As lifelong learning and time saving become increasingly important, many people are looking for ways to have their previous qualifications and experiences recognized for their studies. The IU International University has recognized this and offers its students the opportunity to have prior academic achievements or professional experiences recognized.

In this article, we take a close look at the IU's recognition process and how students can benefit from it to make their academic journey more efficient and achieve their goals faster.

What does it mean to have study achievements recognized?

The "recognition of prior learning" for studies means that previously acquired qualifications, courses, or achievements from previous educational paths or the profession are officially recognized by a university as qualified knowledge. Instead of repeating these contents, students can use these prior achievements for their current studies and thus save time, effort, and costs.

In this context, the ECTS credits as well as the modules to be completed are taken into account. ECTS are an internationally recognized unit of study performance required for the successful completion of a module or course. When prior achievements are recognized, the corresponding ECTS points are credited to the students. This means that they do not have to earn these points again by completing the same modules.

In this context, the term "recognition" is used in the case of previous academic achievements, and "crediting" often refers accordingly to training and further education as well as professional experience. IU on its part clarifies that for the sake of simplifying the dialogue, the term "recognition" is generally used for prior achievements.

The benefits of recognizing prior achievements at IU International University include:

• Cost reduction: If prior achievements are recognized, the number of monthly installments is reduced. At IU, this amounts to €30 per ECTS point, but does not reduce the monthly instalment amount.
• Time savings: IU calculates with 30 hours per credited ECTS point. As the modules consist of 5 ECTS, this results in a reduction of workload by 150h per module plus the possibility to save entire semesters and complete the studies much earlier.
• Transfer of grades for study achievements: If study achievements have already been made before and are recognized, their grades can even be transferred.

The impact this can have on the scope of the studies is illustrated by an example: State-recognized educators benefit enormously from their education in the specific course "Early Childhood Education for Educators" and can complete the course in half the time and costs.

The IU ECTS Calculator

The IU International University's ECTS Calculator (approximately in the middle of the page) allows you to quickly and non-bindingly check prior achievements from completed training and further education. With a simple input into the calculator's dialogue box and a click on "Check now", all courses for which ECTS can be recognized to save time and money will be displayed.

The calculator uses the information about education or further education to provide recommendations based on the database of all course modules and in line with the lump sum recognition options. This way, IU informs about which course you can quickly complete and effectively reduce tuition fees.

The ECTS Calculator of IU provides recommendations of study courses where, solely due to the lump sum recognition options, time and cost advantages can be gained. Here is an example of the result from the German website with an education as a 'dietitian'.

For example, due to the completed education in dietetics, 35 of the total 180 ECTS for the nutrition science course are generally recognized, equivalent to a study performance of 7 modules and about one semester at IU. In addition, a saving of €1050 can be achieved. For state-certified dietitians, it is also possible to reduce the duration of the B.Sc. Dietetics course to 3 semesters. In the "Health Management" course, 20 ECTS and about €600 can be saved.

Which prior achievements can be recognised?

As the examples show, the savings in costs and time can be significant. However, the ECTS calculator provided by IU only considers the flat-rate recognition options for which the university already offers pre-filled applications and automatically offsets them with relevant modules in the online form for the recognition of previous achievements.

Additionally, there is also the possibility of individual recognition, where students can explicitly apply for certain courses of the degree programme, which must be justified with their relevant previous experience. This also includes study achievements if one has previously studied.

• Flat-rate recognition options: Vocational training (IHK, HWK), further education (IHK, HWK, VWA), other training and further education
• Individual recognition options: Study achievements, non-university degrees (e.g. IHK certificate), professional experience (professional qualifications outside of training for Bachelor's programmes, managerial positions for Master's programmes), as well as content from vocational training

How does recognition of prior learning work?

There are several steps and processes between opening the online form and the final recognition of previous achievements that need to be completed at IU International University.

In the following section, we will take a closer look at the process leading up to the recognition of previous achievements in studies.

Overview of the submission process:

1. Start online recognition: To initiate the recognition process, simply access the online form.
2. Fill out contact form: In the next step, fill out the contact form, select the desired degree programme, provide personal information and email address.
3. Flat-rate recognition options (optional): If available, vocational and further educations can be entered. You can either scroll and search through the dropdown selection or start typing and use autocomplete. If a suitable option is available, it can be selected here. Multiple selections are possible.
4. Individual recognition options: If flat-rate recognition options were selected in the previous step, the offset will be displayed here already. Further relevant prior experiences can now be entered for individual course modules and must be provided with relevant information (such as type of previous achievement and its extent).
5. Upload documents and submit: To complete the application and submit it for review, the necessary documents need to be uploaded and submitted.

The difference between flat-rate (left) and individual recognition options (right) is evident in IU's online form - here using the example of the course B.Eng. Electrical Engineering (again on the German website). Based on the information on vocational and further education, 5 ECTS each for the modules 'Collaborative Work' and 'Mechatronic Systems' are automatically offset.

Following the application, IU will contact via email, confirm the receipt of the documents, and if necessary, request additional documents. The next notification will be when the application has been processed by the university and handed over to the examination board - and finally, when the recognition decision has been reviewed.

Once enrollment is completed, the transfer of recognized achievements into the performance overview will take place. If study fees are saved through recognition, the recognition will be recorded in a supplementary agreement for cost reduction, which is valid from the enrollment onwards.

When should you apply for recognition?

The application for recognition of previous achievements should ideally be made at the time of application or during the trial month. IU recommends submitting the application no later than the end of the trial month in order to benefit from a reduction in monthly rates.

However, it is important that the university has time (see above) to transfer the previous achievements so that there are no conflicts between recognition and transfer. IU writes about this:

Please do not enroll in any of the courses for which you have applied for recognition when you start your studies. We can only enter your recognized courses after the processing has been completed and after you have enrolled.

Recognition for new courses or reaccreditations is only possible at the start of the new programme, which should be less of an issue given the flexible course start times and lack of a fixed semester schedule at IU.

Important notes on previous achievements at IU

There are some important aspects to consider when recognizing previous achievements:

• Recognition upper limit: It is possible to have up to 50% of the ECTS points for the respective degree program recognized. It is important to note, however, that this upper limit applies. Theses generally cannot be recognized.
• Limitation on elective modules: For elective modules, only 10 out of a total of 30 ECTS points (not 50%) can be recognized.
• Entitlement to course contents: Once recognition has been granted, there is no longer any entitlement to the course contents of the corresponding course.
• Participation in exams after recognition: In general, participation in exams for recognized modules is no longer possible. If participation still occurs, this may result in the loss of recognition.
• Eligibility tests: Modules that have been completed as part of a eligibility test as admission requirement are generally not eligible for recognition.
• Changes to the curriculum: It is possible that changes to the curriculum may occur over time that could affect previously recognized achievements. In such cases, adjustments to the recognition may be necessary.

It is advisable to consider these notes when planning and applying for the recognition of previous achievements in order to avoid possible restrictions and losses.