Access Requirements

1° Student must hold a first level university degree.

2° As French (or German for German-speaking students) is the "A" language of the course (i.e. the mother tongue or language of culture into which one translates), all candidates for the Master's degree in translation must provide proof of a perfect command of French (or German for German-speaking students): Candidates who do not hold a higher education diploma from the French Community of Belgium (or from a country where French is the only official language) must provide proof of sufficient mastery of the French language at level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. All skills must have been assessed and passed (written and oral comprehension, written and oral production).
The official certificate must be issued by an organization recognized as a full member by ALTE (see https://alte.org/Our-Full-Members).
Examples of tests recognized by the jury for French: DALF or TCF. 
The admissions jury reserves the right to request further information and to verify the candidate's A language skills by means of an admission test and/or interview. 

The admissions jury reserves the right to request further information and to verify the candidate's A language skills by means of an admission test and/or interview.

3° In addition, all students applying for the Master [120] in Translation must provide proof of having achieved, in the two foreign languages included in the programme, receptive communicative competence (listening comprehension and reading comprehension) at level C2 (experienced user), as well as productive communicative competence (oral and written expression) at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

For sign language, proficiency at the UF12 level of the LSFB (minimum UF9) is required. The candidate must therefore be able to prove prior knowledge of LSFB equivalent to level B2 of the CEFR.

4° In the absence of official certificates or language courses (including the LSFB) of equivalent levels to the above-mentioned levels in their previous academic training, or if the admission jury deems it necessary for the examination of the file, students will have to pass an admission test covering receptive communicative skills in both foreign languages as well as productive skills in both foreign languages and in the A-language (French or German).

This admission test is organised by the Louvain School of Translation and Interpreting; two sessions are planned: one in May/June, the other in August/September, before the start of the academic year. The admission test can only be taken once per academic year. For more information: https://uclouvain.be/fr/facultes/fial/traduction-interpretation-epreuve-d-admission.html.

Equivalences between courses are subject to the approval of the jury (small panel).

Starting in 2023-2024 : The admission jury may request further information and may verify the applicant's language A skills by means of an admission test and/or an interview.

General remark on the choice of languages studied

The language combinations offered in the master program are detailed on the following page: https://uclouvain.be/prog-trad2m.

Admission to the Master's in translation implies :
•    the continuation of the study of two foreign languages enrolled in the Bachelor's programme;
OR
•    passing the admission test.

Any student wishing to enrol in their Master's programme in the Germanic or Romance language studied as a minor in the Bachelor's cycle will have to present the admission test in this language.

> It is possible, under certain conditions, to use one's personal and professional experience to enter a university course without having the required qualifications. However, validation of prior experience does not automatically apply to all courses. Find out more about Validation of priori experience.

Candidates who do not fulfil the abovementioned admission requirements, but who have duly attested significant experience relevant to the field of study in question, may apply for admission to the programme on the basis of an individualised admission procedure.

For more information on the procedure for admission by validation of learning from experience (VAE) in the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters: https://uclouvain.be/fr/facultes/fial/valorisation-des-acquis-de-l-experience-vae.html.

French Belgian Sign Language (LSFB)

Any candidate who does not hold a university degree, but who has reached the C1 level of the CEFR (UF12) and who has at least 5 years (full time, or equivalent) of convincing professional experience in the world of the deaf and hard of hearing, as a school interpreter or "communication aid" in the LSFB for example, can also submit an application file for the Master's degree in interpreting by valorising the learning from experience, by means of introduction of a VAE file detailing the training course, the career path and the experience acquired (knowledge, know-how, interpersonal skills).

Access based on application : access may be granted either directly or on the condition of completing additional courses of a maximum of 60 ECTS credits, or refused.

Admissibility criteria 
A candidate's application will be deemed admissible if it meets all of the following criteria:

• Candidate's diploma issued by an institution recognized by WHED (see https://www.whed.net/home.php)
• Previous course of study including at least 3 years of higher education (equivalent to 180 European credits), leading to an undergraduate degree;
• For holders of a degree from outside Belgium:

1. an overall average of at least 60% (12/20) for the entire course of study completed at the home institution and giving access to this program;
2. official attestation of proficiency in language(s) at the required level (see specific entry requirements), to be attached to the application file. The official attestation must be issued by an organization recognized as a full member by ALTE (see https://alte.org/Our-Full-Members).

If a document is missing from the online application, it must be justified (see UCLouvain Enrolment Department's frequently asked questions, in particular "What do I do if my online application asks for a document I don't yet have?")

Applications deemed admissible are forwarded to the Faculty by Enrolment Services. Applications that do not meet these criteria are automatically rejected. 

Eligibility criteria 
Applications submitted to the Faculty by UCLouvain's Enrolment Department are examined by the program's jury in accordance with the specific conditions of access detailed above.
The jury decides on the admissibility of candidates on the basis of the information contained in their application file, the quality of the training they have undergone and the results they have obtained.
When examining the application, the jury will pay particular attention to the following points: 

• Consistency between the candidate's previous academic career and the prerequisites for the targeted program. The match between the candidate's academic background and the UCLouvain bachelor's degree giving direct access to the master's program need not be perfect, but the skills acquired (see specific access conditions) must be close; Example: for an application for admission to a master's program in modern languages and literature, the candidate's previous training includes courses in languages and literature in both modern languages.
• Grades obtained in the program's major disciplines (see specific entry requirements);
• Arguments put forward by the applicant in his or her cover letter (training project in line with the program in question, coherence between the applicant's application and the program in question, etc.) Example: the language combination requested by the applicant is organized in the program in question.
• Original covering letter. An original covering letter is expected, explaining the personal training project. Any plagiarism or use of artificial intelligence in writing the letter to the jury will result in the application being disqualified. 
• Experience gained. If the access diploma was obtained more than 5 years ago, it is imperative that the experience acquired since leaving school is directly related to the field of study of the programme applied for.

Changes to the conditions of access to the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters for 2025-2026 will be available in this document .