S.L. 451.2 Art. 2Interpretation.

In these regulations unless the content otherwise requires -

"access" means access to higher education and is the right of qualified candidates to apply and to be considered for admission to higher education; "admission" means admission to higher education institutions and programmes and is the act of, or system for, allowing qualified applicants to pursue studies in higher education at a given institution or a given programme;

"assessment of institutions or programmes" means the process for establishing the educational quality of a higher education institution or programme; "assessment of individual qualifications" means the written appraisal or evaluation of an individual’s foreign qualifications by a competent body; "competent recognition authority" means a body officially charged with making binding decisions on the recognition of foreign qualifications;

"higher education" means all types of courses of study, or sets of courses of study, training or training for research at the post-secondary level which are recognised by the relevant authorities of a Party as belonging to its higher education system; "higher education institution" means an establishment providing higher education and recognised by the competent authority of a Party as belonging to its system of higher education;

"higher education programme" means a course of study recognised by the competent authority of a Party as belonging to its system of higher education, the completion of which provides the student with a higher education qualification; "higher education qualification" means any degree, diploma or other certificate issued by a competent authority attesting the

*Not yet in force. successful completion of a higher education progamme; "general requirements" means such conditions that must, in all cases, be fulfilled for access to higher education, or to a given level thereof, or for the award of a higher education qualification at a given level;

"Party State" means a state that has ratified the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, which is -

(a) a member of the Council of Europe,

(b) a member of the UNESCO European Region,

(c) any other signatory, contracting State or party to the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe, or to the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region; "period of study" means any component of a higher education programme which has been evaluated and documented and, while not a complete programme of study in itself, represents a significant acquisition of knowledge or skill; "qualifications" means either higher education qualifications or qualifications giving access to higher education, or both; "qualification giving access to higher education" means any diploma or other certificate issued by a competent authority attesting the successful completion of an education programme and giving the holder of the qualification the right to be considered for admission to higher education in terms of the definition of access; "recognition" means a formal acknowledgement by a competent authority of the value of a foreign educational qualification with a view to access educational or employment activities; "requirement" means either general requirements or specific requirements, or both; "specific requirements" means such conditions that must be fulfilled, in addition to the general requirements, in order to gain admission to a particular higher education programme, or for the award of a specific higher education qualification in a particular field of study.