What Are the Job Grades at Intel? Grade 3 to Grade 13 Explained
Intel's engineering job grades run from Grade 3 for a new graduate to Grade 11 for a Senior Principal Engineer, with Fellow at Grade 12 and Senior Fellow at Grade 13. Grade 8 is reported as Staff Engineer, Grade 9 as Senior Staff Engineer, and Grade 10 is where the Principal Engineer title begins.
Intel does not publish its grade system. Its US job postings show a title and a salary range, but almost never a grade number. Everything below comes from those postings, from levels.fyi, and from employee reports on Blind.
The point that surprises most candidates is that the grade, not the title, sets your pay band. Blind users report that below Grade 10 the internal system shows only the number. As one Intel employee wrote on Blind, "What matters is Grade."
Intel Grades in One Table
| Grade | Title Reported | Average Years Reported on levels.fyi | Total Pay on levels.fyi (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Engineer, bachelor's new graduate | 1 to 3 years | about $134K |
| Grade 4 | not used for direct hires | none | not listed |
| Grade 5 | Engineer, master's new graduate | 3 to 4 years | about $134K |
| Grade 6 | Engineer | 6 to 7 years | about $166K |
| Grade 7 | Senior Engineer, PhD new graduate | 8 to 9 years | about $203K |
| Grade 8 | Staff Engineer | 12 to 13 years | about $258K |
| Grade 9 | Senior Staff Engineer | not reported | about $383K |
| Grade 10 | Principal Engineer | 10+ years in postings | about $419K |
| Grade 11 | Senior Principal Engineer | not reported | about $588K |
| Grade 12 | Fellow (reported renamed Distinguished Engineer) | by recognition | about $818K |
| Grade 13 | Senior Fellow (reported renamed Senior Distinguished Engineer) | by recognition | not listed |
The grade numbers, and the titles from Grade 8 upward, are the firm part of this table. The levels.fyi site lists exactly these software grades for Intel and attaches the Staff, Senior Staff, Principal and Senior Principal titles to Grades 8 through 11. The titles below Grade 8 and the Grade 4 note come from employee reports on Blind.
The experience column is the average total experience of levels.fyi submitters at each grade, which is why Grade 7 shows 8 to 9 years even though new PhD graduates join there. The pay column is total yearly pay in the United States, meaning base salary plus stock plus bonus. Grade 3 and Grade 5 show almost the same total, so treat the low-grade figures as rough and check levels.fyi for current numbers.
Grade 3 at Intel: The Bachelor's Entry Grade
Grade 3 is the lowest grade levels.fyi lists for Intel software engineers, and an Intel employee on Blind describes it as the grade for a new graduate. Intel's own postings confirm the grade exists. An open CPU layout posting in Penang, Malaysia, asks for less than two years of experience "for grade 3".
A Grade 3 engineer works on tasks that a more senior engineer has already defined, with close review. The work is coding, testing and debugging inside one team's area. Total pay on levels.fyi is near 134K a year, of which about 112K is base salary.
Grade 4 at Intel: Not a Direct-Hire Grade
There is no Grade 4 in the levels.fyi data for Intel software engineers. An Intel employee on Blind reports that Grade 4 is "reserved for contractors only", which would explain the gap. Intel's contract postings do state an "Equivalent Grade Level", such as 005 or 008, so contractors are placed on the same scale.
Grade 5 at Intel: Master's Entry
Intel employees on Blind report that a new graduate with a master's degree usually joins at Grade 5. Submitters on levels.fyi report 3 to 4 years of experience and total pay near $134K a year.
The difference from Grade 3 is independence. A Grade 5 engineer delivers a defined feature or module and plans their own tasks inside a project that someone else has scoped.
Grade 6 at Intel: Independent Engineer
Grade 6 is the last grade before the one most people call Senior. Submitters on levels.fyi report 6 to 7 years of experience and total pay near $166K a year.
A Grade 6 engineer usually owns a complete component, from design through testing, and needs little review on routine work.
Grade 7 at Intel: Senior Engineer and PhD Entry
Blind users commonly describe Grade 7 as Senior, although Intel attaches no title to it. It is also the reported entry grade for a new PhD graduate, so two engineers at Grade 7 can differ by several years of industry experience. The levels.fyi data shows 8 to 9 years of experience and total pay near $203K.
A Grade 7 engineer owns the design of a feature or subsystem and reviews the work of junior engineers. The change from Grade 6 is scope: a Grade 7 decides how a part of the product is built, not only how it is coded.
Grade 8 at Intel: Staff Engineer
The levels.fyi site labels Grade 8 as Staff Engineer, and an Intel employee on Blind wrote that "Staff at intel is grade 8". Another Blind user placed Staff at Grade 9, so the label is less fixed than the number. Reported experience is 12 to 13 years, and total pay is near $258K a year.
A Staff engineer usually leads the technical work of a team. Promotion here is slow: one Intel employee reported seven to ten years from a Grade 5 start.
Grade 9 at Intel: Senior Staff Engineer
Grade 9 is Senior Staff Engineer on levels.fyi, and Intel employees on Blind use the same label. Pay increases more at this step than at any grade below it, from about 258K at Grade 8 to about 383K, and most of the difference is stock and bonus.
Candidates for Grade 8 and above should expect a design discussion, and what to expect in the Intel system design interview describes that round.
Grokking the System Design Interview teaches a step-by-step method for the large-scale design questions asked at these grades.
Grade 10 at Intel: Principal Engineer
Grade 10 is where the Principal Engineer title begins, and Blind users report that no grade below it has a fixed title. Total pay on levels.fyi is near 419K a year, with a wide spread from about 290K to $589K.
Intel's postings show what the title requires. An open Principal Engineer posting for standard cell design asks for a master's degree or PhD with 10 or more years of industry experience. A Principal Engineer posting in AI applied research lists a US salary range of 255,850 to 361,200.
Grade 11 at Intel: Senior Principal Engineer
The levels.fyi site labels Grade 11 as Senior Principal Engineer and reports total pay near $588K a year. An Intel employee on Blind noted that Grades 10 and 11 also include high-level engineering managers and program managers.
Grades 12 and 13 at Intel: Fellow and Senior Fellow
An Intel employee on Blind wrote that "only G12 and up is executive", which covers vice presidents and Fellows. The levels.fyi site lists Grade 12 as Fellow and Grade 13 as Senior Fellow, and it reports about $818K a year for Fellow.
Intel's own press releases describe the Fellow title as "equivalent to that of an appointed vice president". News reports citing an internal memo from Intel's chief technology officer say Intel has renamed Fellow to Distinguished Engineer and Senior Fellow to Senior Distinguished Engineer, with pay unchanged.
Technical and Manager Tracks at Intel
Intel uses the same grade numbers for engineers and for managers. On levels.fyi, Intel software engineering managers run from Grade 7 to Grade 11, with Grade 9 labeled Senior Manager and Grade 10 labeled Director.
Manager titles are less consistent than the grades. An Intel employee on Blind wrote that "Director isn't technically an actual job title", and other users report directors from Grade 9 to Grade 11.
How Intel Pay Works
Intel's careers site describes its package as "competitive pay, stock, bonuses, and benefit programs". It says Intel grants restricted stock units to employees at all levels, and eligible employees can buy Intel stock at a discount.
A US posting's salary range says more about the grade than its title does. Two open GPU Software Engineer postings show this. One asks for 3 or more years of experience and lists 111,030 to 211,200, while the other asks for 12 or more years and lists 255,850 to 361,200.
Stock and bonus grow faster than base salary as the grade rises: levels.fyi shows about 21K of the two combined at Grade 3 and about 250K at Grade 11. Check levels.fyi for current figures before you negotiate.
How Intel Grades Compare to Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Qualcomm
| Career Stage | Intel | Meta | Microsoft | Nvidia | Qualcomm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Grade 3 to 5 | L3 | E3 | 59 to 60 | IC1 | Associate Engineer |
| Mid | Grade 6 | L4 | E4 | 61 to 62 | IC2 | Engineer |
| Senior | Grade 7 | L5 | E5 | 63 to 64 | IC3 | Senior Engineer |
| Staff | Grade 8 | L6 | E6 | 65 | IC4 to IC5 | Staff Engineer |
| Senior Staff | Grade 9 | L7 | E7 | 66 to 67 | IC6 | Senior Staff Engineer |
| Principal | Grade 10 to 11 | L8 | E8 | 68 to 69 | IC7 | Principal Engineer |
| Distinguished | Grade 12 to 13 | L9 to L10 | E9 | 70 to 80 | IC8 | not listed |
This table matches titles and scope, not pay. The Intel column uses the titles reported at each grade, and the other columns follow the Design Gurus guides to Google levels, Microsoft levels and Nvidia levels. Intel publishes none of these equivalents.
Pay does not line up the same way. On levels.fyi, an Intel Grade 10 Principal Engineer reports about 419K, below the roughly 446K for a Google L5 senior engineer. Of the five companies, Qualcomm uses the titles closest to Intel's.
For the interview stages, the Intel interview process round by round explains each stage. After the final round, how long it takes to hear back from Intel covers the wait for a decision.
If you already have an Intel offer and want to argue for a higher grade, Grokking Tech Salary Negotiations covers the scripts for grade and compensation conversations.
Frequently asked questions
What is grade 9 at Intel? Grade 9 is Senior Staff Engineer on the technical track and Senior Manager on the manager track. Total pay on levels.fyi is near $383K a year in the United States.
What is grade 8 at Intel? Grade 8 is Staff Engineer. Submitters on levels.fyi report 12 to 13 years of experience and total pay near $258K a year.
What is grade 7 at Intel? Grade 7 is the grade Blind users usually call Senior Engineer, and the reported entry grade for new PhD graduates. Total pay on levels.fyi is near $203K.
What grade is a new graduate at Intel? Intel employees report Grade 3 for a bachelor's graduate, Grade 5 for a master's graduate and Grade 7 for a PhD graduate. Confirm the grade with your recruiter before you accept.
What grade is a Principal Engineer at Intel? Grade 10. Grade 11 is Senior Principal Engineer, and levels.fyi shows total pay near $588K there.
Is there a grade 12 at Intel? Yes. Employees describe Grade 12 and above as executive grades, held by vice presidents and Fellows.
What are Intel pay grades? They are the same numbers as the job grades. An Intel employee on Blind called the grades "the salary levels", because each grade carries its own pay band.
How long does it take to get promoted at Intel? Intel publishes no timeline. One Intel employee reported seven to ten years from Grade 5 to Grade 8, and another Blind user reported at least six years from Grade 7 to Grade 9 for PhD hires.
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