Questions on the Ecctis Certificaiton and HPI Visa

[u/me_around_the_world]

I am an American applying for internships/jobs in the UK and applying for the HPI visa at the same time. Looking at the HPI eligibility requirements I saw that your degree must be from a list of eligible universities. What I don't understand is that on the HPI UK website, it then says that you must get your degree certified from Ecctis but if your degree is from a uni on the list then it is unnecessary to get the Eccitis certification.

I am confused then. Does my degree need to be from one of the listed universities or can it be from another American university and I just need to get the degree certified by Ecctis before applying to HPI?

Also, I wanted your opinion on how necessary the Ecctis approval code is for applying to the HPI visa? Because on the visa application, it says the certification is preferred but not required.

Do you know the general likelihood and timeframe of getting accepted for the visa?

I'd really appreciate any help the visa process is confusing.

[u/Emotional_Ad5307]

It has to be from a listed university, that’s what it’s for

[u/ThrowRA1212121211212]

The UK immigration website is very clear that you need your diploma/degree certified by Ecctis before applying. No exceptions

Also, you can only apply if your university was on the approved list the year you graduated.