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COMPASS C2 degree verification: awarding body vs campus
COMPASS C2 scores the awarding body on your certificate, not the campus brand. Overseas campuses, joint degrees and diplomas are where people get caught.
On this page
Start with the parent map, COMPASS explained. This companion goes deep on C2, the qualifications criterion, because that's the one where forum threads treat a famous university name as a locked 20 points.
Brand is not the same as awarding body
C2 scores your degree's credibility against MOM's published bands: the top-tier list, other recognised degree-equivalent qualifications, and nothing. What decides which band you land in is the awarding body printed on the certificate, not the campus brand you put on LinkedIn. Usually those are the same thing. When they aren't, it's because you studied at an overseas campus or on a joint programme, and that gap is exactly where people get caught out.
| Folklore | Safer reading |
|---|---|
| "Same university brand overseas = 20 points" | Only if the awarding body matches the live top-tier list; guessing from the campus name is a gamble |
| "Professional diploma equals degree points" | Plenty of diplomas score 0 on C2, so verify before you resign |
| "HR can fix C2 after an IPA query" | Fix the pack before filing, because queries only push the clocks out |
| "SAT green means C2 is locked forever" | SAT is a planning tool; MOM can still reassess the documents |
How to check before you commit to anything
Read the awarding body line on the certificate itself rather than the marketing campus name. Then have your employer cross-check it against MOM's live top-tier and recognised lists through SAT, because those lists move and a screenshot from last year proves nothing about today.
If your documents aren't in English, start the attestation and translation early. It's the step that quietly eats a few weeks while everyone assumes it's already done.
If C2 comes back weak, arguing about your alma mater gets you nowhere. Rebuild the points somewhere else instead, usually from fixed salary or firm attributes, which we cover in C1 packaging.
And don't hand in your notice on the strength of "my uni is famous." It's the most common way this particular move goes wrong.
The decision rule
Score C2 on the awarding body MOM can actually verify. Campus brand is not a 20-point guarantee, and the difference between the two usually only becomes visible after you've already resigned.
Questions, answered
- I studied at an overseas campus of a well-known university. Do I still get the top-tier points?
- Only if the awarding body matches MOM's live top-tier list. What decides your band is the awarding body printed on the certificate, not the campus brand you put on LinkedIn. Usually those are the same thing, and when they aren't it's normally an overseas campus or a joint programme, which is exactly where people get caught out.
- Does my professional diploma count as a degree for C2?
- Often not. C2 scores against MOM's published bands, which are the top-tier list, other recognised degree-equivalent qualifications, and nothing, and plenty of diplomas score 0. Verify where yours lands before you resign, not after.
- Can HR fix a weak C2 once MOM queries the application?
- Fix the pack before filing. Queries only push the clocks out, so a document problem you hoped to sort out later becomes a delay instead of a correction.
- SAT came back green on C2 — is that locked in?
- No, SAT is a planning tool and MOM can still reassess the documents. The lists move too, so a screenshot from last year proves nothing about today. Have your employer cross-check the awarding body on your certificate against MOM's live top-tier and recognised lists through SAT.
- My degree documents aren't in English. Does that hold things up?
- It can, so start the attestation and translation early. It's the step that quietly eats a few weeks while everyone assumes it's already been done.
- C2 came back weak. Should I argue about my university's reputation?
- No, arguing about your alma mater gets you nowhere. Rebuild the points somewhere else instead, usually from fixed salary or firm attributes. And don't hand in your notice on the strength of a famous university name, because that's the most common way this move goes wrong.
Sources & citations
Admin and policy details change. Prefer the official page when making decisions; we cite primary sources for Singapore government and statutory guidance.
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