BENELUX diplomas

Certain higher education diplomas awarded in Belgium and the Netherlands benefit from automatic academic recognition in Luxembourg (Decisions of the Benelux Committee of Ministers M(2015)3 and M(2018)1).

This means that: 

• holders of the relevant diplomas are exempted from any administrative procedure aiming at academic recognition throughout the Benelux member States. In Luxembourg, this exemption includes the application for registration in the register of formal higher education qualifications;
• the academic level of the diplomas covered by the Benelux Decisions, as defined by the competent authorities of the issuing country, is automatically recognised at the same level within the Luxembourg Qualifications Framework – cadre luxembourgeois des qualifications (CLQ). This is made possible by the alignment of the Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg qualifications frameworks with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), which acts as a translation tool (e.g. level 6 of the Dutch Qualifications Framework (NLQF) = level 6 of the EQF = level 6 of the CLQ);
• holders of the relevant diplomas have the right to use the academic title following their name and as written on the final diploma. The field of study/specialisation may be translated (e.g.: [name of holder], Master of Arts in History).

As a vehicle for European integration, the automatic recognition aims to simplify administrative procedures for holders of higher education diplomas, thereby facilitating the cross-border mobility of students and workers. Thus, in Luxembourg, registration of the diplomas covered by automatic recognition in the register of formal higher education qualifications is no longer required to take part in the recruitment tests for the higher careers in the civil service.

Relevant diplomas and corresponding levels of the Luxembourg Qualifications Framework (CLQ)

Only those Belgian and Dutch diplomas are covered by automatic academic recognition, which:

1. are awarded by a higher education institution recognised by the competent authorities in the country of issue;
2. and are awarded after completion of a higher education initial training study programme recognised by the competent authorities in the country of issue;
3. and have been included by the competent authorities in the Decisions establishing automatic recognition.

Flemish Community of Belgium	French Community of Belgium	German-speaking Community of Belgium	Netherlands	EQF	Luxembourg	CLQ
diploma van gegradueerde 1 graad van gegradueerde 1	brevet d’enseignement supérieur	not applicable	getuigschrift associate degree	5	brevet de technicien supérieur diplôme d’études supérieures générales	5
graad van bachelor	grade académique de bachelier	Diplom Bachelor	getuigschrift bachelor Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science	6	diplôme de bachelor	6
graad van master	grade académique de master	not applicable	getuigschrift master Master of Arts Master of Science	7	diplôme de master	7
graad van doctor	grade académique de docteur 2	not applicable	Doctor 3 Doctor of Philosophy 3	8	grade de docteur diplôme d'études spécialisées en médecine	8

¹ the degrees of gegradueerde issued before the academic year 2004-2005 correspond to the current degree of bachelor (see section ‘Old’ Academic Degrees).

² concerned are the third-cycle diplomas awarded by a recognised university of the French Community of Belgium and obtained after defending a thesis in accordance with Article 71(2) of the Décret de la Communauté française du 7 novembre 2013 définissant le paysage de l'enseignement supérieur et l'organisation académique des études.

³ the diplomas referred to in Article 7.18(1) of the Law known as Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek (together with the annex to that law).

Recognised training institutions

All diplomas listed in the table above and awarded by higher education institutions listed on the following sites are automatically recognised:

• Flemish Community of Belgium
  NVAO - Decisions and reports (Flanders)
• French Community of Belgium
  Annuaire des établissements d’enseignement supérieur
• German-speaking Community of Belgium
  Autonome Hochschule Ostbelgien
• Netherlands
  NVAO - Decisions and reports (Netherlands)

‘Old’ Academic Degrees

In the course of the Bologna Process aimed at harmonising the structures of the European higher education systems, the reorganisation of the respective study cycles and academic degrees created the need to make – where possible – the ‘old’ degrees legally correspond to the new ones. Where such formal correspondence has been determined by the competent authorities for an ‘old’ higher education degree, and where the new degree concerned is included in the Benelux Decisions M(2015)3 and M(2018)1, the ‘old’ degree is automatically recognised at the CLQ level of the new degree.

(e.g.: The ‘old’ Belgian degree of Licencié en sociologie, issued by universities, is subject to a legal correspondence with the new Master en sociologie, which in turn is automatically recognised at level 7 of the CLQ. Therefore, the degree of Licencié en sociologie is automatically recognised at level 7 of the CLQ)

Flemish Community of Belgium

• Codex Hoger Onderwijs van 20 december 2013, Art. II.377, Art. II.378
  
• Besluit van de Vlaamse Regering van 17 Sept. 2004
• For a list summarising the formal correspondences between 'old' and new higher education degrees, please refer to the website of the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training.

French Community of Belgium

• Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Communauté française fixant la liste de correspondance entre les anciens et nouveaux grades académiques (A.Gt 19-05-2004 - M.B. 27-07-2004)

  Please note:
  

  With the exception of the degrees of candidat awarded after a three-year study cycle, a degree of candidat shall, however, be considered as corresponding to a degree of bachelier only if the graduate has also completed at least one year of postgraduate second-cycle studies in the same discipline (Art. 1(2)). 

• Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Communauté française fixant la liste de correspondance entre les anciens grades et les nouveaux grades académiques délivrés par les établissements d'enseignement supérieur de plein exercice, à l'exception des universités (A.Gt 06-07-2007 - M.B. 07-09-2007)

  Please note:
  

   A degree of candidat shall, however, be considered as corresponding to a degree of bachelier only if the holder of that degree of candidat has also completed at least one year of postgraduate second-cycle studies in the same discipline (Art. 4).

• Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Communauté française portant application de l'article 29 du décret du 17 mai 1999 relatif à l'Enseignement supérieur artistique (A.Gt 16-09-2002 - M.B. 13-11-2002)

  Please note:
  

  This Order is to be read in conjunction with Order A.Gt 06-07-2007 — M.B. 07-09-2007, cited above.

German-speaking Community of Belgium

• Not applicable

Netherlands

• Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek, art. 7.10a., art. 7.19a., art. 7.20.
• Generic list of correspondence between ‘old’ and new higher education degrees.

Diplomas not covered by automatic recognition

The Benelux Decisions M(2015)3 and M(2018)1 refer only to higher education diplomas awarded after initial training study programmes. As a result, some academic degrees, and in particular the specialisation degrees, are omitted from automatic recognition. The exclusion of a diploma from automatic recognition does not, however, in itself exclude the possibility of recognition through the normal procedure for registration in the Register of formal higher education qualifications.

The list below gives indicative evidence of academic qualifications not covered by the Benelux Decisions M(2015)3 and M(2018)1:

• Flemish Community of Belgium
  Schakelprogramma, bachelor na bachelor (ba-na-ba), master na master (ma-na-ma), postgraduaat
• French Community of Belgium 
  Grade de spécialisation, Bachelier de spécialisation, Master complémentaire, Master de spécialisation