NUS graduates ranked 9th most sought-after by global employers

NUS graduates are the ninth most employable worldwide, according to the 2024 edition of the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS).

The University also retained its position as Asia’s second most employable – ranked only behind the University of Tokyo in seventh place. This is the fourth consecutive year that NUS has been ranked in the top 10.

Based on data by French consultancy Emerging and published by Times Higher Education, the GEURS ranking lists the top 250 universities that recruiters at global companies consider are the best at preparing students for the workplace.

The universities are assessed based on 35 categories of criteria, from which the following six key employability drivers were identified – academic excellence, specialisation, graduate skills, focus on work expertise, social impact and leadership, as well as internationality.

“We are pleased that NUS graduates are among the most sought-after by employers in Singapore and internationally. The transformative education at NUS, embodying academic rigour, experiential learning, global exposure and real-world relevance, has strongly equipped our graduates with robust employment prospects,” said Professor Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost.

“NUS is accelerating efforts to nurture confident and resilient graduates with deep expertise in and across disciplines and a future-ready mindset which will position them well in the Industry 4.0 economy. Our strong focus on lifelong learning will give our alumni the opportunities to upgrade their skills and develop new, in-demand competencies as they journey through their careers.”

Emerging’s Co-founder and Managing Director Ms Sandrine Belloc noted, “NUS is one of the world’s established leaders in employability. For students, this ranking is a testament to the quality of education and the valuable skills they are gaining during their time of studies.”

Conducted between August and September this year, the 13th edition of the survey canvassed 100,700 votes from 11,560 employers across 21 countries and territories who are responsible for the recruitment of 800,000 young graduates in 2023 to 2024. These are corporate managers who recruited and/or supervised more than five graduates a year and have more than five years of experience.

Preparing our students for the workplace

NUS has been focusing efforts on preparing students for an increasingly complex work environment by offering them more breadth and depth in their education and providing them with the relevant skills and opportunities to prepare them for their careers.

Earlier this year, the University further expanded interdisciplinary learning, one of the University’s key focus areas, with the official launch of Singapore’s first honours college – NUS College (NUSC). It is the University’s third and latest interdisciplinary college, in addition to the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences and NUS College of Design and Engineering, to augment the rich interdisciplinary learning opportunities for undergraduates.

A new interdisciplinary common curriculum was also rolled out for all undergraduates in Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy in August 2023. Aligned with the ‘Healthier SG’ vision, it will imbue awareness of social issues and their impact on health, teamwork, communication skills, professionalism, digital literacy, and interprofessional education beyond the traditional confines of medicine and science.

The NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG) also converted the Women’s Professional Development programme this year to an academic course – CFG1500 – in response to the strong positive student feedback on the programme. This allowed participants to gain course credits towards graduation while picking up invaluable skills for workplace success as female professionals and learning from trailblazing female leaders through mentorship in a design-thinking project.

In the past academic year, NUS CFG also facilitated more than 600 industry events and career fairs such as the NUS Career Fest and the Postgraduate Career Fair to give students the chance to network with industry players from diverse sectors as well as the opportunity to take on full-time roles and internship opportunities.

To help graduating students and young alumni make a smooth transition to the working world, the NUS Office of Alumni Relations recently launched NUS Be A-HEAD. With an initial successful run from August to October, this new seminar series delved into various issues confronting new graduates today – from finding the right job fit to learning how to thrive at work and the changing concept of job loyalty in the modern work environment.