Before a cooperation office spends a meeting cycle on a proposal, a thirty-minute read of the public record can separate the plausible from the impossible. This site is built for exactly that read: a jurisdiction page per market, and project records that name the operator, programme, status, and recognition track. This briefing walks the step-by-step, drawn from the structure of the jurisdiction dataset verified on 2026-07-28. This site reads those published rules; it does not represent any regulator’s position and gives no legal advice.
Step 1 — Open the jurisdiction page for the target market
Start with the page for the host jurisdiction named in the proposal. Read, in order:
- Orientation — how the regime is framed (for example Mainland China requires a Chinese partner; Hong Kong regulates the course).
- Entry term — the formal act of approval, registration, or licensure the regime uses.
- Regulators — the bodies that administer it, with their official names and roles.
- Instruments — the laws or ordinances that create the regime, with their official references.
- Branch-campus status — permitted, unconfirmed, or stated, with the note attached.
This step tells you whether the proposal’s delivery model even fits the market’s vocabulary.
Step 2 — Identify the regulated anchor
Each jurisdiction regulates a different object: institution and programme (Mainland China), course (Hong Kong, Singapore), or campus (Malaysia, UAE). Match the proposal to that anchor.
- If the proposal is a “branch campus” but the market records that regime as unconfirmed, flag it.
- If the proposal is a “course” in a market that regulates campuses, check whether the course sits inside an approved campus.
- If the proposal names no local counterpart where one is required, flag it.
Step 3 — Move to the project records
The jurisdiction page tells you the regime; the project records tell you the specific fact. Search the records for:
- The operator named in the contract — does it appear, and under the same name?
- The specific programme or course — is it listed, with the awarding body named?
- The status — active, expired, suspended, or not found?
- Any expiry date shown on the record.
- The recognition track — for example the Malaysian Qualifications Register or the UAE federal National Register.
A proposal that cannot be located in the project records is unverified, regardless of how credible the partner appears.
Step 4 — Read the status correctly
A found record is not the end of the check; its status is the answer.
- Active, within the validity window — the arrangement is currently authorised for that scope.
- Expired — not a current authorisation; do not rely on it.
- Suspended — paused by the authority; verify before proceeding.
- Not found — treat the arrangement as unverified; confirm with the regulator.
Step 5 — Confirm the recognition track separately
Where operation and recognition are separate, check both.
- In the UAE, confirm the emirate permit and the federal CAA listing; the permit alone does not confer federal recognition.
- In Malaysia, confirm the programme on the Malaysian Qualifications Register after MQA accreditation.
- In Mainland China, confirm the foreign certificate registration on the supervision platform.
Step 6 — Record what is not published
For every field the record does not state, write not published. Do not fill gaps from the proposal’s deck. A clean feasibility file states its unknowns explicitly; that is what makes the conclusion defensible.
Step 7 — Make the call and route the residue
The read usually ends in one of three positions.
- Proceed — the record supports the proposal’s key claims; move to commercial and legal steps.
- Verify — one or two fields are not published or unclear; engage the compliance coordination team, who will respond within one business day, or confirm with the regulator or a licensed adviser.
- Drop or rework — the proposal’s model does not fit the regime, or the record contradicts a central claim.
The point is to decide on the public record, not on the deck.
What this method does not do
This method produces a feasibility read, not an approval. It does not guarantee recognition, liability outcomes, or commercial success, and it does not represent any regulator. Where a live decision turns on a field, confirm the current record with the regulator or a licensed adviser.
What this briefing does and does not say
This briefing describes how to use the site’s jurisdiction pages and project records; it is not legal advice and does not represent any regulator. For case-specific positions, confirm with the regulator or a licensed adviser.
Key takeaways
- Start on the jurisdiction page; read orientation, entry term, regulators, instruments, and branch-campus status.
- Match the proposal to the jurisdiction’s regulated anchor before searching records.
- Use the project records to confirm the operator, programme, status, and recognition track.
- Read status as active, expired, suspended, or not found — and treat not found as unverified.
- Confirm the recognition track separately where operation and recognition diverge, and record every not-published field.
Sources
- 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/)
- 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)
- SkillsFuture Singapore — Private Education Act 2009 and register of private education institutions (https://www.ssg.gov.sg/resources/pei/)
- Malaysian Qualifications Agency and Department of Higher Education — Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) (https://mohe.gov.my/en/institutions/phei)
- 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)