A majority of countries in Europe provide the possibility for access to or fulfilment of higher education based on prior non-formal and informal learning.
Recognition of prior learning has been a long-standing goal of higher education in Europe. The EU adopted a Council Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning already in 2012, asking Member States to put arrangements in place to make validation a reality by 2018. The EU’s agency for vocational education and training (Cedefop) has also published guidelines for the validation of non-formal and informal learning for the purpose of supporting Member States’ implementation. Furthermore, the Bologna Process promotes the recognition of all types of prior learning, confirmed in various ministerial communiqués. Concretely, the recognition of prior learning can be beneficial in two ways: On the one hand, it could facilitate access to higher education for learners who do not have the required secondary school qualifications, and on the other hand, it could contribute ECTS to a higher education qualification which would reduce the number of courses required to complete for learners to obtain the degree.
A new Eurydice report analyses the progress in implementing recognition of prior learning mechanisms that was made across 37 higher education systems in Europe based on data from 2023. When it comes to recognising non-formal and informal learning to enable access to higher education institutions (HEI), 18 out of the 37 education systems provide this legal possibility. The distinction between North-Western European countries that enable it and South-Eastern countries that do not, is particularly stark (see page 9 of the report). However, there is great diversity among the countries that offer the possibility. Some countries have limitations on what type of institutions get access (e.g. in Austria only universities of applied sciences include the possibility), other countries have age limitations (e.g. in Spain only learners over 40 can get their prior learning recognised, in Portugal and Norway the minimum age is 23). Further, in many countries, the decisions and processes are completely left to the individual HEIs to define (e.g. Malta, the Netherlands and Switzerland). Some countries offer the possibility of entrance exams, for instance, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland. Lastly, some countries instead offer preparatory higher education programmes that then lead to access to higher education (e.g. Denmark, Flanders, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or Spain).
When it comes to the recognition of prior learning for the purpose of fulfilling higher education study requirements, most analysed education systems offer this possibility (30 out of 37). Concretely, this means that a learner would not have to participate in all courses in order to obtain a higher education qualification. However, while it is possible in most systems, it is generally up to the individual HEIs to decide whether or how to implement it. In some education systems, the national regulations specify the maximum workload that could be validated as prior learning. In Spain, for example, work and professional experience could be validated and converted into credits at a maximum of 15% of the total number of credits of the programme; in the Czech Republic, the recognised prior learning can be a maximum of 60%.
The Eurydice report also assessed what types of learning activities are typically recognised by HEIs. The evidence shows that work-based learning and training courses outside of school can often be validated. However, HEIs are much less accepting informal learning experiences acquired within family or leisure. Lastly, the report also studied whether quality assurance requirements include provisions for the validation of prior learning: 19 out of 30 higher education systems make explicit references to recognition of prior learning.
In Switzerland, the recognition of prior learning is possible but left to the autonomous decisions and procedures of the HEIs. A so-called ‘passerelle’ exam is an opportunity for candidates who do not have a Matura (baccalaureate/A-Levels) to gain access to Swiss higher education.