Recognition and crediting of academic achievements

The Lisbon Convention – the ‘Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education in the European Region’ – sets out the framework for the recognition and transfer of credits at higher education institutions.

The Convention is intended to facilitate the recognition of qualifications, as well as academic achievements and examination results. This should make it easier for students to transfer between higher education institutions, change their degree programme or spend time studying abroad.

Rhineland-Palatinate has incorporated the provisions of the Lisbon Convention into its legislation. The framework examination regulations of Worms University of Applied Sciences also include these provisions.

• Credits earned at a higher education institution must be recognised upon application, provided there are no significant differences in the competences acquired.
• Recognition is subject to the condition that, following enrolment, at least one further examination must still be taken in the relevant degree programme at the host higher education institution.
• The examination regulations may stipulate that failed examinations in the chosen degree programme at a higher education institution are to be counted as failed attempts against the permitted number of resits.
• The examination regulations may stipulate that failed examinations in another degree programme at a higher education institution, provided they are equivalent, are to be counted as failed attempts against the permitted number of resits.

• Recognition of more than three-quarters of the course and examination achievements, in terms of the credit points for the chosen degree programme or the Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis and the final colloquium, may be refused.
• Equivalent knowledge and skills acquired outside the higher education sector will be recognised upon application, provided that equivalence is established. The recognised equivalent knowledge and skills may replace no more than half of the degree programme.
• You must submit the documents required for recognition together with your application for admission.
• If you have already sat an examination in a specific module or subject at Worms University of Applied Sciences, you cannot apply for retrospective recognition of a qualification obtained in Germany or abroad for that module or subject.
• We count failed examinations in your chosen degree programme at another higher education institution as failed attempts towards the permitted number of resits. The same applies to failed examinations in another degree programme at a higher education institution, provided that this programme is essentially equivalent to your chosen degree programme and that the requirements for passing were equivalent to or lower than those of your chosen programme.

Please note: Where failed examinations are recognised, no automatic registration for the examination will take place, as recognition does not create an obligation to continue the course. You may register for the examination yourself as soon as you wish to sit it.

Please note: An application for recognition or credit transfer is irrevocable once recognition or credit transfer has taken place.

1. You can submit your application as soon as you have been admitted.
2. Please submit the application, together with all the necessary documents, to the Student Services Department at Worms University of Applied Sciences no later than three weeks after the start of lectures.
3. Please email the application and the required documents to anerkennung@hs-worms.de. If you are a first-year student or are changing degree programmes, you may also submit the documents together with your enrolment documents. We recommend that you submit your application as early as possible at the start of the semester.
4. We will only process complete applications, and only after you have enrolled.

Please enclose copies of the following documents with your application, even if you have already submitted them with your application:

• Transcript(s) showing ECTS credits, course codes and marks
• A description of the modules you wish to have recognised

We require these documents for all degree programmes in which you were enrolled and for which you are applying for recognition.

‘Recognition and Credit Transfer in Higher Education’ portal