Outline
Alternative admission procedure for bachelor programmes
If someone who doesn’t meet the general admission requirements wants to enrol for a bachelor’s programme at one of the institutions of the Ghent University Association (AUGent), namely Ghent University, University College Ghent, Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) or University College West-Flanders, they can take part in the alternative admission procedure. Those who successfully pass this procedure, receive a Certificate of Admission, which gives them access to all Dutch-language Bachelor programmes of the higher education institutions of the AUGent.
The specific Ghent University Association admission procedure:
- is organized collectively for all institutions and is therefore identical for all applicants;
- is free of charges for the applicant;
- is limited to one attempt per academic year.
The alternative admission procedure consists of a number of phases:
- PHASE 1: intake interview with a (central) employee of one of the AUGent institutions
- PHASE 2: the compilation and submission of a portfolio. This document shows that, since leaving secondary education, the applicant has been able to sustain specific (learning) efforts, is motivated and able to use learning strategies. In short, that they are qualified to start higher education. This portfolio will be screened. If it does not meet the formal requirements, the application will be rejected and the applicant will not be able to proceed to the further phases.
- PHASE 3: the admission test. This is a test in reading comprehension. The score on this test determines the further course:
– Score < 28/60: the applicant will not be admitted
– Score 28-35/60: the applicant will not be automatically admitted and must proceed to phase 4
– Score > 35/60: the applicant has been admitted (phase 5).
- PHASE 4: the portfolio will be assessed by three ‘assessors’, who can decide whether the applicant will be admitted;
- PHASE 5: those who are admitted, receive their Certificate of Admission.
- PHASE 6: before enrolment, the applicant has a mandatory exploratory interview in the program they want to start.
Organized by
For the institutions of AUGhent, the admission procedure is organized by the Accrediting Body.
Age and language requirements
Before someone can register for this procedure, it is necessary that they meet the language requirements. Moreover, they must become 21 years old at the latest on the 31st of December of the academic year following the alternative admission procedure.
Special cases
There are four circumstances in which different rules apply:
- Refugees and displaced persons can participate in the admission examination if they are younger.
- There is an adapted procedure and an exception in terms of age for candidate virtuosos. Their proof of admission is only valid within the specific art discipline and only within the AUGent.
- For certain studies (e.g., ‘doctor’, ‘dentist’, ‘audio-visual and visual arts’, ‘music and performing arts’) the candidate must also meet additional admission requirements.
- The alternative admission procedure for an English Bachelor program is slightly different from the procedure for a Dutch Bachelor program and the Certificate of Admission gained through this procedure is only valid for the specific program in which one indicates to enrol.
Alternative admission procedure for graduate programmes
The alternative admission procedure is different for those who want to enrol in a graduate program. This procedure takes the form of an examination to test whether someone has sufficient basic knowledge and skills to start a graduate program. The test consists of 4 different parts and takes about 100 minutes:
- vocabulary,
- reading comprehension,
- mathematics (with calculator),
- numerical reasoning (number sequences with calculator).
If someone does not pass the admission examination for the academic year in which they wish to enrol, they can only retake the admission examination for the subsequent academic year. The admission certificate for the graduate programs is valid at all university colleges in Flanders.
Organized by
The alternative admission procedure is organized and developed by someone outside of AUAS, but AUAS plays a role in the execution. The Office of Study and Career Guidance , a central service supporting educational programs and students in the transition of to the first year of higher education and acquiring academic skills, is responsible for the test administration. The processing of the results is done by the Student Administration Office.
Age requirements
To participate in the alternative admission procedure for a graduate program, one must be at least 18 years old on 31 December of the year in which the academic year starts.
Target group
The alternative admission procedure is open for everyone who meets the criteria for participation. For a long time, it has mostly been used by mature students, but this has changed since the procedure for graduate programs was added. The applicants for this procedure are often younger.
Students involvement
Students are not involved in the design or delivery of this initiative.
Effectiveness
It’s difficult to evaluate the alternative admission procedure for graduate programs, because it has only existed since 2019, so there is not enough data on how these students perform in higher education. Another obstacle to analysing the effectiveness of the initiative is that AUAS does not keep track of which students enrol with a Certificate of Admission.
Evaluation
The process is constantly evaluated by the organizers by keeping record of how everything gets done and by organizing meetings to check-in how things are going. This leads to adjustments being made so that the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Communication
There’s information about the alternative admission procedures on the AUAS website.
Timing
Alternative admission procedure for bachelor programs
The timing of the different phases:
- PHASE 1: the timing of the intake interview depends on the applicant. Some applicants plan their interview very early in the year (September), and spend a lot of time working on their portfolio, while others try to schedule it in close to the portfolio deadline. This can have a bottleneck-effect, meaning that some applicants lose their chance to participate because there’s no more time for their intake interview.
- PHASE 2: the compilation and submission of a portfolio.
- PHASE 3: the admission test takes place in November and the applicant gets their results in December.
- PHASE 4: the portfolio will be assessed by three ‘assessors’, who can decide whether the applicant will be admitted;
- PHASE 5: those who are admitted, receive their Certificate of Admission.
- PHASE 6: the mandatory exploratory interview in the program the applicants wants to enrol can take place in January at the earliest.
Alternative admission procedure for graduate programs
The test takes place between May and February, so before the start of the academic year in which participants wish to enrol. These testing moments are organized at different times during the week, making the test easier to attend for all kinds of applicants (parents, people who work…).
The test itself consists of 4 different test parts and takes about 100 minutes:
- vocabulary (15 minutes),
- reading comprehension (35 minutes),
- mathematics (30 minutes),
- numerical reasoning (20 minutes).
What material can be used to learn more and to increase transferability?
Different groups
The testing moments are organized at different times during the week/day, making the test easier to attend for all kinds of applicants (parents, people who work…). All participants get ample time to fill in the test to make sure that those with learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia) get a chance as well. In AUAS participants with learning difficulties, neurodiverse or disabled participants get additional assistance, for instance by letting them take the test in a different room.
Different contexts
The assessment process could also be valuable in a professional context.
Understanding the current context
The Flemish qualification structure (Vlaamse kwalificatiestructuur, VKS) collects all recognized qualifications at 8 levels. Each level is defined on the basis of 5 elements: knowledge, skills, context, autonomy and responsibility. There are 8 accumulating qualification levels. Three of them are important to understand in the context of this initiative:
- VKS level 4 is a degree in secondary education, which is a requirement for enrolment in level 5 and 6.
- VKS level 5 is a graduate degree.
- VKS level 6 is a professional or an academic bachelor’s degree.