Austria

In 2021, a major amendment of the legal provisions for RPL in higher education has lead to a paradigm shift in Austria. HEIs of all sectors can now recognise non-formally and informally acquired competences for all study formats next to the recognition of formally acquired competences.

Competences acquired at a HEI must be recognised without limitation (theoretically, it is even possible to complete an entire study programme via RPL, although this will not be the rule). The recognition of competences acquired outside HEIs remains limited to a maximum of 90 ECTS-credits.

The new legal regulations primarily concern RPL for exemptions. RPL for access to higher education currently still plays a minor role. Therefore, it seems clear that in a next step, it is also necessary to revise the regulations regarding RPL for access.

In the higher education sector, the amendment of the legal provisions for RPL has created a need for action. It challenges HEIs to take a position vis-à-vis RPL, they have to adopt regulations, develop quality-assured validation procedures and train their staff accordingly. In this process, many HEIs can draw on years of experience in the context of RPL and are accordingly well prepared. Others still have more catching up to do.

In order to improve the exchange about the quality-assured implementation of procedures for RPL, a group of HEIs from all sectors and AQ Austria decided to form the RPL Network Austria in 2021.

You can find more information about the situation in Austria here.

The RPL Network Austria builds upon a long-standing project partnership between AQ Austria and various HEIs. It was formally founded in 2021 and currently consists of 16 members who either represent a HEI or are non-institutionally affiliated RPL-Experts.

A characteristic of the network is that a quality assurance agency (AQ Austria) that works across all higher education sectors coordinates it. Currently eleven HEIs from all higher education sectors are part of the network.

One of the main goals of the network consists in promoting the quality-assured implementation of procedures for RPL. To this end, the network considers the exchange of experience and good practice as fundamentally important. The network also actively seeks the dialogue with the institutions of the Austrian higher education sector and the relevant interest groups in order to improve the conditions for RPL in general. For this purpose, it also develops common position papers.

The network is currently planning to integrate new members. A major challenge consists in deciding how fast the network can grow without jeopardising the mutual trust that has been built up together.

You can find more information about the RPL Network Austria here.

AQ Austria is a nationally and internationally active quality assurance agency that has a legal mandate to provide information and counselling on issues related to the recognition of non-formally and informally acquired competences.

Ever since 2014, AQ Austria has been working together with Austrian HEIs in several projects on how to design quality-assured procedures for RPL. AQ Austria is also a founding partner and coordinator of the RPL Network Austria, an association of experts in the context of RPL in higher education.

You can find more information about AQ Austria here.