SINGAPORE: An incoming university student took to an online forum on Tuesday (May 7) to ask Singaporeans, “Do employers really care about what university you’re from?”

In her post, she mentioned receiving offers from the prestigious Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

“My parents (old, traditional mindset, stubborn) have been asking me to go to NTU since it’s well-established and well known, claiming that employers are more likely to hire NTU graduates due to the school’s status,” she wrote.

However, she disagreed with this viewpoint, expressing doubt about the importance employers place on university pedigree.

Despite feeling grateful and privileged for the opportunity to study at NTU and being content with their curriculum, she noted that the specific courses offered to her at NTU had limited career pathways.

In contrast, attending SUTD would give her more time and experience, particularly through their Freshmore program, to explore and choose a specialization rather than commit to a course immediately.

“I am still leaning towards SUTD, but because of what my entire household has been saying (go to NTU, better status, better employment, etc. which I know is true to a certain extent lah) so I’ve been getting swayed.”

“Can anyone confirm whether employers actually care what university you are from? or what is important? Gpa?”

“I can assure you that recruiters and hiring managers do care”

In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors had varying opinions regarding whether employers show a preference for graduates from prestigious universities.

Some Redditors emphasized that employers do consider the candidate’s university, especially when they have limited work experience.

They also stated numerous advantages to graduating from one of Singapore’s top universities, known as the ‘Big’3’—NUS, NTU, and SMU—because these institutions are highly valued by recruiters and hiring managers.

One Redditor, actively involved in recruitment within the tech sector, wrote: “I can assure you that recruiters and hiring managers do care. Not just the university, but also the course taken and even the modules done.

For instance, we have strong partnerships with NUS, NTU and SMU, and will specifically go down to campus to give talks, attend career fairs, etc.