Legal basis

For information on the legal basis (Lisbon Convention, Hessian Higher Education Act, General Provisions for the Examination Regulations of Fulda University of Applied Sciences) for the recognition of academic achievements gained abroad, please click here.

A. Lisbon Convention:

Section I

Definitions

Competent recognition authority

A body with an official mandate to take binding decisions on the recognition of foreign qualifications.

Period of study

Any component of a higher education programme which has been assessed and for which a certificate
has been issued and which, although not in itself a complete programme of study, involves a significant acquisition of knowledge or skills.

Recognition

A formal confirmation, issued by a competent authority, of the value of a
foreign educational qualification for access to education and/or employment.

Section V

Recognition of periods of study

A r t i c e l V. 1
Each Party shall recognise periods of study completed under a higher education programme in another Party. Such recognition shall include such periods of study leading to the completion of a higher education programme in the Party in which recognition is sought, unless a substantial difference can be shown between the periods of study completed in another Party and the part of the higher education programme which they would replace in the Party in which recognition is sought.

A r t i c e l V. 2
Where appropriate, it shall be sufficient for a Party to allow a person who has completed a period of study under a higher education programme of another Party to obtain, at his or her request, an assessment of that period of study, and Article V.1 shall apply mutatis mutandis in such a case.

A r t i c l e V. 3
In particular, each Party shall facilitate the recognition of periods of study if

(a) an agreement to this effect has previously been concluded between the higher education institution
or competent authority responsible for the relevant period of study, on the one hand, and the higher education institution or competent authority responsible for the recognition sought, on the other; and

b) the higher education institution at which the period of study has been completed has issued a certificate or evidence of academic achievement showing that the student has fulfilled the requirements laid down for the period of study in question.

B. Hessian Higher Education Act (HHG)

§ Section 18(5) HHG (as of 01.01.2016) - Examinations:

"(5) Study and examination achievements made at another higher education institution or state or state-recognised university of cooperative education shall be recognised if there is no substantial difference compared to the achievements they are to replace (equivalence). The body provided for in the examination regulations shall decide on equivalence. The burden of proof that there is no equivalence lies with the competent body. The applicant shall be responsible for providing the necessary information on the performance to be recognised."

§Section 20 HHG - Examination regulations

(1) University examinations shall be taken on the basis of examination regulations which shall be issued as statutes and approved by the Presidential Board. The regulations applicable to the respective examination procedures shall be determined by the higher education institutions by statutes (general provisions for examination regulations).
(2) The examination regulations shall regulate the examination procedure and the examination requirements, in particular
...
9. the crediting of study and examination achievements as well as knowledge and skills in accordance with §18, Para.6 ,

C. General provisions for examination regulations of the HFD:

§ 14 Recognition of modules

(1) Modules taken in other degree programmes shall be recognised provided there are no significant differences in the competences acquired. Modules in other degree programmes at Fulda University of Applied Sciences with the same module designation shall be recognised without examination.

(2) When recognising modules, ECTS credits, examinations and practical work experience completed outside the Federal Republic of Germany, the equivalence agreements approved by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Standing Conference of the Rectors of the Universities of Applied Sciences in the Federal Republic of Germany as well as agreements within the framework of university partnerships shall be observed. Recognition may be linked to the requirement to make up individual credits within a certain period of time.

(3) If examination achievements are recognised, the grades - if applicable according to an equivalence regulation - shall be accepted and included in the calculation of the overall grade. A marking of the recognition in the transcript is permissible.

(4) If the prerequisites of Para. 1 are met, there is a legal entitlement to recognition. The examination board shall decide on the recognition. If individual evidence of examination performance is submitted, it shall decide in consultation with the respective professor. The student must submit the documents required for recognition.

(5) Rejection decisions must be justified in writing and accompanied by instructions on how to appeal.