Recognition of university diplomas
No automatic recognition
There is no automatic EU-wide recognition of university diplomas. You may need to go through a national procedure to get your degree recognised in another EU country if you seek admission to university there. Individual governments of EU countries remain responsible for their education systems and are free to apply their own rules, including whether to recognise qualifications obtained elsewhere or not.
Warning
Although many EU countries have introduced laws so that diplomas earned in another EU country are recognised automatically, the higher education institution where you want to pursue your further study is responsible for assessing whether your qualification is accepted or not in most cases.The Bologna Process, has introduced several tools to enhance cooperation between higher education institutions, and to support universities and national authorities in the automatic recognition of diplomas. The countries that are members of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) have agreed to adopt the objectives of the Bologna Process into their own education systems.
If you already know that you may want to pursue further studies in a different EU country, it is important to check in advance whether your diploma will be recognised there.
Sample story
Find out whether a country will recognise your foreign diploma
Gráinne completed a Bachelor’s degree at a university in Ireland. She then moved to Austria to study for a Master’s degree in a related subject. However, the Austrian authorities did not recognise her Irish diploma as fully equivalent to an Austrian Bachelor’s degree. As a result, she was asked to complete extra ECTS credits during her Master’s studies, about the workload of one full semester, to make up for qualifications the Austrian university considered missing. Only after meeting these additional requirements could she successfully complete the Master’s degree in Austria.
Get your degree compared
If necessary, you can obtain a document stating your degree is comparable to the diplomas delivered in the EU country you are moving to. To do so, contact the ENIC/NARIC centre in the country where you would like your diplomas assessed for comparability. This could be your home country if you return home after your studies, or another EU country if you move there for work or further studies.
Depending on the country where your diplomas are assessed and the purpose of the assessment, the ENIC/NARIC centre will either evaluate them itself or transfer them to the competent authority.
Before the assessment, make sure you check:
- how much the service will cost, if anything
- how long the assessment will take – it could be several weeks to several months depending on the country, the purpose, and the complexity of your file
- what type of document you will get as a result – it could be a full equivalency, or a comparative report
- what you can do if you disagree with the assessment – how to appeal.
If you provide documents in the Europass format, and it includes the Diploma Supplement, your degree can be more easily compared and recognised. It is compulsory for the higher education where you received your diploma to issue the Diploma Supplement free of charge and in a widely used language.
All EU countries use the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) as a reference system that makes national qualifications easier to understand and more comparable. Some countries outside the EU also use the same reference system. Check what countries are using the EQF to make the comparison of your academic diplomas easier.
Warning
Some EU countries classify short-cycle higher education programmes as higher vocational education and training, while others treat them as part of the higher education system. It is important to check with the relevant authorities, as recognition may vary within countries.Professional qualifications
A different set of EU rules govern the recognition of professional qualifications giving access to a profession in other EU countries – such as nursing or the law. There are only a few cases where formal recognition of a degree is necessary to seek employment. In most of the cases, employers are free to decide whether they accept a diploma or not.