Due diligence checklist: which registry fields to check when a cooperation proposal lands

A cooperation proposal usually arrives as a polished deck: a partner name, an award title, a delivery model, and a promise of speed. None of that is a substitute for the public register. This briefing gives a field-by-field due diligence checklist for the five host jurisdictions covered by this site, built from official regulator and instrument texts verified on 2026-07-28. It is written for cooperation-programme offices and education-group BD and compliance leads. This site reads the published rules; it does not represent any regulator’s position and gives no legal advice.

The discipline matters because the public register is the only neutral corroboration a partner cannot rewrite. A deck reflects what the proposer wants a reader to believe; the register reflects what an authority has actually recorded. Where the two disagree, the register wins for verification purposes. This briefing does not rank providers and does not name institutions; it shows which fields to read and what each field can and cannot prove. A cooperation office that builds its file around the register, rather than the deck, avoids the most common failure mode in cross-border partnership work.

Step 1 — Pin down the host jurisdiction and its regime

Before opening any register, confirm which jurisdiction governs the delivery. The anchor differs by market.

1. Mainland China — institution and programme approval, published on the national supervision platform.
2. Hong Kong SAR — registration or exemption of the regulated non-local course under Cap. 493.
3. Singapore — registration of the private education institution and its external degree courses with SkillsFuture Singapore.
4. Malaysia — approval and registration of the foreign university branch campus under Act 555, with programme accreditation by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
5. United Arab Emirates — emirate permit (KHDA or ADEK) plus federal CAA institutional licensure and programme accreditation.

If the proposal names a jurisdiction but the model does not match that jurisdiction’s published anchor, treat it as a flag, not a fact.

Step 2 — Confirm the operator is on the official register

The counterpart you contract with should appear on the official register for that market.

1. China — search the national supervision platform for the cooperatively-run school or programme and confirm the Chinese and foreign parties named.
2. Hong Kong — confirm the non-local course is registered or exempted and identify the course provider.
3. Singapore — confirm the private education institution is registered with SkillsFuture Singapore and that its external degree course is listed.
4. Malaysia — confirm the branch campus is approved and registered under Act 555 and listed with the Department of Higher Education.
5. UAE — confirm the campus permit at emirate level and the institutional licensure at federal CAA level.

A name that appears only in marketing material, and not on the register, is a red flag regardless of how established the brand appears to be.

Step 3 — Verify the specific programme or course, not just the institution

Approval of an institution does not approve every programme it might offer. Check the specific record.

1. Confirm the exact programme or course title is listed, not merely the institution.
2. Confirm the awarding body named in the record matches the proposal.
3. Confirm the level and discipline match what will actually be delivered.
4. Where recognition is separate (UAE federal track, Malaysia Qualifications Register), confirm the specific programme appears there.

Step 4 — Read the status and any expiry date

A record’s status is the difference between an authorisation that exists and one that currently binds.

1. Note whether the record shows an active, expired, or suspended status.
2. Note any expiry date shown for the approval, registration, or licence.
3. An expired approval is not a current authorisation; do not rely on it.
4. Where no expiry is published, record it as not published rather than assuming perpetual validity.

Step 5 — Check the award and its recognition track

The award’s conferral and its recognition are different links.

1. China — confirm the foreign certificate registration is published on the supervision platform.
2. Hong Kong and Singapore — the award is conferred by the overseas body; the host record confirms course or institution status, not local recognition of the foreign award.
3. Malaysia — confirm the programme is on the Malaysian Qualifications Register after MQA accreditation.
4. UAE — confirm both the emirate permit and the CAA listing; the permit alone does not confer federal recognition.

Step 6 — Record every “not published” field as unknown

This site records as not published any field it could not confirm from an official source. Apply the same discipline internally.

1. If a tuition or fee figure is not on the official record, mark it not published; confirm with the regulator or a licensed adviser.
2. If processing timelines for approvals, fees, or outcome proportions are not published by the regulator, do not estimate them internally.
3. If a branch-campus regime is unconfirmed for a jurisdiction, do not assume one exists.

Step 7 — Engage human review for anything unresolved

Where the public record is silent or contradictory, the compliance coordination team can be engaged and will respond within one business day. Keep a written trail of which fields were checked, what each showed, and what was left not published.

A portable field list for any proposal

1. Host jurisdiction and its regulatory anchor.
2. Official register name and regulator.
3. Operator named on the register and matching the contract.
4. Specific programme or course listed, with awarding body named.
5. Status and any expiry date.
6. Award recognition track and where it is confirmed.
7. Fields explicitly not published, recorded as unknown.

What this checklist does and does not do

This checklist is compiled from official regulator and instrument texts verified on the date shown in the jurisdiction dataset. It is a verification aid, not legal advice, and does not represent any regulator. For case-specific positions, confirm with the regulator or a licensed adviser.

Key takeaways

1. Verify the operator on the official register before reviewing the proposal’s commercial terms.
2. Approval of an institution does not approve every programme; check the specific course or programme record.
3. Status and expiry dates separate an authorisation that exists from one that currently binds.
4. Operating permission and award recognition are distinct; check both, especially in the UAE and Malaysia.
5. Treat every not-published field as unknown and confirm with the regulator or a licensed adviser.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China — Information Platform for Supervision of Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools (https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/)
2. Hong Kong Education Bureau, Non-local Courses Registry — Non-local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance (Cap. 493) (https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap493)
3. SkillsFuture Singapore — Private Education Act 2009 and register of private education institutions (https://www.ssg.gov.sg/resources/pei/)
4. Malaysian Qualifications Agency and Department of Higher Education — Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) (https://mohe.gov.my/en/institutions/phei)
5. UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation and Knowledge and Human Development Authority — Standards for Institutional Licensure and Program Accreditation 2019 (https://www.moe.gov.ae/En/MediaCenter/News/Pages/accreditation2.aspx)