Singapore recognised qualifications

At a glance

Applicants for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) may claim points for certain Singapore academic qualifications without NZQA assessment if the qualification, awarding institution, and year range all match the lists in this instruction. [S-singapore]

Definition

A qualification from Singapore is exempt from assessment and qualifies for the indicated points under SMC if:

1. the qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table; and
2. the awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
3. the qualification abbreviation is listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
4. the qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
5. the qualification is not excluded by the notes listed under the Academic Qualifications Table. [S-singapore]

Academic Qualifications Table

Qualification	Abbreviation*	Level in NZQF terms	Points under SMC
Bachelor of Accountancy**	BAC	7	50
Bachelor of Applied Science**	BAS	7	50
Bachelor of Arts**	BA	7	50
Bachelor of Arts (Education) with or without Honours (all specialities)	Requires assessment by NZQA	—	—
Bachelor of Business**	BB	7	50
Bachelor of Business Administration**	BBA	7	50
Bachelor of Business Management**	BBM	7	50
Bachelor of Communications**	BCM	7	50
Bachelor of Communication Studies**	BCst	7	50
Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science)**	BCP	7	50
Bachelor of Counselling**	BCO	7	50
Bachelor of Dental Surgery**	BDS	7	50
Bachelor of Engineering**	BE	7	50
Bachelor of Fine Arts**	BFA	7	50
Bachelor of Human Resource Management**	BHRM	7	50
Bachelor of Laws**	LLB	7	50
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery**	MD	7	50
Bachelor of Music**	BMus	7	50
Bachelor of Science**	BS	7	50
Bachelor of Science (Education) with or without Honours (all specialities)	Requires assessment by NZQA	—	—
Bachelor of Social Sciences**	BSS	7	50
Bachelor of Social Work**	BSW	7	50
Bachelor of Technology**	BT	7	50
Masters degree (Except as listed below)	M	8	50
Master of Applied Research in Social Sciences	MAR	9	70
Master of Applied Science	MAS	9	70
Master of Communication Studies	MCSt	9	70
Master of Engineering	ME	9	70
Master of Philosophy	MP	9	70
Master of Science (a speciality may be stated)	MS	9	70
Master of Social Science (a speciality may be stated)	MSS	9	70
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	PhD	10	70

* Abbreviations used are for the purpose of this list only.
** All Bachelor degrees must be awarded with honours. Honours may be stated as a class of Honours. [S-singapore]

If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than the level stated they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment. [S-singapore]

Awarding Institutions Table

Institution	Qualification awarded from or between dates
Nanyang Technological University	BA: 2008
	BAC, BB, M and PhD: 1994
	BAS: 1994–2000
	BCSt: 1996
	BE and BS: 2006
	BFA: 2009
	MD: 2018
	MAS: 1994–2011
	MCSt: 1996–2011
	ME: 1994
National University of Singapore (The National University of Singapore 1980–2001)	BA, BBA, BDS, LLB, MD, BS, BSS, M, MSS and PhD: 1984
	BCP: 2001
	BAS: 2002
	BE: 2006
	BMus: 2007
	BT: 1999
	ME: 1992
Singapore Management University	BAC, BBM, LLB, BS, BSS, M and PhD: 2015
	MP: 2018
Singapore University of Social Sciences	BAC, BA, BCM, BCO, BE, BHR, BS, BSW, M, MAR, ME and PhD: 2018
Singapore University of Technology and Design	BE, BS, ME, MS and PhD: 2018

Effective 13/05/2019. [S-singapore]

Application in decisions

An immigration officer must verify that an SMC applicant’s qualification exactly matches the listed abbreviation, institution, and date range. If any element does not match, the qualification is not automatically exempt and the applicant must obtain an NZQA International Qualifications Assessment. [S-singapore]

Honours are required for all Bachelor degrees; the class of Honours must be stated on the award certificate. [S-singapore]

Interpretation & edge cases

• Original language award certificates must be provided. [S-singapore]
• Refer to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment
  The following must always be referred to NZQA:
  • All honorary degrees
  • All listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside the country, including any overseas campuses of any listed awarding institution
  • All listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers
  • All initial teaching degrees
  • All qualifications awarded after 2018 [S-singapore]
• Bachelor of Arts (Education) and Bachelor of Science (Education) (with or without Honours) always require NZQA assessment regardless of the awarding institution. [S-singapore]
• Self-assessment higher level: If an applicant believes their qualification is higher than the NZQF level indicated, they should seek an NZQA assessment. [S-singapore]

Citations

• S-singapore — Singapore recognised qualifications