The recognition of higher education degrees in Europe

Last updated on Tuesday, 07/09/2021

You might want to get your studies recognised in another country, maybe because you'll be going on an exchange or because you want to work or study somewhere else.

The European Higher Education Area makes it easier to get your certificates recognised.

How is higher education structured in Europe?

EU Member States have their own individual higher education system but all are part of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). 

The EHEA system helps ensure that higher education systems across Europe are compatible and that students, researchers and academics in Europe can collaborate and study or work abroad more easily.

Higher education is organised in a three-cycle system: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and Doctorate/PhD while qualifications are comparable through the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). 

To make this easier, the EU has developed a credit system that shows the relative levels of credits obtained in different EU countries: the ECTS.

How to get your academic degree or diploma recognised?

The ECTS and EQF are “translation tools”, there is no automatic EU-wide recognition of academic diplomas. You will need to go through a national procedure to get your academic degree or diploma recognised in another EU country. It can be for labour purposes (e.g. entry level in an administration) or if you want to pursue further studies in a different country (check this list). 

If ECTS credits are not available for courses you've done in the past, you might have to apply for credential evaluation/recognition. 

Depending on the country, responsibility for evaluating your previous study will lie with the educational institution, the relevant education ministry or the national academic recognition or information centre.

In all cases, contact the ENIC/NARIC centre in the country where you would like your diplomas assessed for "comparability". This could be your home country if you return home after your studies, or another EU country if you move there for work or further study.