What is VAE?

VAE

Your experience can give you university access


Antoine has just been accepted through VAE to the master’s in management science at the UCL He tells us how the admissions procedure worked.


VAE (the validation of learning from experience) is a scheme based on the principle that personal or professional experience can develop the skills and knowledge that can be validated at the university. In this context, it can enable you - under conditions described below - to access various university programmes leading to degrees and certification if you lack the necessary qualifications (*).

This personalised admission procedure is not automatic. It relies on an assessment that may take different forms depending on the course that you would like to access (for example, admission pack, written examination, portfolio, or oral examination). Based on this assessment, a jury of teaching staff from the course will decide on your application for admission.

Exemptions from part of a study programme can also be granted on the basis of knowledge and skills acquired through personal or professional experience, either through a VAE admission procedure or in the course of the annual validation of the student’s programme (**).

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[An essential condition for the acceptance of your application for admission through VAE:]

You must have at least five years’ personal and/or professional experience in the area of study that you wish to access. You can validate a maximum of two years of higher education successfully completed during this five-year period (2 x 60 credits).

(*) Art. 119 of the decree of 7 November 2013 defining the higher education landscape and the academic organisation of education, accessible via this link.

(**) See Art. 67 of the decree of 7 November 2013 defining the higher education landscape and the academic organisation of education, accessible via this link.