Even if you don't look at the top 20%, SMU graduates' starting salary tend to outstrip their peers with similar degrees.

Let's disregard SMU's Cum Laude statistics and just look at the starting salaries of those who did not achieve Cum Laude. SMU Business Management is ranked 16 compared to NUS Business (Honours) at 22 and NTU Business at 53. Likewise, SMU Economics is ranked 10 whereas NTU Economics is ranked 44.
(Graduate Employment Survey 2010 (published 2011) | Salary.sg - Your Salary in Singapore)

This is particularly impressive given that SMU is a relative newbie compared to NUS and NTU. How is it that their graduates command much higher starting salaries? Is SMU gaming the statistics or are they really doing something right to make their graduates look so attractive?

Also, now that SMU also has a law school and its first batch will be graduating this year, it would be interesting to see whether SMU law grads will topple NUS law grads from the top of the rankings...