New Grad Software Engineer Salary Guide 2027

Everyone asks "what's the TC?" but nobody gives you a straight answer. So here's a real breakdown of what new grads are making at the big companies in 2027, based on what people are reporting on Levels.fyi and Blind.

The numbers

These are total comp figures — base + stock + bonus, annualized. Your actual offer will depend on team, location, and how well you negotiate.

A few notes: Amazon's stock vesting is backloaded (5/15/40/40), so Year 1 TC is lower than what's shown here. Microsoft doesn't do signing bonuses at the 59 level anymore. Meta's stock has been volatile, so that $50K/yr number swings a lot.

What actually affects your offer

Where you work — A Google offer in Mountain View is going to be 15–30% higher than the same role in Raleigh. But SF rent is $3K+ for a studio, so do the math before you get excited about a Bay Area number.

Big company vs. startup — Big tech comp is predictable. You know what you're getting. Startups might offer $100K base with a chunk of equity that could be worth a lot or literally nothing. Depends on your risk tolerance.

Whether you negotiate — Most new grads just accept the first number. Don't do that. You don't need to be aggressive about it — just having another offer and saying so is usually enough to bump your stock grant or get a signing bonus.

Getting a better offer

1. Have competing offers — This is by far the most effective thing. Two offers from similar companies and suddenly both of them want to pay you more.
2. Check Levels.fyi — Know what the band is for your role before you talk numbers.
3. Ask for stock or a signing bonus — Base salary bands are usually rigid. Stock and signing bonuses are where there's room.
4. Look at the full picture — $140K at Microsoft with low cost of living in Seattle might leave you with more money than $185K at Meta in Menlo Park.

We list full-time SWE roles on the new grad jobs page — worth bookmarking if you're still looking.