Equivalency for secondary education diplomas

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With the exception of students who obtained a European baccalaureate issued by the Superior Council of the European School or an international baccalaureate issued by the Office of international baccalaureates in Geneva, all students who have received a secondary education diploma from a foreign country must obtain a declaration of equivalency between their secondary education diploma and the C.E.S.S. (certificate of higher secondary education) in order to gain admission to first-cycle university studies).

Requests for a declaration of equivalency (and accompanying files) must be made before July 15 to this address: Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique de la Communauté française, Direction générale de l'enseignement obligatoire Service des équivalences, Rue A. Lavallée 1, 1080 Bruxelles (Fax : +32 2 6908850, e-mail : equi.oblig@cfwb.be).

Concerning such requests you can call this telephone number  (+32 2 6908686): all necessary information is also available on the Ministry's website.

Above all, you must obtain the following documentation, remembering that the Ministry requires either original documents or certified copies. (The Ministry can provide you with a list of institutions that are able to provide you with suche certified copies). If translations for your documents are required, only a translator that is sworn and accredited by a Belgian court or by the embassy services of Belgium in your country is permitted to make the translations.

• an original copy of your birth certificate 
• a cover letter stating your reasons for wanting to study at the University of Liège, including your first and last name and your address, and the name of the programme you wish to enrol in;
• the original receipt for payment of administrative fees (124 EUR) (*)
• a certified copy of your secondary school diploma or a provisional attestation of successful completion if you earned your diploma in 2008
• a certified copy of your grade report. You must provide the grade report that accompanies your diploma. If no grade report is attached to the diploma, then that document stands on its own
• if necessary, you must provide a certified copy of a document that proves that you had access to higher education in the country where you finished your secondary education. It is very important to furnish proof of this in the beginning of the admissions process

(*) 124 EUR for file processing costs (non-refundable) must be paid into the following account, n° 091-2110516-19 and carry the notation, "equivalency for" followed by your last name and first name(s).

When sending payment from a foreign country :
Code IBAN : BE390912-1105-1619
Code BIC : GKCCBEBB

Remarks :

If the equivalency decision you receive does not allow you to be admitted to the studies that you wanted to take up, you can take the examination for aptitude for higher education studies (DAES), administered by the French-speaking Community. Successfully passing this examination will allow you to gain admission to any type of programme, despite the restrictions imposed by the decision you received with regard to diploma equivalency.

Information: +32 2 6908564 or 65 or visit the website

The information given above may be changed without notice. Students are advised to get in contact with the Ministry to make sure they are following the correct procedure.