TOWARDS DIGITALISATION OF THE PROCEDURE FOR RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN HIGHER EDUCATION DOCUMENTS AT UNS: NEW RULEBOOK ADOPTED

As part of the final phase of the implementation of the two-and-a-half-year international EPIR project, which focuses on the digitalization of the process of recognizing foreign higher education qualifications for the purpose of continuing education, the Senate of the University of Novi Sad adopted a new Rulebook on the Evaluation of Foreign Study Programmes and the Recognition of Foreign Higher Education Documents for the Purpose of Further Education on January 29, 2026. The implementation of the new procedure will begin on July 1, 2026.

The document normatively regulates the recognition procedure in the new, digital environment, which will bring significant changes and benefits to both future candidates and employees at the University and faculties who participate in the implementation of the recognition procedure.

It is expected that the digitalization of the recognition procedure will bring all the advantages of using modern technologies, thanks to which the amount of paper and documentation will be reduced, the quality of institutional activities will increase and internal services, skills and competencies of both students and all employees at the University will be improved. In addition, the potential benefits of the digitalization of the procedure and the implementation of the new regulation can also be reflected in the increase in the number of foreign students at the faculties of the University of Novi Sad, which is strategically oriented towards internationalization.

During the work on the final text of the new regulation, which is based on previous experience and examples of good practice in this area, a consultative meeting of the local university project team with vice-deans for education, heads of study programs and administrative staff working on the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications at UNS faculties was organized at the University Rectorate on December 2, 2025.

The digitalization of the process of evaluating foreign study programs and recognizing foreign higher education qualifications for the purpose of continuing education at the University of Novi Sad and its 14 faculties, is the result of the idea of ​​enabling candidates from any country to initiate and monitor the implementation of this process in an easier and more accessible way. In addition to the adoption of the rulebook as a normative framework regulating the digitalized recognition process and other ongoing project activities, one of the most significant project results is the creation of software as a digital environment to be used in the recognition process, which is currently in the testing phase.