In 2022, the Flemish Parliament approved a decree to promote study efficiency in higher education. The implementation started from 2023-2024 and includes the introduction of the ‘initial package’.

Every student who enrols in a bachelor’s programme for the first time receives a fixed package of course components that must be completed after two academic years. This package is called the initial package.

Students who were already enrolled in a bachelor’s programme before the 2023-2024 academic year and continue the same programme are not subject to the initial package regulation.

Students of bridging, preparatory and master’s programmes are also not subject to this regulation.

What is the initial package?

The standard initial package corresponds to the first model path and thus the first year of the bachelor’s programme and consists of 60 credits. You can view the study programmes of our bachelors via this page.

After your registration for your programme is in order, you can register via the SisA Selfservice for the full standard initial package, unless you can claim a smaller initial package (see below). The initial package forms your study programme for the first academic year.

You have two academic years to pass all course components of your initial package. If that doesn’t work, further registration in your programme will be refused.

Am I entitled to a smaller initial package?

If you have not previously obtained a bachelor’s degree, and you start in a new bachelor’s programme, you are required to take the standard initial package of 60 ECTS. In certain cases, students can apply for a smaller initial package:

• Students with ‘special facilities’ can take a part-time initial package. You can apply for special facilities in case you combine your study with work or elite-level sport, if you have a functional impairment, if are an artist or caregiver, and so on. Check this page for more information.
• Students who only register from the second semester: in this case, you take a part-time initial package with only course components from the second semester.
• Students that have obtained exemptions for course components from the initial package. In this case the initial package consists of the remaining course components of the first model path, possibly supplemented with course components from the second model path, to at least 48 credits.
• Students that find themselves in exceptional individual situations can apply for an individual initial package.

To be able to obtain a smaller initial package, you must always submit an application. This can be done from July 1 via this application form.

Students who start in the Dutch-language Bachelor of Social-Economic Sciences, can visit this page for more information about their application.

Even if you take a smaller initial package, you first register via your SisA Selfservice for the standard initial package of 60 credits. As soon as your application is approved, the faculty will adjust your initial package.

How is the initial package followed up?

If everything goes well, you will complete the initial package during your first year at the university, when you obtain a credit for all course components.

If that doesn’t work out completely, you will be followed up by the faculty. After all, you have two years to complete the initial package, so you can still make up for a less good start. Students who have not completed the initial package after two academic years can no longer continue studying in that programme, and can therefore no longer register for that programme. Most students therefore get two years to pass the course components of the first year.

If you obtain deliberation marks, that means an 8/20 or 9/20 for at most 12 credits from the standard initial package, you will still be allowed to continue studying. We then also consider your initial package as completed. It is best to try to obtain a credit for these course components later, but if that doesn’t work and there are no additional course components for which you didn’t pass, you will still be able to graduate if you have completed the entire further bachelor’s programme.