Regulations on the Procedure for Academic Discipline Recognition
and Determination of Academic Difference
at National Aerospace University
«Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Approved:
by the Academic Council of
National Aerospace University
«Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Minutes No. 1 dated August 27, 2025
Enacted by Order No. 391 dated August 28, 2025
QMS KhAI-ED-R/003:2025
Date of Introduction August 28, 2025
Revision No. 4
1. General Provisions
1.1. The Regulations on the Procedure for Academic Discipline Recognition and Determination of Academic Difference at National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute» (hereinafter – the University) have been developed in accordance with the Laws of Ukraine «On Education», «On Higher Education»; the Regulations on the Procedure for Expulsion, Interruption of Studies, Reinstatement and Transfer of Persons Studying in Higher Education Institutions, and Granting Them Academic Leave, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 07.02.2024 No. 134; Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 16.10.2009 No. 943 «On the Implementation of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System in Higher Educational Institutions of Ukraine»; Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 08.02.2022 No. 130 «On Approval of the Procedure for Recognition in Higher and Vocational Pre-Higher Education of Learning Outcomes Achieved Through Non-formal and/or Informal Education» (as amended); the «Regulations on the Procedure for Exercising the Right to Academic Mobility», approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated August 12, 2015 No. 579 (as amended); Methodological Recommendations for the Introduction of the European Credit Transfer System and its Key Documents in Higher Educational Institutions, according to the letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 26.02.2010 No. 1/9-119; and the «Regulations on the Organization of the Educational Process at National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute».
1.2. The Regulations define the procedure for the recognition (credit transfer) of academic disciplines, the determination of academic difference, as well as the recognition of the outcomes of non-formal and/or informal education of higher education students of all modes of study.
1.3. The Regulations apply in the following cases:
- transfer from other higher education institutions (hereinafter – HEIs) or from another scientific institution;
- continuation of studies at the next level of higher education or simultaneous study in two specialties;
- continuation of studies after academic leave;
- reinstatement to studies after expulsion;
- the need for recognition of non-formal and/or informal education outcomes.
1.4. The recognition of disciplines based on the results of their study in other educational institutions does not reduce the period of study at the University or the responsibility of the HEI for the level of knowledge of graduates in all disciplines of the curricula.
1.5. The scope of the Regulations extends to all educational subdivisions of the University (faculties and departments).
2. Procedure for Academic Discipline Recognition
2.1. The recognition of academic disciplines is carried out upon the application of the candidate on the basis of a document certifying that the student achieved certain learning outcomes, such as:
- an academic transcript or an transcript/supplement to a document of higher education or pre-higher vocational education of a Junior Specialist, Junior Bachelor, Bachelor, Specialist, or Master;
- an extract from the student's academic record card (for University students), certified in accordance with the established procedure;
- a document certifying that the student achieved certain learning outcomes in non-formal and/or informal education.
The volume of ECTS credits allowed for recognition is determined by the higher education standard of the specific specialty.
The application for the recognition of disciplines, endorsed by the guarantor of the relevant educational program, is submitted by the higher education student to the Dean of the faculty within the first two weeks of the semester. In case the guarantor of the educational program does not endorse the application requesting recognition, the higher education student is obliged to undergo training in the respective discipline in full volume.
2.2. In accordance with the principles of the competence-based approach to higher education, the recognition of the results of disciplines previously passed by the candidate according to the individual study plan is carried out by the Dean of the faculty by comparing: the relevance of the discipline content to the educational-professional program (EP); the planned learning outcomes of the respective discipline; the total volume in hours and ECTS credits; the forms of final assessment, etc.
2.3. The recognition of disciplines can be carried out in the following ways:
- a sole decision of the Dean of the faculty;
- a decision of the Dean based on the conclusion of the expert commission of the respective department.
2.3.1. The decision of the Dean on the recognition of academic disciplines solely can be made by them after comparing the program learning outcomes based on the results of studying the respective disciplines, meaning that when making a decision on recognition, the identity of the disciplines of the educational program and the disciplines specified in the academic transcript, the supplement to the higher education document, the extract from the student's academic record card (for University students), or another educational document is verified.
2.3.2. An expert commission is formed in cases where there are grounds for the recognition of a discipline, but the Dean has not made a sole decision.
The expert commission is formed consisting of three persons: the head of the department, the guarantor of the educational program, and one of the lecturers of the same or a related discipline (if the head of the department is simultaneously the guarantor of the educational program, the expert commission includes two lecturers of the same or a related discipline). The expert commission considers the student's application, examines their documents on previously acquired education, and, if necessary, conducts an interview in order to verify the program learning outcomes achieved by the student in the discipline to be recognized. The expert commission makes a conclusion on the possibility (impossibility) of recognizing the discipline. The conclusion of the expert commission is indicated in the application. The final decision based on the conclusion of the expert commission is made by the Dean of the faculty.
2.4. Upon the recognition of a discipline, the previously obtained positive grade of the candidate's academic achievements is preserved. If the grade in a discipline consists of several grades for individual semesters or grades from several disciplines, an average grade of academic performance is assigned, taking into account the volumes of the respective components of the academic discipline.
2.5. The candidate has the right to refuse the recognition of a discipline if they are not satisfied with the previously obtained grade, and to study the discipline again.
3. Procedure for Determining Academic Difference
3.1. Academic difference is determined by comparing the curriculum under which the training is carried out with the document submitted by the candidate, taking into account the procedure set forth in clause 2.3.1 of these Regulations. Disciplines of the student's free choice (electives) are not considered an academic difference.
3.2. The determination of academic difference and the recognition of academic disciplines is carried out by the dean's office and must last no more than one working week.
3.3. The decision on the maximum allowable number of disciplines that constitute an academic difference is made by the Dean of the faculty, taking into account the recommendations of the educational program guarantor or the head of the graduating department.
3.4. The procedure, timeframe, and schedule for the elimination of academic difference are determined by the Dean of the faculty.
4. Procedure for the Elimination of Academic Difference
4.1. Candidates for whom an academic difference has been determined must eliminate it within the specified timeframes in accordance with the schedule for the elimination of academic difference.
4.2. The dean's office of the faculty where the student is studying develops the schedule for the elimination of academic difference, coordinates it with the departments responsible for the respective disciplines, and brings it to the attention of the student.
4.3. The main form of studying educational material during the elimination of academic difference is the independent work of the higher education student.
4.4. The departments responsible for the disciplines with academic difference provide the student with educational and methodological materials and recommendations necessary for independent work, ensure a sufficient level of advisory assistance, and an objective final assessment of knowledge.
5. Formalization of Documents
5.1. The preparation of materials regarding the recognition of disciplines and the determination of academic difference is entrusted to the dean's office of the faculty to which the application requesting instruction has been submitted.
5.2. The academic transcript (a copy of the transcript/supplement to the higher education diploma) and the application requesting the recognition of academic disciplines, endorsed by the Dean of the faculty, are attached to the student's academic record card.
Grades are assigned according to the scale currently in effect at the University.
5.3. Entries on the recognition of the results of pass/fail assessments (credits) and examinations are made in the individual study plan of the student and certified by the Dean.
5.4. The results of the elimination of academic difference are recorded in the academic performance record sheet (grade sheet), the student's academic record card, and the individual study plan. Academic difference record sheets are registered in the corresponding log.
5.5. All mandatory and elective components of the higher education student's individual study plan are entered into the diploma supplement.
5.6. Persons holding foreign educational documents must undergo the procedure for their recognition (nostrification) and obtain a certificate confirming the right to continue education in Ukraine.
6. Procedure for the Recognition of Non-formal and/or Informal Education Outcomes
6.1. Recognition by the University of the results of a person's non-formal and/or informal learning (hereinafter in this clause such a person is referred to as the Applicant) is a set of procedures that establish their compliance with the learning outcomes provided for by the relevant educational program (the learning outcomes of specific educational components or program learning outcomes) or a certain level of education, based on which a decision is made on the possibility of recognizing (crediting) certain educational components (constituent parts of educational components) of the relevant educational program to the Applicant (in particular, within its elective component). The procedures for recognizing the results of the Applicant's non-formal and/or informal learning are implemented as components of the University's internal quality assurance system for education.
6.2. The authorized structural subdivisions of the University for organizing and implementing the procedures for the recognition of non-formal and/or informal learning outcomes are the faculties represented by the Dean (dean's office) with the involvement (if necessary) of department heads, educational program guarantors, and lecturers. The authorized structural subdivision organizes and provides advisory assistance to Applicants regarding the completion of applications, declarations, and other documents.
Information about the authorized subdivisions and authorized persons who accept applications and declarations on prior learning, as well as the requirements for additional documents, is published on the official website of the University.
The recognition of the results of the Applicant's non-formal and/or informal learning involves the following procedures at the University:
- submission of an application for recognition;
- identification of the non-formal and/or informal learning outcomes declared in writing by the Applicant, which are subject to evaluation by the authorized structural subdivision of the University;
- evaluation of the Applicant's declared learning outcomes;
- making a decision on the recognition and crediting of the relevant educational components (constituent parts of educational components) of the educational program to the Applicant, or refusal of recognition.
The right to the recognition of non-formal and/or informal education outcomes is granted to students who:
- are pursuing education at the University under a specific educational program;
- are transferring from another HEI to the University, or from one educational program to another within the University;
- are being reinstated as students at the University.
6.3. In the process of recognizing non-formal learning outcomes, documents confirming non-formal learning and/or professional, public, or other activities issued in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine or the territory of a state recognized by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an aggressor state or an occupying state shall not be considered.
Within the framework of recognition procedures, learning outcomes defined in professional standards and/or standards established by international conventions or treaties to which Ukraine is a party for professions for which additional regulation has been introduced (for educational programs under which specialists of the respective professions are trained) shall not be subject to recognition, except in cases provided for by the relevant conventions or treaties.
6.4. The total volume of educational components of the educational program credited to the student based on the results of the recognition of non-formal and/or informal learning cannot exceed 25 percent of the relevant educational program (for specialties in the field of knowledge 12 «Information Technologies», it cannot exceed 35 percent of the relevant educational program).
6.5. A person applying to the University for the recognition of non-formal and/or informal learning outcomes within the first two weeks of the semester in which the study of a specific discipline is scheduled submits a relevant application: either a declaration on prior learning or an application stating their own intention to study the discipline within the system of non-formal and/or informal learning.
No later than two weeks before the end of the semester, the Applicant must attach to the application additional documents confirming the information stated in the application regarding the achieved learning outcomes: certificates, credentials, etc.
All documents are submitted in Ukrainian or English. If the document is issued in another foreign language, it must be accompanied by a translation into Ukrainian/English.
The application, declaration, and additional documents can be submitted in paper and/or electronic form. If the application and declaration have an electronic digital signature (an advanced or qualified electronic signature (QES)), they do not need to be submitted in paper form.
6.6. The declaration on prior learning must contain:
- surname, name, patronymic (if any);
- a description of the learning outcomes for the recognition of which the application is submitted;
- information about the entity that conducted the non-formal learning or with which the professional, public, or other activity was associated (if any), during which the relevant learning outcomes were achieved;
- information about the prior learning and experience of the Applicant, during which the learning outcomes were achieved, in particular, the periods of non-formal and/or informal learning and/or relevant activity (if any);
- a list of additional documents provided by the Applicant to confirm the learning outcomes (if any).
6.7. The right to recognition of learning outcomes extends to the block of elective humanitarian or economic disciplines, the MINOR block, and the block of individual choice disciplines. Based on the results of the recognition of such learning outcomes, the University, represented by the authorized structural subdivision, credits the applicant with a certain number of credits of the elective component of the educational program. In such a case, the recognized learning outcomes must be reflected in the individual study plan as one or several elective educational components.
6.8. In order to verify the learning outcomes achieved by the student, a commission is established, which includes: the guarantor of the educational program under which the student is studying; the head of the department responsible for the discipline whose learning outcomes are being verified; and the scientific and pedagogical staff who teach the respective discipline. The verification is carried out through the form of assessment defined in the curriculum for this discipline.
The commission makes a decision on the recognition of the Applicant's non-formal learning outcomes if the evaluation confirms the compliance of these outcomes with the learning outcomes of the relevant educational program.
The non-formal learning outcomes recognized by the commission are used to exercise the Applicant's academic rights (crediting the applicant with certain educational components of the educational program, specific types of academic work within certain educational components of the educational program, and forming an individual educational trajectory).
The commission makes a decision to credit the Applicant with a certain educational component of the educational program if, based on the results of the recognition of non-formal learning, all learning outcomes provided for by this educational component are recognized. In this case, the Applicant is credited with the number of ECTS credits corresponding to the educational component. The grade for such an educational component is determined based on the measurement of the recognized learning outcomes and is entered into the assessment record sheet.
In the event that, based on the results of the recognition of non-formal learning, only a part of the learning outcomes provided for by a certain educational component is recognized, the Applicant is credited with individual types of academic work for such an educational component.
The period for reviewing the application and making a decision on the possibility/impossibility of conducting further recognition procedures based on the information provided by the Applicant shall be no more than ten working days. In the case of sending inquiries for confirmation or clarification of the necessary information to the entities specified in the declaration on prior learning that conducted the non-formal learning or where the professional, public, or other activity was carried out during which the Applicant achieved the results of non-formal and/or informal learning, the period for reviewing the application shall be extended until the specified information is received and processed.
If the information provided in the declaration on prior learning and the additional documents provided by the applicant and/or the entity (entities) of non-formal and/or informal learning do not allow identifying the non-formal and/or informal learning outcomes of the Applicant for their further comparison with the learning outcomes provided for by the relevant educational program, or if the information provided in the declaration on prior learning regarding the non-formal learning or experience of the Applicant's activity is not confirmed, the University, represented by the authorized structural subdivision, returns the documents to the Applicant without further consideration, stating the grounds for making such a decision.
6.9. The decision to return the documents to the Applicant without further consideration may be appealed through the Applicant's appeal to the Dean of the faculty where they are studying.
In accordance with the Applicant's application, the Dean of the faculty initiates a submission for the creation of an appeals commission.
The appeals commission consists of: the Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work; the Dean of the faculty; and the scientific and pedagogical staff of the graduating department who were not members of the subject commission.
Based on the results of the complaint review, the appeals commission makes a reasoned decision to satisfy the complaint or to leave the submitted complaint without satisfaction.
7. Final Provisions
7.1. The Regulations are approved by the Academic Council of the University and enacted by the order of the Rector of the University.
7.2. Control over the implementation of the Regulations is exercised by the officials of the University within their powers established in their job descriptions.
7.3. Changes and additions to the Regulations are considered and approved by the Academic Council of the University and enacted by the order of the Rector of the University.