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Work after study
NUS and NTU are world class. Singapore still does not give an open work visa after study
Four hours from Mumbai, two universities in the global top 20, and a job market that only opens with an Employment Pass.
Saturday, 22 August 2026 · MOM Singapore · 4 min read
The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University remain the cleanest “close to home, globally ranked” pair in the QS top 20. English, safety, hawker food, and a large Indian professional class already run large parts of the city. Families treat this as the obvious alternative to the US. The visa rules disagree.
There is no two-year open post-study work visa on the UK or Irish model. Graduates convert to an Employment Pass, or they leave. The Employment Pass has a rising salary floor and a points test called COMPASS. The university careers office is therefore not a campus extra. It is the immigration plan.
What this means: an NUS or NTU STEM offer is worth the international fee. Almost every private “Singapore campus” at the same price is not.
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