Prior Studies at Other Higher Education Institutions

• You have already started or completed your studies at another university in Switzerland or abroad, are planning to continue your studies at the University of Zurich (RWF UZH) and would like to clarify which achievements of your previous education can be recognized towards your studies at RWF UZH.
• You are already enrolled at RWF UZH and would like to have external achievements recognized.

You can request a non-binding recognition prognosis BEFORE you enroll at UZH or submit an application for recognition AFTER you have enrolled.

You may request a non-binding recognition prognosis prior to matriculation at UZH. Prior to admission to studies at RWF UZH, no binding information will be provided regarding the recognition of academic achievements from prior education outside of Switzerland. Please also note that the recognition prognosis can only be issued with regard to study achievements that have already been successfully completed and included in a transcript of records.

Procedure

Send the following information and documents to the Student Center via the contact form (section "Recognition and Credit Transfer"):

• Name, first name
• Telephone number, e-mail
• University of origin
• Name and code of the externally completed modules
• Content description of the modules to be recognized with an internet link of the university of origin or as a PDF. No module descriptions created by the students themselves will be accepted. If the module descriptions are not available electronically, they must be attached to the application for recognition as scans (PDF).
• Number of ECTS credits of the modules
• Certificate(s) of achievement as PDF
• Written work (case work), corrected and graded version as PDF
• Confirmation of completed legal internships

Please indicate in your request that you would like a non-binding recognition prognosis.

You will receive a completed form from the Student Center with the non-binding recognition prognosis. After successful enrollment at UZH, you can use the same form to request recognition of the modules. Please tick the modules you would like to have recognized and send the form again as a Word file to the Student Center via the contact form.

Timing

You can apply for a non-binding recognition prognosis at any time before you have matriculated at UZH.

It takes about eight weeks to process your application once you have submitted all the necessary documents. The recognition prognosis does not confer any entitlement to recognition.

After you have matriculated at UZH, you can submit an application for recognition of your academic achievements abroad.

Procedure

There are four steps for the recognition of achievements from prior education abroad:

1. Application: Send the following information and documents to the Student Center via the contact form (section "Recognition and Credit Transfer"):

• Name, first name
• Telephone number, e-mail
• University of origin
• Name and code of the externally completed modules
• Content description of the modules to be recognized with an internet link of the university of origin or as a PDF. No module descriptions created by the students themselves will be accepted. If the module descriptions are not available electronically, they must be attached to the application for recognition as scans (PDF).
• Number of ECTS credits of the modules
• Certificate(s) of achievement as PDF
• Written work (case work), corrected and graded version as PDF
• Confirmation of completed legal internships

Please indicate in your request that you would like to submit a request for recognition. The request will be processed only if the data is complete, otherwise it will be rejected for completion.

2. Confirmation: The request will be checked by the Student Center and the recognition of the modules will be confirmed bindingly.

3. Request for recognition: Submit again the confirmation as a Word file via contact form. Tick the modules which should be recognized.

4. Notification of recognition: After the academic achievements have been recognized, a notification from the Student Center follows. The modules can subsequently be viewed in the module booking tool under the heading Academic Achievements.

Timing

Submit the recognition request to the Student Center as soon as the enrollment process is completed, but no later than the start of the lecture period. Smooth module booking cannot be guaranteed if the request for recognition is submitted later. The processing time takes two weeks at least.

Graduates with a foreign Master's degree or an equivalent degree in law can apply for transfer of a lump-sum credit of 30 ECTS credits towards the Master of Law UZH. The degree must not be older than ten years.

According to section 5 of the Recognition Guidelines (RLA), credits from a Master's degree completed abroad or from a comparable degree in law are only credited to the Master's degree if the specified study achievements at RWF UZH amounting to 60 ECTS credits are completed in full.

If a general transfer is considered, the recognition of individual modules is not possible.

Procedure

The crediting of achievements from a Master's program completed abroad is done in two steps:

1. Contact the Student Center: Contact the Student Center via contact form to clarify whether a lump-sum credit is possible.
2. Crediting confirmation: The Student Center will check if you are eligible for the lump-sum credit. In case of a positive response, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail as well as all important information regarding the lump-sum credit. The crediting will be carried out subsequently. It can be viewed in the module booking tool under the heading Academic Achievements. The lump-sum credit can only be used for graduation if the ten-year period has not yet expired and the specified study achievements at RWF UZH amounting to 60 ECTS credits have been completed in full.

Timing

Contact the Student Center after you have completed your matriculation at UZH. It is recommended to contact the Student Center no later than four weeks before the end of the module booking period of the first semester of study at RWF UZH.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Science Law of the ZHAW will be recognized for modules amounting to 90 ECTS credits. The modules that still have to be completed in order to obtain the Bachelor's degree at RWF UZH can be found here (PDF, 120 KB).

Graduates of the Bachelor of Science FH in Business Law of the Kalaidos Law School are recognized for modules amounting to 39 ECTS credits. The modules that still have to be completed in order to obtain the Bachelor's degree at RWF UZH can be found here (PDF, 137 KB).

Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts FH in Law of the Kalaidos Law School are recognized for modules amounting to 90 ECTS credits. The modules that still have to be completed in order to obtain the Bachelor's degree at RWF UZH can be found here (PDF, 155 KB).