Recognition of prior, informal and non-formal learning

Prior learning

Official university studies can be fully recognised, provided that the recognition does not imply the automatic award of a degree.

Official non-university studies at EQF5 can be recognised up to a maximum of 60% of the ECTS credits of the undergraduate degree.

Competence for credit recognition lies with the Rector, who may delegate it to the various Schools and Faculties.

Informal and non-formal learning

Students may request the recognition of up to 12 ECTS credits for their participation in cultural or sports activities, student representation, voluntary work or cooperation activities. In this case, the competent body for recognition is the Governing Council of the University, following a favourable report from the Advisory Committee on Degree Programmes.

Accreditation of language competence at levels higher than those required for each degree (or, as a general rule, B1) may also be recognised (2 ECTS credits per level, with a maximum of 6 ECTS credits).

Extra-curricular placements, professional experience and non-official studies at the University of Granada or other universities may be recognised up to a maximum of 15% of the ECTS credits of the undergraduate degree. There is a limit of 6 ECTS credits for the recognition of non-official studies from the University of Granada or other universities.

Informal learning

Only formal and non-formal learning may be validated and may lead to recognition. Informal learning is expressly excluded. Furthermore, recognition may only be sought for entire modules of a curriculum, not, for example, individual courses.

Prior and non-formal  learning

With some exceptions, non-formal and informal learning leading to professional and non-professional qualifications can only be recognised upon the validation of learning outcomes. The validation procedure introduced by the statutes of the University of Graz in 2022 in the context of professional and non-professional qualifications has two stages.

The first stage involves an advice meeting between the validation officer and the student and a preliminary review of the documents submitted. The validation officer checks whether learning outcomes are identified/documented and ensures that the following three prerequisites laid down by the statutes for the recognition of these qualifications are met. At present, the option to have these qualifications recognised is limited to four programmes. If these requirements are fulfilled, the validation officer issues a confirmation thereof, and students may apply for recognition in stage two of the validation procedure.

The individual chairs of the curriculum committees review the recognition applications by comparing the learning outcomes of the professional or non-professional qualification with the learning outcomes of the module for which the recognition is sought. Criteria observed in this comparison include the level of the qualification, learning outcomes, workload, and the quality of the programme that leads to the qualification. Learning outcomes shall not differ by more than 30 per cent in total, whereby the maximum workload difference may be 20 per cent. If necessary, students can be invited to an interview with the aim of determining the competences acquired.

The maximum number of credit points for which learning outcomes of professional and non-professional qualifications may be recognised is 60 credit points.

Prior learning (formal learning activities and ECTS credit mobility)

Leipzig University recognises prior learning competencies achieved in formal learning activities. The faculty’s examination committee would be responsible for deciding if competences can be recognised as an additional requirement or part of the curriculum. However, Leipzig University typically only recognises achievements from a learning context in accredited HEIs according to the Lisbon Conference regulations. The maximum to which prior achievements or competencies of professional or formal learning might be recognised is 60 credit points for BA and MA programmes.

For the recognition of credit mobility, the Erasmus+ coordinator at almost each department is responsible for deciding upon the recognition of achievements from a partner university abroad. Thus, the department deciding about the recognition is usually the department responsible for the student’s study programme. In this process, Lisbon Conference regulations shall be applied as well.

Informal and non-formal learning

Usually, there is no regular or legally binding way at Leipzig University to recognise competencies achieved in non-formal or informal learning activities. This is due to difficulties in formalisation: for a valid recognition, transparent evidence is required, such as documentation, certifications, or verifications, confirming the workload/ECTS credit points of the informal/non-formal achievements. Only written and certified documentation guarantees that all applicants for recognition can be treated equally. Currently, there is no central institution at Leipzig University that will provide and monitor such formalised documents for informal/non-formal learning.

Prior learning

Students may seek to have their competences recognised if they have been acquired within the framework of professional activities, work experiences, short or long-term internships, courses, projects, etc., whether acquired autonomously or through another activity.

Informal and non-formal learning

Any individual, whether an employee, job seeker, business owner, or inactive individual, with professional and/or personal experience, can activate their right to VAE (Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience) – a procedure for the recognition of prior learning that allows any French educational institution to grant degrees partly or completely based on work experience. The system primarily addresses the concern of rapid professional integration. The objective is for a candidate who submits a dossier (via the France VAE platform) and is deemed admissible to be able to obtain their diploma within a period of 9 months. From 3 to 60 ECTS credits can be recognized. The department responsible for recognition depends on the degree the student is aiming for (for example, if it’s a Master’s degree in IT, it’ll be the IT department), under the responsibility of FOCAL – the Continuing Education, Lifelong Learning, and Work-Study department at Lyon 1 University. Generally, students seek to obtain a degree, either a bachelor’s or a master’s. For this purpose, the student must provide a report that traces their educational journey, describes their experience, and, most importantly, attempts to align this experience with the modules of the curriculum outline of the targeted degree.

A jury is required to fully or partially validate a degree through the Recognition of Prior Learning process. The organization of a Recognition of Prior Learning jury requires the assembly of at least two, ideally three, research professors in the field of the targeted degree. Additionally, a smaller number compared to the professors, representatives from the professional field, such as non-academic individuals involved in the degree program or supervising interns, should be present. The jury will last approximately one hour (maximum one hour and thirty minutes) and will be divided into three parts: the candidate’s presentation of their skills (20 minutes), a question-and-answer session, and deliberation. The final deliberation may result in a decision to refuse validation, grant full validation (resulting in the awarding of the degree), or grant partial validation (requiring the acquisition of additional skills through experience or training).

Prior learning

At the University of Minho, students can receive credit for courses at the same level under the terms of the law, with the aim of pursuing studies to obtain an academic degree or diploma. However, the credits awarded may not exceed two-thirds of the total number of credits for the study cycle.

The crediting of training shall take into consideration the level of credits, whether they belong to first, second, or third study cycles, and the scientific field in which they were obtained. Therefore, training obtained in a specific higher education study cycle may not be credited for a study cycle at a higher level. Additionally, parts of course units may not be credited.

Informal and non-formal learning

Crediting of work experience shall be governed by regulatory rules to be approved by the Scientific Board/Technical-Scientific Board, and these rules shall establish:

1. Ways of assessing to what extent, in light of that experience, the requesting party has developed skills, in terms of content and level, similar to those that would be developed if he/she successfully completed the course which he/she may be exempted from attending;
2. Time limits and procedures to be adopted, including those for possible examinations;
3. Composition of the panel responsible for analyzing and proposing the crediting of work experience, which shall include the course director.

Crediting of training or work experience may lead to:

1. Identification of the courses from which the student is exempted from attending, as well as the mark awarded for that/those courses;
2. A single mark for a set of duly identified courses from which the student is exempted from attending;
3. Crediting without awarding a mark for a course or duly identified set of courses, which shall not be considered when calculating the student’s final mark for the course. Articles 24th and 25th of Order RT-03/2020: Microsoft Word – 043 Regulamento_Academico_21.07.2017.docx (uminho.pt))

Prior learning

According to specific regulations, some elements of the study program can be replaced with ECTS credits from prior learning obtained in study courses of the same EQF level. However, final exams, theses, and other written works that are included in the study program as separate study subjects (modules) cannot be replaced. The recognition of foreign qualifications of prior learning at the University of Padua is carried out by the International Relations Division.

Informal and non-formal learning.

No more than 12 ECTS credits of the study program can be replaced with ECTS credits recognized from non-formal learning acquired in professional activities. However, the recognition of informal learning is not allowed at the moment.

Prior learning

No more than 75 percent of the scope of the study program can be replaced with ECTS credits from prior learning. Final exams, theses, and other written works that are included in the study program as separate study subjects (modules) cannot be replaced. The recognition of foreign qualifications of prior learning at VU is carried out by the Student Admission Sub-Division.

Informal and non-formal learning.

No more than 50 percent of the scope of the study program can be replaced with ECTS credits recognized from informal and non-formal learning.

Students can seek to have their competences recognized if they have been acquired in work activities, unpaid and/or voluntary work or practice, during short-term or long-term internships, courses, seminars, projects, exhibitions, etc., or while learning independently, or in another activity.

The study program committee carries out the recognition of competences and the crediting of the study subjects. Additional appraisers or commissions can also participate.

Competences acquired through informal learning and/or self-education can be evaluated by various evaluation methods: analysis of documents and/or work samples presented in the portfolio of learning, tests, interviews, case studies, knowledge (mind) maps, essays, reflections (self-analysis), performance monitoring, assessment at the workplace, or other suitable methods proposed by the committee.

Prior learning

One of the forms of admission to studies is the confirmation of competences obtained outside the system of studies, corresponding to the learning outcomes specified in the study programme. They can be confirmed for a person who has the documents required for admission to first-cycle studies or single master studies and at least 5 years of professional experience, or a relevant full qualification and specific professional experience (depending on the level of studies to which the candidate applies for admission). Up to 50% of the ECTS credits allocated to the courses included in the study programme can be confirmed.

Informal and non-formal learning.

There is currently only a legal possibility of recognising informal learning outcomes at the recruitment stage. So far, there are no regulations governing the recognition of non-formal learning during the course of study.