Academic upgrading: how a recognised qualification raises your COMPASS score.
Under COMPASS, your qualifications are scored. If education is the weak point in your Employment Pass profile, upgrading it can lift your score and, in turn, lower the salary you need to qualify. Done with a recognised institution, it is a real improvement to your case, not a shortcut.
By Travis Tay, Immigration Expert · Updated June 2026. Recognised-institution lists change; we confirm how a qualification is treated before you enrol.
The COMPASS framework scores Employment Pass applicants on several criteria, and qualifications (C2) award 0, 10 or 20 points. A degree from a recognised institution scores; no recognised degree scores zero, which you must then make up with a higher salary. Upgrading to a recognised qualification can lift C2, lowering the salary you need to reach the 40-point pass mark. For working adults there are pathways from a Postgraduate Diploma, for those below a bachelor's, up to a Bachelor's, MBA or PhD, delivered fully online, with Recognition of Prior Learning shortening the time. Typical fees start from about SGD 8,000. Only qualifications from institutions on MOM's recognised list actually score.
Why qualifications matter under COMPASS
COMPASS gives you points across salary, qualifications, the diversity of your team and support for local hiring, plus bonuses for shortage-list roles. You need at least 40 points. Qualifications are one of the four foundation criteria, worth up to 20 points on their own. If you hold no recognised degree, you score zero there, and the points have to come from somewhere else, usually a higher salary, which the business has to fund every month. Lifting your qualification score is often the cheaper, more durable fix, because it stays with you and reduces the salary pressure on the company.
Level matters, not just the title
This catches many applicants out. MOM benchmarks a foreign qualification against the UK framework, through UK ENIC, and what counts is the benchmarked level, not the name on the certificate. A UK Level 6 qualification is a full bachelor's degree; a UK Level 5 qualification is only a higher or post-secondary diploma. Some countries award what they call a bachelor's degree that benchmarks to UK Level 5, which COMPASS treats as a diploma, not a degree, so it does not earn the points a recognised degree does. Before recommending anything, we check the actual benchmarked level of what you already hold.
Pathways and typical cost
| Pathway | Typical fee (SGD) | Suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate Diploma | 8,000 to 10,000 | Highest qualification below a bachelor's |
| Bachelor's Degree | 13,000 to 16,000 | Completing a full degree |
| MBA | 15,000 to 18,000 | Managers and founders |
| PhD / Doctorate | 18,000 to 22,000 | The highest academic level |
All pathways are delivered 100% online, so you can study around your business. With Recognition of Prior Learning, a Postgraduate Diploma can be completed in as little as 6 months.
How RPL and APL help you graduate faster
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) are formal ways an institution credits your verified work experience and earlier studies toward a qualification. Instead of starting from zero, you receive exemptions for what you have already demonstrated, so you complete the programme, and graduate, in less time. We document your experience, map it to the programme's requirements, and prepare and submit the application to the institution. It shortens the path; it does not remove the requirement to meet the institution's standard.
Recognised, verified, and it has to score
A qualification only helps your Employment Pass if it stands up. For COMPASS, points depend on the awarding institution being on MOM's COMPASS Self-Assessment Tool recognised list, so we only work with institutions on that list. Separately, for a first-time Employment Pass, MOM requires your qualification to be checked by an appointed third-party verification agency; because the institution is recognised, your certificate clears that verification. The same diploma can also serve other purposes: a relevant engineering diploma from a recognised Singapore Private Education Institution can qualify you as a Technical Controller for BCA licensing.
Questions people ask
Can upgrading my qualification really lower the salary I need? +
Yes, indirectly. A recognised qualification lifts your COMPASS qualification score, which can reduce the salary you need to reach the 40-point pass mark. It is often cheaper and more durable than paying yourself a higher salary every month to make up the points.
I do not have a bachelor's degree. Can I still upgrade? +
Yes. If your highest qualification is secondary or post-secondary but below a bachelor's, a Postgraduate Diploma pathway, with entry assessed through Recognition of Prior Learning, is often the most direct route to a recognised credential. From there you can progress to a Bachelor's, MBA or PhD.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take? +
Indicative fees in SGD: a Postgraduate Diploma is around 8,000 to 10,000, a Bachelor's 13,000 to 16,000, an MBA 15,000 to 18,000, and a PhD 18,000 to 22,000. With RPL, a Postgraduate Diploma can be completed in as little as 6 months, and all pathways are delivered fully online.
Will the qualification actually count under COMPASS? +
Only if the awarding institution is on MOM's recognised list. We match you to recognised institutions and confirm how a given qualification is treated before you commit, so the upgrade actually scores.
My country's bachelor's degree, does it count? +
It depends on the level, not the title. MOM benchmarks foreign qualifications against the UK framework through UK ENIC. Some countries' bachelor's degrees benchmark to UK Level 5, treated as a diploma rather than a full bachelor's (UK Level 6), and do not earn the same COMPASS points. We check your benchmarked level before advising.
Is your qualification holding your EP back?
Book a consultation and we will check your benchmarked level and whether an upgrade makes sense for your case.