Singapore never 'recognises' your degree in the abstract — MOM scores it inside your pass application, and a statutory board licenses you only if your profession is regulated.
Overview
Singapore has no national qualifications recognition office — no ENIC-NARIC member, no equivalency certificate you can obtain in advance. Recognition happens in two places. First, inside the work pass application: under COMPASS criterion C2, MOM awards 20 points for degree-equivalent qualifications from top-tier institutions (QS top-100 universities, Singapore's Autonomous Universities, or sector-agency-endorsed institutions) and 10 points for other degree-equivalent qualifications, which MOM assesses with reference to international recognition bodies such as UK ENIC; any qualification claimed for points must be supported by verification proof obtained through prescribed background screening channels. Second, in the statutory professional boards: medicine (Singapore Medical Council), nursing and midwifery (Singapore Nursing Board), dentistry, pharmacy, allied health and TCM under MOH's healthprofessionals.gov.sg umbrella; engineering (Professional Engineers Board) and architecture (Board of Architects) under their respective Acts; and law through its own admission regime. Most occupations — software, finance, marketing, management — are not licensed at all: the employer and COMPASS are the only gatekeepers, and even the Personalised Employment Pass explicitly does not exempt holders from registration requirements in regulated professions. Verified against mom.gov.sg, healthprofessionals.gov.sg, peb.gov.sg and boa.gov.sg as of June 2026.
How MOM Assesses Your Degree — COMPASS C2
- Points, not certificates: there is no pre-assessment service. Your employer declares your qualification in the EP application, and MOM scores it: 20 points for degree-equivalent qualifications from the top-tier list (QS top-100 and other highly reputed institutions, Singapore's Autonomous Universities, or institutions endorsed by a relevant sector agency); 10 points for other qualifications assessed as comparable to a UK bachelor's degree — MOM benchmarks with reference to international recognition bodies such as UK ENIC; 0 points without a degree equivalent.
- Verification proof is mandatory when claiming points: qualifications declared to earn C2 points must be supported by verification proof submitted with the application, obtained through the screening channels set out on MOM's documents-required page. If you don't need the points, don't submit the qualification at all — MOM says so explicitly.
- Professional qualifications can count: industry-recognised professional qualifications endorsed by a relevant sector agency appear on MOM's published degree-equivalent list and can earn the 10 points.
- Lists refresh annually: MOM updates the top-tier institutions and degree-equivalent qualification lists once a year — check the current PDFs before assuming last year's scoring.
- No degree is survivable: candidates without degree-equivalent qualifications can still pass COMPASS on 40 points from salary, diversity, local-employment and bonus criteria; for S Pass applications, declaring qualifications is optional altogether.
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Singapore body that can formally recognise my foreign degree before I apply for jobs?
No — Singapore has no ENIC-NARIC equivalent and no standalone equivalency certificate. Recognition is embedded in the processes that need it: MOM scores your qualification inside the Employment Pass application under COMPASS C2 (benchmarking non-top-tier degrees against a UK bachelor's standard with reference to bodies like UK ENIC), and statutory boards assess qualifications when you seek registration in a regulated profession. The closest thing to advance certainty is MOM's Self-Assessment Tool, which lets your employer test the application before filing, plus MOM's published top-tier institution and degree-equivalent qualification lists, refreshed annually. For everything else, the employer's judgment is the recognition.
What verification will MOM demand for my degree?
If your employer claims COMPASS C2 points for your qualification, the application must include verification proof obtained through the channels prescribed on MOM's documents-required page — in practice, authentication checks performed through background screening providers that confirm the award directly with the institution. MOM has flagged that inconsistencies between the declared qualification and the verification documents are themselves a rejection ground, so names, dates and institution titles must match exactly (document name changes with a marriage certificate or deed poll evidence). If you do not need the C2 points to reach 40, MOM's instruction is the opposite: do not submit the qualification at all.
I'm a doctor — can I practise in Singapore with my foreign qualification?
Only through the Singapore Medical Council, and only with an employer. The standard route is conditional registration: you need a basic medical degree from a school listed in the Second Schedule of the Medical Registration Act or an SMC-recognised postgraduate qualification, a certificate of experience evidencing completed housemanship/internship, and — critically — selection for employment by an SMC-approved healthcare institution. You then practise under an approved supervisor, with progression toward full registration assessed over time; specialists are separately accredited by the Specialists Accreditation Board. There is no pathway for speculative relocation first and registration later: the job offer from an approved institution is the gateway.
Do engineers need to register with the Professional Engineers Board?
Mostly no — and this surprises people in both directions. PEB, established under the Professional Engineers Act, registers professional engineers in civil, electrical and mechanical branches, and registration (about S$300 in application and certificate fees, after approved qualifications, practical experience and prescribed examinations) is required only for work the Act reserves to licensed PEs — typically regulated sign-offs in construction and engineering works. The vast population of software, data, process, R&D and manufacturing engineers on Employment Passes needs no PEB registration at all; their qualifications matter only for COMPASS C2 points. If your role involves certifying regulated engineering work, check PEB's registration guidelines before assuming your foreign chartered status transfers.
How does a foreign-trained nurse get registered in Singapore?
Through the Singapore Nursing Board, in a fixed sequence. First, secure an employment offer from a local healthcare institution — SNB does not assess speculative applications. Second, the employer-supported registration application: your nursing transcripts must be verified, showing the theory and clinical components of your training broken down in hours or weeks. Third, sit and pass the SNB Licensure Examination (Registered Nurse or Enrolled Nurse), conducted in English — SNB also expects English proficiency demonstrated through recruitment and the exam. Only on passing are you registered/enrolled to practise. Advanced Practice Nurse certification has additional foreign-trained requirements. Start transcript verification early; institution response times drive the timeline.
My occupation isn't licensed — does my qualification matter at all?
Yes, in one precise way: COMPASS points. For unregulated occupations — most of tech, finance, marketing and management — no board will ever look at your degree, but MOM will. A top-tier qualification (QS top-100, Singapore Autonomous University, or sector-endorsed institution) earns 20 of the 40 points needed; any other degree-equivalent earns 10; no degree earns 0 — leaving you to find all 40 points from salary, diversity, local-employment and bonus criteria, which is possible but demands a strong salary percentile or a Shortage Occupation List role. Equally, a candidate without any degree but a 90th-percentile salary in a small firm passes comfortably. In Singapore, the market prices your skills; COMPASS just keeps score.