Academic recognition

Academic recognition refers to determining the academic value of a qualification, i.e. it determines whether the foreign qualification meets the general academic requirements for a similar qualification in Lithuania. 

Vilnius Academy of Arts is responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications giving access to higher education and higher education qualifications for the purposes of further study at VDA.

Recognition of foreign qualifications at VDA is accomplished by the International Relations Office. 

The procedure of the recognition of foreign qualifications at VDA is performed following the Guidelines of the Procedure for Assessment of Education and Qualifications Concerning Higher Education and Acquired under Educational Programmes of Foreign States and International Organizations. 

Admission to VDA is governed by the Rules of Admission of Foreign Citizens to VDA.

Foreign academic qualification documents, complying with the general and specific requirements for academic recognition of foreign qualifications do not guarantee admission to VDA. Specific requirements for the holder of a foreign qualification seeking access to a specific study programme are being applied. Specific requirements are related to different study programmes and intend to access subject-specific knowledge of an applicant (by assessing the applicant's portfolio and motivation). 

Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) performs the role of an external supervisor of the academic recognition process. The Centre monitors decisions concerning academic recognition of foreign qualifications made by VDA as well as provides methodological assistance and recommendations.

Academic recognition is carried out in accordance with the Lisbon Recognition Convention and relevant documents. More information can be found on the official website.  

The principles of the Convention have been transferred into the Guidelines of the Procedure for Academic Recognition at VDA. The Guidelines have been prepared according to the Resolution of the Government of Lithuania on Approval of the Description of the Procedure for Recognition of Education and Qualifications Concerning Higher Education Acquired under Educational Programmes of Foreign States and International Organizations (dated 29 February 2012, No 212) and the Order of the Director of the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) on the Methodology For Assessment of Education and Qualifications Concerning Higher Education and Acquired Under Educational Programmes of Foreign States and International Organizations (dated 28 May 2012, No V-48).

Academic recognition of foreign qualifications constitutes an integral part of the general VDA admission process. No separate application is required. 

In order for foreign qualifications to be assessed, an international applicant is required to submit an online application:

Online application for BA study programmes at VDA

Online application for MA study programmes at VDA 

Online application for PhD study programmes at VDA

The following documents have to be submitted as part of an online application:

• A document certifying a foreign qualification or other equivalent documents (Diploma or degree certificate, if the final diploma is yet to be issued, please include a provisional certificate, confirming the fact of your graduation and providing the title of your qualification in the original language);
• An appendix (appendices) to the document certifying a foreign qualification or other equivalent documents (The academic transcript, records of grades, or a similar document has to be in the original language. It should list all the subjects, grades, and credits and/or hours. In some countries, it is required for the academic transcript to be sent directly to our office from the educational institution);
• In case of admission to the second and third cycle studies (MA or PhD) – a document certifying education of previous study cycles (for example, if you are applying for recognition of a second-cycle higher education qualification, such as a Master's degree or similar, your Bachelor diploma has to be submitted) and its appendix (appendices) (these documents and their translations or copies do not need to be notarized or legalised);
• A document certifying the change of name and/or surname if the documents of education are issued in a different name and/or surname;
• Other documents (if any) required for the objective assessment of qualification, certifying another education acquired by the applicant, explaining the acquired qualifications or the submitted documents of education;

Additional documents may be required (for example, an English language knowledge certificate); however, they are not directly related to the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications.

Requirements for documents: 

• All scans must be made from the original documents (i.e. NOT copies), be in full colour and also be clear and legible. Any scans that do not meet such requirements will be disregarded.
• We reserve the right to request the originals of your credentials for verification purposes at any time during the processing of your application. The submitted originals can be picked up in our office and returned in a registered letter or you may arrange for a courier service pick up at your own expense.
• All documents issued in languages other than English, Russian, or Lithuanian should be supplemented with an official translation. A translation is considered to be official when it is bound to a certified true copy of the document in the original language and is attested by the translator’s signature. Documents issued in English, Russian, or Lithuanian do not require a translation.

Please note:

• Requirements for submission of documents may vary by country. For more information, please see Country-Specific Requirements.
• The application will not be processed if the submitted documents are suspected to be fraudulent. By submitting the application, the applicant confirms that the documents submitted are correct, truthful and complete and that VDA can verify the authenticity and accuracy of the provided documents. VDA reserves the right to contact the document issuing authority and/or national ENIC/NARIC (SKVC) centre for more information about the presented qualification.

Criteria

The academic value of the foreign qualification is assessed by comparing the foreign qualification with a similar (comparable-level) qualification awarded in Lithuania by following the below criteria:

• quality, which refers to:

whether the institution and/or programme has been properly quality assured at the time of your studies (for example, properly accredited and/or recognised by the national authorities)

whether your grades are sufficient for the required purpose;

• profile, which refers to the orientation of the programme (academically and/or professionally oriented, general and/or specialised, etc.);
• contents, which refer to the structure of your programme, such as the presence of periods of practice and/or final thesis, etc.;
• workload, which refers to the provisioned workload of the programme;
• learning outcomes, which refer to the knowledge and competencies associated with the qualification.

Decisions 

After having assessed the foreign qualification, one of the following decisions can be made:

• To fully recognise a foreign qualification. In this case, approval of academic recognition is not issued to the applicant and the application for admissions is forwarded to the selected study programme(s); the fact of recognition is recorded in the final decision regarding the admission to studies at the VDA;
• To partially recognise a foreign qualification and grant the holder of the qualification the right to be admitted only to the study programmes of a certain study field (group of study fields) or only to a certain type of higher education institution. The decision is presented to the applicant and he/she is offered the possibilities of studies at VDA, corresponding to his/her qualification, if any;
• To recognise a foreign qualification only with additional requirements (examination(s), additional courses, studies, etc.) that have to be met by the holder of the qualification. The decision and its reasons are presented to the applicant and he/she is offered the possibility to meet the additional requirements at VDA, if any. If the applicant meets the requirements specified in the decision, this fact is recorded in the applicant's profile and the examination of his/her application for admission to VDA continues;
• Not to recognise a foreign qualification. The negative decision and its reasons are presented to the applicant.

It is important to note that VDA accomplishes the academic recognition of foreign qualifications only during the period of admission of international students (ie. February - August). Once the yearly admission process is over, recognition of foreign qualifications will only be done during the following academic year, in line with the application deadlines.

Once the online application is submitted, it will be reviewed within 1 month. If the online application is complete and no further information and/or documentation is required, the decision upon academic recognition will be issued within 1 month. 

If the online application is incomplete and/or additional information is required, the applicant will be notified by e-mail. The processing of the application will be temporarily suspended until the required documentation and/or information is provided. 

If the required documentation and/or information is not submitted within 3 months. After the request, the processing of such an application will be terminated. Then the applicant must re-apply again.

If an international applicant is not happy with the VDA decision on the academic recognition of his/her foreign qualification, he/she can appeal the decision by following the procedure described below:

An applicant, who does not agree with the VDA decision on the academic recognition of a foreign qualification, has the right, within 14 calendar days from the receipt of the decision, to appeal to the Academic Recognition of Foreign Qualifications Concerning Higher Education Appeal Committee under the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania. The appeal should include an explanation as to why the decision is contested, a valid form of identification, and all the supporting documentation.

The Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education will forward the appeal to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports within 3 office days and its representative will be in touch with you regarding its processing.

All appeals must be submitted to:

Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education
Tel: +37052104778
Fax: +37052132553
Email: recognition@skvc.lt
Address: A. Goštauto st. 12, LT-01108, Vilnius, Lithuania

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: 

An international applicant can only appear for the decision on the academic recognition of his/her foreign qualification. If an applicant hasn’t met the specific entry requirements of the study programmes at Vilnius Academy of Arts, the admission decision can not be appealed. 

Automatic recognition is the right for holders of a foreign qualification to be considered for access to further study at the next level without having to go through a separate recognition procedure.

The following qualifications are recognized automatically without any additional procedures:

• the European Baccalaureate Diploma
• Estonian and Latvian qualifications concerning higher education awarded in 2019.

Additional information on automatic recognition

Please note that automatic recognition does not guarantee admission to a study programme, only eligibility to be considered for it. 

International Relations Office 

Maironio Str. 6, Vilnius 

Email: international@vda.lt

Center for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC)

ENIC-NARIC Networks

European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions