Science (Data Science and Analytics)* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,800 |
| Bachelor of Business Administration* | 3 | $9,650 | $28,950 | $3,700 |
| Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) | 4 | $9,650 | $38,600 | $4,347 |
| Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy)* | 3 | $9,650 | $28,950 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons) | 4 | $9,650 | $38,600 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $6,000 |
| Bachelor of Computing (Information Security)* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $5,400 |
| Bachelor of Computing (Information Systems) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $5,400 |
| Bachelor of Science (Business Analytics) |
4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $5,000 |
| Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) | 4 | $8,900 | $35,600 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Arts (Industrial Design)* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,825 |
| Bachelor of Science (Project and Facilities Management) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,200 |
| Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,700 |
| Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery | 5 | $30,200 | $151,000 | $5,250 |
| Bachelor of Science (Nursing) | 3 | $8,950 | $26,850 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (Hons) | 4 | $8,950 | $35,800 | $3,600 |
| Bachelor of Music | 3 | $14,700 | $44,100 | $3,275 |
| Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Yale-NUS) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,890 |
| Bachelor of Science with Honours* (Yale-NUS) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $5,350 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $5,000 |
| Bachelor of Environmental Studies | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,250 |
Sources: NUS Annualised Course Fees, 2021 NUS GES
NTU FY2022/2023 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| NTU Courses | Number Of Years | Annual Cost | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Accountancy | 3 | $9,450 | $28,400 | $3,000 |
| Accountancy and Business | 3 | $9,450 | $28,400 | $4,500 |
| Business | 3 | $9,450 | $28,400 | $4,000 |
| Aerospace Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,471 |
| Bioengineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,740 |
| Civil Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Computer Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,500 |
| Computer Science | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,800 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,000 |
| Environmental Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Information Engineering and Media | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $4,200 |
| Maritime Studies | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Materials Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,650 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,850 |
| Art, Design and Media | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,300 |
| Chinese | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,300 |
| Communication Studies | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Economics | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,797 |
| English | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,450 |
| History | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,650 |
| Inter-Disciplinary Double Major** | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,650 |
| Linguistics and Multilingual Studies | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,300 |
| Philosophy | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,650 |
| Psychology | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,350 |
| Public Policy and Global Affairs | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,840 |
| Sociology | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Biological Sciences | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,500 |
| Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine | 5 | $8,250 | $41,250 | $3,100 |
| Chemistry and Biological Chemistry | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,245 |
| Environmental Earth Systems Sciences* | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,550 |
| Mathematical Sciences | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,806 |
| Mathematics and Economics | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,806 |
| Physics and Applied Physics | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,600 |
| Sports Science and Management | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,300 |
| Arts (with Education) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,780 |
| Science (with Education) | 4 | $8,250 | $33,000 | $3,904 |
| Medicine | 5 | $35,000 | $175,000 | $5,500 |
Sources: NTU Annualised Course Fees, NTU Courses Duration, 2021 NTU GES
SMU FY2022/2023 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| SMU Courses | Number Of Years | Annual Cost | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Accountancy | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $3,400 |
| Accountancy (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $3,850 |
| Business Management | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $4,000 |
| Business Management (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $4,480 |
| Economics | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $4,435 |
| Economics (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $4,900 |
| Information Systems | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $4,906 |
| Information Systems (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $5,350 |
| Social Sciences | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $3,600 |
| Social Sciences (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $11,500 | $46,000 | $3,510 |
| Law | 4 | $12,700 | $50,800 | $4,588 |
| Law (Cum Laude and above) | 4 | $12,700 | $50,800 | $5,800 |
Sources: SMU Annualised Course Fees, 2021 SMU GES
SUTD FY2020/2021 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| SUTD Courses | Number Of Years | Annual Cost | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Product Development) | 4 | $13,500 | $54,000 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Systems and Design) | 4 | $13,500 | $54,000 | $4,700 |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science and Design) | 4 | $13,500 | $54,000 | $4,800 |
| Bachelor of Science (Architecture and Sustainable Design) |
4 | $13,500 | $54,000 | $3,875 |
Sources: SUTD Annualised Course Fees, 2021 SUTD GES
SUSS FY2022/2023 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| SUSS Courses | Number Of Years | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Bachelor of Early Childhood Education* | 4 | $30,000 | $3,000 |
| Bachelor of Human Resource
Management |
4 | $30,000 | $3,200 |
| Bachelor of Social Work | 4 | $30,000 | $3,530 |
| Bachelor of Accountancy | 4 | $33,640 | $3,200 |
| Bachelor of Business Analytics | 4 | $30,000 | $3,800 |
| Bachelor of Science in Finance* | 4 | $30,000 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Science in Marketing | 4 | $30,000 | $3,275 |
| Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management* | 4 | $30,000 | $3,300 |
Sources: SUSS Course Fees, 2021 SUSS GES
SIT FY2022/2023 Estimated Courses Fees and Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary
| SIT Courses | Number Of Years | Estimated Total Cost | Monthly Gross Median Starting Salary |
| Bachelor of Arts in Game Design * (DigiPen Institute of Technology) | 3-year 8-month | $43,079 | $3,500 |
| Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation (DigiPen Institute of Technology) | 3-year 8-month | $43,080 | $2,887 |
| Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Game Design *(DigiPen Institute of Technology) | 3-year 8-month | $43,080 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation (DigiPen Institute of Technology) | 3-year 8-month | $43,080 | $4,200 |
| Bachelor of Accountancy with Honours | 3-year 4-month | $27,720 | $3,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Information & Communications Technology (Information Security) | 3-year 8-month | $30,000 | $4,300 |
| Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Information & Communications Technology (Software Engineering) | 3-year 8-month | $30,000 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Pharmaceutical Engineering | 3-year 4-month | $30,000 | $4,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) | 3-year 4-month | $22,500 | $3,800 |
| Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land) | 3-year 4-month | $22,500 | $4,105 |
| Bachelor of Hospitality Business with Honours | 3-year | $27,720 | $3,000 |
| Bachelor of Engineering in Systems Engineering (ElectroMechanical Systems) * (SIT-DigiPen Institute of Technology) |
3-year 8-month | $43,080 | $4,185 |
Sources: SIT Course Fees, 2020 SIT GES
Please note that this guide only compiles local university courses. Other overseas university programmes from SIT are not included apart from DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore. For more information do visit SIT courses website and SIT’s GES.
Popular Or Prestigious Courses Doesn’t Always Lead To Higher Starting Salaries
It is important to take into consideration all factors when choosing a course to study. Certain courses are relatively more expensive and prestigious than the rest, but they do not immediately translate to a higher starting pay.
Based on NUS 2021 GES survey, taking up Bachelor of Dentistry with a total 4-years tuition fee of $120,800 may not translate to higher starting pay in comparison to spending $33,000 for a 4-years Bachelor of Computing in Computer Science.
Another interesting bit of information that we gleaned from the salary report was that the NUS Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree, which might receive disapproval from the more traditional folks, has a median starting salary of $3,650. This is $220 more than the traditionally popular NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons), which pays a median starting salary of $3,430 and costs $5,800 more in school fees.
Regardless, we should be careful to jump to conclusions about courses without considering the full picture of our desired career pathway. Professionally accredited degrees such as dentistry and accountants are prized due to the demand for their unique expertise.
Read Also: 7 High-Paying Jobs In Singapore That Don’t Require A Degree
Focusing solely on the starting pay would be myopic. Having a good career is not only dependent on being able to command a high starting pay. There are many factors to take into consideration such as personal interest, growth of the industry, and career growth pathway.
For the rest of us that have since graduated, our degree does not set our career pathway in stone. Based on a 2019 YouGov research, as much as 53% of Singaporeans work in a job unrelated to their degrees. Education is a life-long journey, and the learning process should not end with our degree.
Read Also: Guide To Education Financial Aid In Singapore
This article was first published on 14 April 2021 and updated with the latest information
The post NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT & SUSS: Complete Guide For Local University Courses Fees And How Much Starting Salary You Will Earn As A Fresh Graduate appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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