Annex 3. Recognition of prior learning and professional experience

I. General provisions

1. A student or external student or a person applying for matriculation may request the recognition of prior learning and professional experience (“RPL”) to determine compliance with admission requirements and for completing the curriculum.

2. The university may fully or partly recognise formal and continuing education completed at other higher education institutions and other educational and training institutions, and knowledge acquired in the course of professional experience, everyday activities and leisure time as a part of fulfilling admission requirements and completing the curriculum, except for final exams and graduation theses. Continuing education and knowledge acquired in the course of professional experience, everyday activities and leisure time can be recognised as completion of the curriculum if there are courses with respective learning outcomes at the University of Tartu.

3. In addition to the final exam or graduation thesis, the curriculum may specify subjects that cannot be completed by RPL. The volume of such subjects may not exceed 30% of the curriculum, excluding the volume of the graduation thesis or final exam.

4. If the person applies for the recognition of subjects that have already been entered in a diploma supplement issued with a diploma certifying the completion of a previous level of study as elective or optional courses, these courses can be taken into account as elective or optional courses in the prescribed volume only if the curriculum of the previous level of study has been completed in a larger than the standard volume of the curriculum. Courses cannot be recognised as elective or optional courses in a larger volume than the part exceeding the standard volume of the curriculum of the previous level of study. Upon recognition of mandatory courses, the recognised volume is not limited.

5. To assess prior learning and professional experience, the head of institute that manages the curriculum or the vice dean for academic affairs of the faculty that manages the curriculum forms an RPL committee (“committee”) and appoints the chair of the committee and specifies the curricula the compliance with which the committee assesses. The committee must include the programme directors of the respective curricula; the remaining committee members are appointed from among academic staff. In case of course(s) and module(s) of another structural unit or cross-unit module(s), all the respective curriculum committees are requested to give their assessment, which will be decisive in making the decision.

6. In issues related to preparing the application and in curriculum- or course-specific RPL issues, counselling is provided by the structural unit that manages the curriculum. For that purpose, the dean of the faculty or the head of institute that manages the curriculum appoints RPL counsellor(s) in the structural unit.

9. The head of the Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for regularly reviewing the RPL principles and rules of procedure of RPL, and monitoring compliance with them.