SUTD Graduates Remain Employable Amidst Cautious Hiring Landscape

• Close to 90% of SUTD fresh graduates secured employment in 2025.
• One in three graduates in full-time permanent employment received two or more job offers.
• Median gross salary remained high at $4,900 while mean gross salary crossed the $5,000-mark.
• Eight in 10 Design and Artificial Intelligence graduates secured employment within six months of graduation – testimony to increased awareness amongst employers for graduates with new Design AI skills. 

Close to 90% of SUTD fresh graduates secured employment despite cautious hiring conditions, based on the 2025 Joint Autonomous University Graduate Employment Survey.

A total of 314 graduates out of 419 from SUTD’s 11th cohort participated in the latest Graduate Employment Survey.

In total, 88.4% of SUTD fresh graduates in the labour force secured employment¹ within six months of completing their final examinations, with 85.1% of them currently being employed. 73.1% of graduates were in full-time permanent employment. At the same time, 81.8% of graduates from the Design and Artificial Intelligence (DAI) degree programme secured employment, reflecting steady employer interest in graduates with new Design AI skills.

This year, the median gross monthly salary of SUTD’s fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment remained unchanged at $4,900, while the mean gross monthly salary was $5,041 in 2025, compared to $5,003 in 2024.

In addition, 30.1% of fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment received return offers from companies where they had interned, while nearly half of the graduates in full-time permanent employment secured roles in the Information & Communication, Financial and Insurance, and Public Administration and Defence sectors.

One recent graduate is Darren Chan, who graduated from SUTD with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Design. With a keen interest in working at the forefront of AI technology, where he can rapidly prototype new ideas and transform them into real-world applications, Darren secured employment with homegrown cybersecurity company CloudsineAI as a Full Stack GenAI Security Engineer.

He said: “My education at SUTD gave me not only a strong technical foundation, but also training in design thinking, which helps me ideate and develop new product ideas. At CloudsineAI, AI plays an integral role in how we work, and we see it as a teammate rather than just a tool. Here, I am given the opportunity to contribute new ideas and integrate AI into cybersecurity solutions. Looking ahead, I hope to build systems that make AI more secure, trustworthy and accessible.”

Aditya Kumar, a graduate from SUTD’s DAI programme, who is now working as a Junior AI Engineer at a start-up, GetSolar, shared that SUTD, especially DAI, had prepared him well for this role because it placed him in real project environments with real clients. He said: “The experience helped me learn how to pick things up quickly, communicate clearly, and build solutions under pressure. The flexibility to choose AI and Computer Science modules also gave me a strong foundation to explore and grow.

“My current role focusses mainly on improving customer facing services using Large Language Models, and internal tool efficiency. I work on AI-powered workflows and tools that help the team respond faster and work more effectively. I still use the Design AI thinking skills I learnt from SUTD, especially the design process mindset. It helps me frame the right problem, balance user needs with technical constraints, and build better solutions faster.”

Employment Status of Graduates Who Participated in the Follow-up Survey

Thirty-six out of 49 SUTD Class of 2022 graduates from the Architecture and Sustainable Design (ASD) degree programme participated in the 2025 follow-up survey. Majority of these students had taken up SUTD’s Master of Architecture programme. Of those in the labour force, 97.1% were employed.

SUTD’s Career Development Centre (CDC) remains committed to helping the Class of 2025 in their search for employment. Besides sending them a weekly e-newsletter on job opportunities and events, the CDC’s career advisory and counselling services are still available to them.

Given the more cautious economy, SUTD has also started encouraging the Class of 2026 to leverage on CDC’s support and start their job search early. In fact, the university recently held a career and industry fair that saw an increase in participation numbers of industry partners who were ready to engage SUTD students either in internship or full-time employment.

SUTD Provost Professor Chee Yeow Meng said: “This year’s Graduate Employment Survey (GES) results affirm the continued demand for SUTD graduates, even in a more cautious economic climate. Employers value not only their technical strengths, but their ability to think across disciplines, adapt quickly and apply design and AI in practical ways. With how swiftly technologies are advancing these days, our graduates have been equipped not just to use new tools, but to learn continuously and contribute meaningfully right from their first day on the job. The University also continues its efforts to aid graduates still seeking employment. Our Career Development Centre continues to engage graduates who seek assistance in their job search.”

Reference: 2025 Graduate Employment Survey, Ministry of Education, Singapore

1 Secured employment refers to graduates (i) working on a full-time permanent, part-time, temporary or freelance basis, (ii) who had accepted a job offer and were starting later or (iii) who were taking steps to start a business venture.