Branches of study

In order to obtain the grade of Bachelor, students have to accomplish a programme of 180 to 240 ECTS credits. Bachelor programmes are organised in modules of at least 30 credits. Modules are composed of one or several course units, which represent at least one credit, that is 25 to 30 hours of work.

Full time students have to complete their studies within a maximum duration of 10 semesters for programmes involving 180 ECTS credits and 12 semesters for programmes involving more than 240 ECTS credits.

The following table shows the different programmes proposed by the three faculties of the University of Luxembourg.

(Source: uni.lu)

Admission requirements

Requirements

To be admitted to the first year of university, candidates have to hold a secondary school leaving diploma (diplôme luxembourgeois de fin d’études secondaires ou secondaires techniques, ou diplôme luxembourgeois de fin d’études secondaires classiques ou secondaires générales) or a technician’s diploma with successful completion of the preparatory modules (diplôme de technicien) corresponding to the chosen field of studies. Foreign diplomas or certificates have to be recognised as equivalent by the Ministry of Education.

Candidates who do not hold any of the above-mentioned qualifications may opt for the recognition of prior experience. It is not possible to request a recognition of prior experience by the University without taking up studies at the University of Luxembourg.

The university may define additional submission criteria corresponding to the contents and objectives of the different study programmes.

Procedures

If the number of candidates exceeds the number of places available, the university will rank the applicants either on the basis of their examination results or based on their application file, which may involve an interview. 

The admission procedures for the different study programmes are described on the university's website.

Curriculum

General standards for bachelor programmes, as well as their duration, are fixed by the law. For example:

• Programmes have to lead to 180-240 ECTS
• All programmes leading to bachelor’s degrees have to comprise a compulsory mobility period, where the student has to study for at least one semester at a foreign partner university.
• Programmes leading to bachelor’s degrees are multilingual, except in cases where the study programme does not allow it
• Within a bilingual study programme, at least 20% of the ECTS credits must be acquired through courses given in each of the two languages in which the programme is taught
• At least 20% of the ECTS credits must be acquired through courses given in each of the languages in which the programme is taught.

Within this framework, the university enjoys pedagogical, scientific, administrative and financial autonomy. Each faculty defines study programmes, based on modules. For each module, the faculty defines objectives, contents, admission criteria, duration and terms of evaluation.

Teaching methods

The university’s academic staff members enjoy pedagogic and academic freedom. Teachers are free to choose their own teaching methods and materials.

Progression of students

As bachelor programmes are organised in modules, each faculty autonomously defines the preconditions of admission to certain modules (Art. 19 of the regulations of the University of Luxembourg).

Employability

Labour market access of bachelor students is fostered by initiatives such as:

• The university’s service Career Centre which provides vocational guidance and supports students to prepare applications and job interviews
• The annual event UniCareers which allows students to meet potential employers
• The implication of professionals from the sectors corresponding to the study programmes
• Initiatives such as the Entrepreneurship Programme and Incubator.

Student assessment

Each course involves an appraisal of the students’ aptitudes and knowledge. Evaluation is either based on a continuous monitoring, on a terminal examination or on a combination of both.

Marks are established on a scale from 0 to 20. Modules are ratified if a student has passed all evaluations, has acquired all ECTS points foreseen and has obtained an average mark of at least 10 of 20 (weighting of marks is based on ECTS points).

The grade mentioned on the bachelor diploma is determined by the average of all weighted marks:

• 10 to <12: 'passable'
• 12 to <14: 'assez bien'
• 14 to <16: 'bien'
• 16 to <18: 'très bien'
• 18 to 20: 'excellent'.

Certification

The chart below illustrates the total number of bachelor degrees issued in 2020, 2021 and 2022:

(Source: Key figures for higher education 2022/2023, p.39)

The diploma includes at least the full name, date and place of birth of the holder, the degree awarded, the title of the programme and the signature of the Rector. The diploma is accompanied by a diploma supplement which describes the knowledge and skills acquired by the holder. Further details are set out in the University of Luxembourg’s study regulations (Art. 59).

Bachelor degrees awarded by the University of Luxembourg are automatically entered into the register of higher education certificates (registre des titres de formation) and deposited at the Ministry of Research and Higher education (MESR; ministère de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement supérieur).