How difficult is it for international graduates of NUS, NTU, or SMU to get an Employment Pass and job in Singapore?

Getting a job and an Employment Pass as an NUS, NTU or SMU graduate is genuinely achievable for you, since your degree already secures 20 of the 40 COMPASS points you need. Your real challenge is clearing the minimum salary floor, not the qualification hurdle itself.

Salary Floors You Must Clear

How the System Actually Works

• The COMPASS framework needs 40 total points, and top-tier degrees like yours give an automatic 20 under the Qualifications criterion.
• There is no company quota for Employment Passes, unlike the S Pass, so any firm willing to pay the salary floor can sponsor you.
• If your offer falls below the EP floor, employers may use an S Pass instead, but strict quotas make them far more hesitant to sponsor fresh graduates that way.
• If you accepted the MOE Tuition Grant, you are bonded to work in Singapore for 3 years, and the salary floors still apply to fulfil that bond.

My Advice

Target roles in tech, finance or business early, since median starting salaries there already sit close to or above the general salary floor. If your field is humanities or a lower-paying corporate track, start networking with multinational graduate schemes a full year before graduation, since they have the budget flexibility to meet the EP threshold.