FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions Let's suppose you are about to receive a diploma from a foreign school or an institution of higher learning within the French-speaking Community, and you want to pursue your studies at the University of Liège. Here are the Admissions Office's most frequently asked questions.

• What diploma do I have to have in order to begin studies at the university ?   
• I don't have a secondary education diploma. Can I still begin university studies ?
• Where can I get a form to apply for admission ?
• What is the last day for submitting a file as part of an application for admission ?
• I have a diploma from a foreign country. At what level can I get admitted to university ?
• I am a European Union citizen. What is the procedure for registering for 1^st cycle studies ?
• Where can I find the list of transitions and automatic equivalencies that apply to my credential ?
• What can I do if the transition I am interested in is not mentioned in the transition regulations ?
• I've been working, but I would like to go back to school while continuing to work. Is that possible ?
• Can I get credit for prior professional experience in order to be exempted from having to take a preparatory year in order to enter the Master's programme I have selected ?
• I don't have a diploma, but I have years of valuable professional experience. Can I get credit for that ?
• Where can I find the form for requesting a particular transition ?
• Does my continuing education diploma make me eligible for any automatic transitions ?
• I hold an older degree called a "graduat". Can I still take advantage of the transitions specified in the transition regulations ?

What diploma do you have to have in order to begin university studies ?

According to the regulations, you can choose from among the following possibilities :

• Belgian Certificate of Higher Secondary Education (C.E.S.S.)
• Belgian Certificate of Higher Secondary Education (C.E.S.S.) + an attestation that you successfully passed the DAES examination if your diploma was awarded no later than at the end of the 1992-1993 school year
• a diploma issued by an institution of higher learning of the French-speaking Community
• a higher education degree issued by an institution of continuing adult education
• a European baccalaureate issued by the High Council of the European School
• an international baccalaureate issued by the International Baccalaureate Office in Geneva
• a secondary school diploma recognized to be equivalent to the Certificate of Higher Secondary Education (C.E.S.S.) of the French-speaking Community of Belgium, and if necessary an attestation of your having successfully passed any complementary examination you were required to take
• an attestation of your having successfully passed an admission examination for the 1^st cycle of university studies
• an attestation of your having successfully passed an admission examination for the 1^st cycle of studies in the applied sciences, required for registration in the the 1^st year of engineering

I don't have a secondary school diploma. Can I still begin university studies ?

In order to register for first-cycle university studies,  it is absolutely indispensable that you have an acceptable credential giving you the right to register.

If you do not hold any of the diplomas previously mentioned, or an attestation of complete equivalency to the Belgian C.E.S.S. issued by the Ministry of the French-speaking Coimmunity, you can still take the general admission examination for first cycle university studies.

Please note: If you are a citizen of a country outside the European Union, you can only take this examination if you are officially eligible to be "admitted" to the University of Liège (as attested by a letter from the Admissions Office).

Where can I get a form for applying for admission ?

There are different forms, depending on your nationality and the level of university studies you are applying for.

You will find all the forms on the pages marked either "Diploma obtained in the European Union" or "Diploma obtained from outside the European Union".

What is the last day on which I can submit an admissions file ?

The deadline for submitting files for students who are citizens of countries outside the European Union is April 30, 2008.

The deadline for submitting files for students who are citizens of Member States of the European Union is August 31, 2008.

Reminder: students from European Union countries who want to register to 1^st year bachelor are not required to pre-register.

I have a diploma from a foreign country. At what level will I be admitted ?

The level at which you may be admitted depends on a number of factors: the type of diploma you hold currently, the subject area you want to study, the number of years of study you have already passed successfully, the number of classroom hours you accumulated, the content of your training and the significance of the grades you received.

If you have a secondary education diploma, you can apply for admission to 1^st year bachelor.

If you have already begun university studies, you can request partial recognition of previous work as part of a mid-year admission(bachelor's or master's, depending on the number of years successfully completed).

If you already have a university diploma awarded after completion of 5 years of studies, you can apply for admission to an advanced Master's programme or a doctoral programme.

I am a citizen of the European Union. What is the procedure I have to follow in order to register for 1^st year?

If you are a citizen of a Member State of the European Union you can register directly for 1^st year, without having to submit an admissions file, as long as you satisfy the minimum requirements for admission, and you have the legal right to be admitted
to first-cycle university studies.

For studies in veterinary medicine or phsiotherapy and rehabilitation, you must also be included in the quota of non-resident students.

For studies in civil engineering, you must pass an admission examination to first-cycle studies in engineering.

Where can I find the list of transitions that applies to the credentials I hold ?

You can consult the French-speaking Community's website, which will show you all the possibilities available to you based on your current diploma. A list of preparatory years required for higher education diploma holders is also available on our website. Finally, you can be admitted to Master's programmes directly, via automatic transitions.   

What can I do if the transition I am interested in is not on the list mentioned in the transition regulations?

If admission to the Master's programme you want to enter is not on the list of automatic transitions, it may still be possible
to request individualised admission to first-cycle studies (2^nd or 3^rd year of a bachelor's programme) with the understanding
that you will be admitted later to the Master's programme you are interested in.

I am working, but I would like to go back to school while continuing to work. Is that possible?

If you are unable to attend school full-time, there are still two possibilities open :

1) you can extend the programme over two years :

You can arrange a plan to divide up your course examinations with your jury.
In such a case, you will register normally. During the first year of studies, you will have to pay regular registration fees
(811 EUR for 2008-2009) and during the second year, you will receive a special price (64 EUR for 2008-2009) for the period during which you complete your plan to divide up your course examinations.

2) carry out your studies via the Jury of the French-speaking Community :

With this option, you do not register until you are ready to take the examinations that are part of the programme. You are not registered as a regular student; you only register for one examination session at a time (January + June or September).
Each session costs 373 EUR. In order to register with the Jury of the French-speaking Community, you must prove that
you are unable to attend classes (an attesntation from your employer is customary). If you do wish to attend classes,
the best thing to do would be to register to audit classes (cost, 31 EUR in 2008-2009). For more information and
for registration with the Jury of the French-speaking Community, contact the Registration Service.

Please note that certain courses of study are on a staggered schedule: public health sciences and management sciences.

Can I get credit for prior work experience in order to be exempted from a preparatory year of study leading to the Master's programme I want to enter?

Your previous work experience in the area of the Master's programme you want to enter, if it is significant, may be judged as sufficient to exempt you from a preparatory year. In such a case, you will request individualised admission on the basis of your individual file.

 I don't have a diploma, but I have years of valuable work experience. Can I get credit for that?

If you can prove that you have at least 5 years of work experience in the appropriate subject area, you can submit a file to
the jury, requesting admission to a Master's programme through credit for life experience (VAE). 

Where can I obtain the form for requesting a transition ?

If the transition that you want to take advantage of is listed among the automatic transitions, you may come in person to the Admissions Office. If not, the form requesting admission via a particular transition can still be obtained from the Admissions Office.

I have an adult continuing education diploma. Are there any automatic transitions available for me ?

Unless your adult continuing education diploma is recognized as equivalent, your application for admission must be supported by an admissions file. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.

I hole an older type of diploma, a "graduat". Can I also take advantage of transitions specified in the regulations ?

Under the law of correspondence of July 6, 2007, formerly issued degrees and diplomas that correspond to current degrees and diplomas are eligible to take advantage of the same transitions that are provided for those current credentials.