Accreditation of prior knowledge, in the educational field, is the recognition and validation of knowledge developed by people outside of formal education, in their life experience, which enables their educational continuity at a given level of formal education.

In Uruguay, the Accreditation of Prior Knowledge is provided for in Article 39 of the General Law of Education No. 18,437. It is included in the UTEC's creation law No. 19043 (Art.2, paragraph E) and in the General Regulations for University Studies (Art. 5).

Accredit prior knowledge to start a degree

UTEC has a prior knowledge accreditation procedure for people who do not meet the entry requirements to their degree of interest, either because of their high school track or because they have not completed upper secondary education, but have professional experience in the area of the degree (Memo 22 /DE/2020).

To apply for this procedure you must be 25 years of age or older and have work experience or tertiary studies related to the professional area of the degree in the last five years.

How to start the process

In November of each year, during the pre-registration period, you can request accreditation of prior knowledge to enter a degree by following these steps:

1) Send an email to acreditacion.saberes@utec.edu.uy requesting an interview (face-to-face or virtual) to analyze your case.

2) Download and complete the Prior Knowledge Accreditation Form for Special Admissions ("Form_AS_IE"), including the specific documentation required therein.

3) Complete the pre-registration process for the degree you are interested in, accessible from the institutional website, attaching all the requested documentation, and in the field "Transfer from Qualifying Institution or Proof of Completion" attach the transfer document or high school graduate certificate (as applicable) and the completed form.

Once your application is received, it will be analyzed by an Academic Committee that will determine if the accreditation is viable. If so, you will be called to complete an evaluation (a month after the application) in order to verify your in-depth mastery and systematization of specific knowledge necessary for the first two semesters of the program, which could not be sufficiently verified in the interview and documentation already submitted. If you meet the expectations of this evaluation, you will be pre-enrolled in the program of your choice.

For more information write to acreditacion.saberes@utec.edu.uy

Accredit prior knowledge while studying a program

UTEC has a prior knowledge accreditation procedure for students working in areas related to their degrees (Memo 22/ DE/2020). Accreditation allows to identify learning included in the study plan, which the student has acquired through his work experience. A monitoring plan for this learning is established, which allows flexibility in the requirements for attending class or other planned teaching activities.

How to start the process

At any time of the year, at least 30 business days prior to the beginning of a Curricular Unit, you can submit the application for Accreditation of Prior Knowledge for Curricular Flexibility (CF).

For this you must:

1) Identify explicit specific content and/or competencies of a Curricular Unit, which you consider you can accredit from your professional experience.

2) Download and complete the "Prior Knowledge Accreditation Form for Curricular Flexibility" and send it to aceditacion.saberes@utec.edu.uy within the stipulated deadlines.

3) Attend a personal interview (virtual or face-to-face) if requested to, to analyze the viability of the accreditation.

Before classes begin, your application will be analyzed by an Academic Committee and a designated memeber from the organization (company) of your choice, to determine the viability of the accreditation. If accreditation is viable, you will receive an Accreditation Project specifying the content and/or competencies to be accredited; the academic activities provided for in the curricular unit that will not be part of the accreditation and that you must comply with; and a "Learning Agreement" to be signed with the company, to formalize the commitment to the agreed objectives and the co-tutoring for a specified period.

For more information write to acreditacion.saberes@utec.edu.uy

Competency assessment

Each program defines its achievement expectations based on competencies in a standard. Competencies are systematically evaluated, during courses and close to graduation. The first assessment is a “mid-term” evaluation to provide feedback on the teaching and learning process.The second assessment is a “final” evaluation to certify the level of competence demonstrated by the student at the end of their program. Upon graduation, students receive a Supplementary Document attached to their Degree that makes this achievement explicit.

Competency evaluations are included in the General Study Regulations of UTEC (Articles 27 and 29). They are independent from the evaluation of Curricular Units and are mandatory.

Watch the video and find out how your skills will be evaluated at UTEC