Recognition of previously acquired competences

Previously acquired competences

Previously acquired competences or EVCs are the sum of the knowledge, insights, skills and attitudes you have acquired by means of certain learning processes, but which have not been recognised with a certificate (source: Flemish Parliament Act on Flexibilisation).

Competences

Competences are therefore knowledge, insight, skills and attitudes which you have acquired thanks to professional experience, self-instruction, practical experience, volunteering, hobbies and so on (e.g. artistic competences, technical competences, management competences, etc.). Candidates are required to prove they possess these competences by means of a portfolio.

Recognition

You can request that your previously acquired competences be recognised in relation to a whole group of programme components, individual programme components or even parts of components.

Competence certificate

If your portfolio is approved by the commission, you will receive a competence certificate.

Lateral entrants

The EVC procedure is mainly aimed at lateral entrants. These are mostly adults who want to start or resume their studies, take a second chance or further hone the skills needed for their jobs, hobbies or interests.

All academic programmes

This procedure applies to all academic programmes: Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Masters, bridging and preparatory programmes, the teacher training programme, and so on.

Admission requirements

Candidates will need to fulfil the admission requirements for the programme they wish to request competence recognition for.

Two periods every year

Every academic year there are two periods during which you can start the EVC procedure.

• The spring procedure: the candidate requests an intake interview before 1 February.
• The autumn procedure: the candidate requests an intake interview before 1 September.

The EVC procedure schedule is fixed, with specific deadlines in the various phases.

Step 1: Gather information: online introduction

• Carefully review the information brochure provided by the Flemish Community's Department of Education, entitled “Bewijs je bekwaamheid” (Prove your competences). You can download it or order it further down this page.
• Next, review all the documents related to the Antwerp University Association procedure. You can download these under the section "More information about the EVC procedure?". 
  • the rules
  • the procedure and the deadlines
  • the manual for the candidate
  • more information about the portfolio
• If you are still interested in undergoing the procedure after reviewing this information, we recommend reading the prospectus  (link). The ‘Course information’ section provides extensive information about the competences you wish to check.
• After having reviewed these documents you can contact the EVC Coordinator with any further questions you might have. You can do this by email, phone or in person after making an appointment.

Step 2: Intake interview: advice and provisional registration

If you are still interested in going through the procedure at this point, you can request a (free) intake interview with the EVC Coordinator or one of the faculty EVC coordinators. The faculty study programme counsellors are also EVC coordinators. To help check whether you fulfil the admission requirements, you will need to bring a copy of any relevant diploma or degree certificates with you.

During the intake interview, you:

• receive more information about the portfolio method.
• find out about the difference between EVCs (Previously Acquired Competences) and EVKs ("Eerder Verworven Kwalificaties" or Previously Acquired Qualifications). Applications for the recognition of EVKs have to be addressed directly to the faculty. The EVC procedure does not apply in this case.
• discuss which competences you wish to petition the commission for.
• receive advice from the EVC Coordinator about the next steps in the procedure. At this point, you should decide whether you wish to continue. Other suitable options might include enrolling with a credit and/or exam contract. You should remember that the application and procedure for EVC competence certificates are very labour-intensive.

Dates for requesting an intake interview:

• The spring procedure: the candidate should request an intake interview with the EVC Coordinator before 1 February.
• The autumn procedure: the candidate should request an intake interview with the EVC Coordinator before 1 September.

Step 3: Registering for the EVC procedure: filling out a request for recognition

Please note! The registration for the EVC procedure always precedes your actual enrolment on the programme itself and is not related to it.

Costs associated with the EVC procedure:

You register for the procedure within the AUHA at the institution where you are requesting EVC certificates and pay a €62.41  administration fee and a contribution towards the competence evaluation. This contribution to the EVC procedure is calculated according to the number of study credits you are using. You need to determine which programme components you wish to have your competences tested for:

• 1-20 credits: €62.41
• 21-40 credits: €130.49
• 41-60 credits: €198.58
• 61-120 credits: €402.83
• 121-180 credits: €607.08
• more than 180 credits: €811.83.

If the competence evaluation relates to a Master programme and the applicant already has a Bachelor degree, then the administrative fee is €206.99.

Registration for the EVC procedure:

• spring procedure: you need to register for the EVC procedure with the EVC coordinator by 1 March at the latest.
• autumn procedure: you need to register for the EVC procedure with the EVC coordinator by 1 October at the latest.

Step 4: Putting together your portfolio

You put together your portfolio yourself using the manual and the STARRT method. During this time you are entitled to one in-depth coaching interview with the faculty EVC coordinator to whom you have been assigned. You can download the manual on this page under "More information about the EVC procedure?".

Dates for coaching interviews with the faculty EVC coordinator:

• spring procedure: the candidate needs to request a coaching interview with the faculty EVC coordinator by 15 March at the latest. The interview must take place before 15 April.
• autumn procedure: the candidate needs to request a coaching interview with the faculty EVC coordinator by 15 October at the latest. The interview must take place before 15 November.

Dates for submitting your portfolio:

• spring procedure: the candidate needs to submit four copies of his/her portfolio to the EVC coordinator before 1 May.
• autumn procedure: the candidate needs to submit four copies of his/her portfolio to the EVC coordinator before 1 December.

Step 5: Evaluation of the portfolio and decision

• Composition of the evaluation commission: your portfolio will be evaluated by a commission made up of three assessors. The commission decides whether or not to recognise your competences within eight weeks of receiving your portfolio.
• The evaluation interview - possibly also a competence test: the evaluation commission may require you to take a competence test as an additional means of evaluation. This by no means is a substitute for the portfolio. The evaluation commission then meets with the candidate to assess his or her request and portfolio. This interview is organised according to the criterion-oriented interview method. The technique aims to analyse and validate competences acquired in the past and through previous experiences. The evaluation interview is not an exam. You will be informed about the time of the interview and the nature and time of the competence test (if applicable) no later than fourteen days beforehand.
• Decision and ruling: the evaluation commission decides, by majority, which competence(s) are to be recognised on the basis of the portfolio, interview and the outcome of the competence test, if applicable, and provides sufficient justification for its decision. You will receive the evaluation commission's ruling and competence certificates for any competences that have been recognised. If necessary, you can appeal the decision and submit a written objection to the Antwerp University Association's policy secretary within five calendar days of being notified of the commission's ruling.

Receiving an exemption means that you do not have to sit an exam for a particular programme component, and at the University of Antwerp this is a decision made by the faculties themselves.

Exemptions can be granted:

• on the basis of a credit certificate for an exam which you have already passed (with a score of at least 10/20).
• on the basis of Previously Acquired Qualifications (EVKs): these are certificates obtained after formal learning programmes (e.g. at other higher education institutions in Belgium or abroad or with the VDAB). A credit certificate obtained at another university or university college is also considered an EVK.
• on the basis of a competence certificate issued after the EVC procedure.

Each faculty appoints an institution which is responsible for making decisions about whether exemptions can be granted or not. The EVC procedure therefore comes before you enrol on a programme at the University of Antwerp. An EVC competence certificate may lead to an exemption but this is not automatically the case: all exemptions need to be requested and approved!

Your first point of contact should always be the EVC coordinator or his/her substitute.

University of Antwerp EVC Coordinator

• Sabine De Vriendt
  Stadscampus, Blindestraat 14,  2000 Antwerpen
  Tel.  03 265 49 27
  sabine.devriendt@uantwerpen.be
   
• Substitute EVC coordinator:
  Greet Boels
  Stadscampus, Gebouw S, room S.034
  Tel. 03 265 54 67
  greet.boels@uantwerpen.be

Additional information

Antwerp University Association (AUHA) website www.associatie-antwerpen.be