1. This Agreement regulates the access to higher education and admission to study at accredited public higher education institutions of the Parties for purposes of acquiring rights to studies in each of the Parties. The rights to education free of charge, housing and scholarship are regulated according to each Party’s legislative framework.
2. The Parties agree to grant applicants from other Parties access and admission to their respective public Higher Education Institutions the same or equivalent access and admission criteria as to applicants from the host Party.
________________________________________
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
1. This Agreement applies to all levels of higher education.
2. This Agreement is without prejudice to and shall not derogate any previous arrangement, practices, or agreement between two or more Parties that is more beneficial to holders of secondary education as applicable and higher education qualifications and does not provide an obstacle for the establishment of any such further arrangement, practice or agreement.
For the purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meaning:
a)
Access to higher education refers to the right of qualified candidates to apply and to be considered for admission to higher education;
b)
Admission to study refers to the act of, or system for allowing qualified applicants to pursue studies in higher education at a given public higher education institution and/or a given program;
c)
Higher education institutions (HEIs) refer to accredited public higher education institutions in the Western Balkans, the list of which will be specified by the Joint Commission on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in WB6;
d)
Home Party refers to the Party in which the student received the qualification;
e)
Host Party refers to the Party in which the student wants to be enrolled at HEI;
f)
Equivalent access to higher education and admission to study criteria refers to all criteria defined in legal frameworks of the host Party.
The provisions of this Agreement do not imply any exemption or preferential treatment from the currently valid residence permit legislation in the respective Parties.
If specific qualifications or attainments in a specific subject or subjects are required for admission to a certain study programme of higher education, applicants from other Parties signatories to this Agreement shall meet such requirements on terms corresponding to those required of applicants from the host Party.
1. If admission to study programmes of higher education is limited, the selection of applicants from the other Parties signatories to this Agreement shall be conducted in accordance with the same or equivalent rules as those applied to applicants from the host Party. The Parties shall thereby endeavour to apply admission rules, which, to the greatest extent possible, accord applicants from the other Parties signatories to this Agreement parity with applicants from the host Party.
2. The Parties shall provide information on the study programmes available at the various institutions of higher education in the entire Western Balkan region.