Recognition of academic achievements obtained abroad
Planning stage prior to the stay
You are spending a semester abroad and taking courses at your host university which you would like to have recognised towards your degree in Paderborn. Your host university will provide you with information in due course regarding your options, course catalogues and module descriptions. Of course, you should also take the initiative to find out more on the host university’s website. Your host university and the contact persons responsible for credit recognition in your faculty will assist you in choosing the right courses. Each faculty has its own procedure for preparing and recognising courses.
Ensuring your courses are covered – the Learning Agreement
To ensure that your chosen courses are recognised later on, you should enter them in the Learning Agreement (LA). One section of the form is for entering the courses at the host university, whilst the following section lists the courses that you would like to have recognised as part of your degree upon your return, provided you have successfully passed them. The LA is available in digital or paper form, depending on the host university. Please allow sufficient time to discuss the LA with your faculty. These processes often take longer than expected. The LA will be made available to you in Mobility Online in due course. The LA is compulsory in the Erasmus+ area and at some faculties. Please read the explanations below carefully. There you will also find the link to your faculty.
During your stay – changes to your course selection
During your stay, it is possible and quite normal that you may need to make changes to your course selection, for example, due to clashes between courses you have chosen, because you were unable to secure a place, because course titles or timetables have changed, because courses have been cancelled, or because course catalogues had not yet been finalised. This is not a problem. There is a corrective LA – the Learning Agreement During the Mobility – for this purpose.
After the stay – carry out the assessment
After your semester abroad, you will receive a Transcript of Records from your host university detailing the credits you have earned. You will need this document, together with the LA, to have your academic achievements recognised by your faculty. Once again, the point of contact is your faculty’s recognition contact. The recognition of individual credits is voluntary, not compulsory. You will find the link to your faculty below.
Explanatory notes
Learning Agreement
Before your stay
The Learning Agreement is a contract between your home university, the host university and the student regarding the choice of courses and their recognition. It guarantees that the credits you earn whilst studying abroad will be recognised by Paderborn University upon your return.
The Learning Agreement must be drawn up before you go abroad. Recognition of credits generally takes place within the faculties. You will also find your points of contact regarding the Learning Agreement there. As procedures vary across faculties, please check your faculty’s website for detailed information.
Without a Learning Agreement, it is generally not possible to have credits earned abroad recognised. However, you are not obliged to have all the credits listed in the Learning Agreement actually recognised afterwards. It serves as a safeguard for you.
- The Learning Agreement in the Erasmus+ area: It is a mandatory component of the Erasmus+ grant and is now largely sent digitally (Digital Learning Agreement = DLA). This is a guided process; both the digital and PDF versions will be made available to you in Mobility-Online in due course. The Erasmus+ Coordination team will also provide you with support in the form of information sessions and instructions. The LA must be fully signed and submitted by the start date agreed in the Erasmus+ grant agreement (unless your host university has an earlier deadline). The payment of the first instalment of your Erasmus+ grant is contingent upon this.
- The Learning Agreement outside the Erasmus+ area (Worldwide and Freemover): You should use the PDF document, which is available in our downloads section. The International Office does not require the LA. It serves purely for your own personal insurance and remains in your possession.
As the credit recognition processes within the faculties can generally take several weeks, please start processing this immediately after we have nominated you at the host university. Some host universities will proactively provide you with the information you need to choose your courses; for others, you will need to research this yourself on the university’s website or, if necessary, make a polite enquiry with the relevant contact persons. If your host university’s course catalogue for the relevant academic year is not yet available, please refer to previous course catalogues or enquire politely with the host university. If your host university requires you to finalise your course selection before the LA is drawn up, please ensure you only enter these courses into the Learning Agreement.
During your stay
It is possible and normal that you may need to change your chosen courses again after arriving at the host university (e.g. due to clashes between selected courses, because you were unable to secure a place, course titles or timetables have changed, courses have been cancelled, or because course catalogues had not yet been finalised). This is not a problem. For any changes, the ‘Learning Agreement “During the Mobility”’ is available - for Erasmus+ in Mobility-Online and for Worldwide and Freemover in the download section.
Recognition and Credit Transfer
Grades from abroad are converted using grade conversion tables, which you can find on the faculties’ websites mentioned above. If there is no conversion table available for your partner university, the Modified Bavarian Formula will be applied. Please check with your faculty regarding the grade conversion method for your period of study abroad.
Once you have completed your studies abroad, the faculty can recognise your academic achievements using the Learning Agreement and the Transcript of Records from the host university/institution. Ultimately, the respective Examinations Boards for your subject area are responsible for recognition. If you encounter any problems with recognition or wish to make a complaint, please therefore contact the Chair of the Examinations Board first. There are also other avenues for lodging a complaint.
Diploma Supplement
Along with their degree certificate, all students at Paderborn University are issued with a Diploma Supplement or provided with a digital copy. It is a supplementary, standardised document accompanying the degree certificate, which describes the content, level, context and status of the degree programme in a way that is internationally understandable. There is no need to apply for the Diploma Supplement separately. If you have any further questions about the Diploma Supplement, please contact the Examinations Management.
Guideline on Recognition
Paderborn University’s guidelines on the recognition of academic achievements from abroad