NUS is the top university in Asia for the ultra-rich

SINGAPORE: According to a recently published survey from data and intelligence firm Altrata, the National University of Singapore (NUS) tops the list of Asian universities that produce and attract the world’s ultra-high net worth (UHNW) graduates.

Altrata published its University Alumni Report earlier this month. For a person to belong to the UHNW category, he or she must have a net worth of at least US$30 million (S$38.7 million).

Topping the overall list is Harvard University, which has an estimated 18,000 UHNW alumni, or 4% of the ultra-wealthy population around the world. Universities in the United States took all the top five spots on Altrata’s list. Coming in at number two is the University of Pennsylvania, with approximately 9,300 UHNW alumni, followed by Stanford University (8,400), Columbia University (6,400), and New York University (6,200).

Oxford University, with 4,900 UHNW alumni, is number six on the UNHW list outside the US. It is followed by Cambridge University (4,700) and NUS (3,400).

The business school INSEAD, which has locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, has 2,900 UHNW alumni. Rounding out the top five for the list outside the US is the London School of Economics, with 2,200 UHNW alumni.

Interestingly, China’s Tsinghua University ranks sixth, along with Manchester University, with 1,400 UHNW alumni.

“The value of wealthy and influential alumni to an alma mater goes far beyond showcasing the quality of education. Graduates offer their alma maters invaluable resources, including major gifts, corporate partnerships, knowledge transfer, and exclusive networking opportunities. In today’s competitive global education market, institutions that can harness these powerful university alumni networks stand to gain significantly,” Altrata says.

The report has shown some interesting insights about education among today’s richest of the rich. For example, nearly a third (29%) of Fortune Global 500 senior executives have an MBA degree. The number is even higher among chief financial officers (CFOs) and chief executive officers (CEOs), 40% and 33%, respectively. Harvard, again, has the highest number of Fortune Global 500 senior executives with MBAs.

One in ten wealthy alumni who graduated in the past two decades have a degree in technology, nearly twice as many as those who graduated more than 20 years ago.

“Technology as the primary sector of focus of wealthy alumni has risen rapidly in the past two decades,” Altrata noted. /TISG

Read also: Singapore ranks 13th among top 15 billionaire countries