27 March 2018

According to a study conducted by a group of economists at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, graduates from Singapore’s autonomous universities (public universities) managed to secure salaries that were 28 per cent higher than their counterparts from the private education institutions.

This percentage takes into consideration the difference in academic abilities, demographic profile, and socioeconomic status of both groups of university graduates.

The largest pay gap was in the humanities, where graduates of autonomous universities earned as much as 39 percent more.

The study also took into account relevant data such as the student’s year of enrolment and graduation, whether they studied part-time or full-time, their L1B4 score, and which school they attended.

The study suggested that the wage gap could stem from differences in institutional and course quality, as well as employers’ perceptions of the degrees.

Most private schools emphasize that salary is just one measure of comparison between both groups of graduates. Other factors such as career progression and personal development can also be considered.