1. For the purposes of access and admission to higher education, a joint list of secondary education institutions shall be reviewed and agreed by Joint Commission on Access to Higher Education and Admission to Study in the Western Balkans, as defined in Article 8 of the Agreement.

2. Each Party shall recognise the qualifications issued by other Parties meeting the general requirements for access to higher education in those Parties for the purpose of access to programmes belonging to its higher education system, unless a substantial difference can be shown between the general requirements for access. This substantial difference has to be explained in detail in the decision.

3. Where a qualification gives access only to specific types of institutions or programmes of higher education in the Party in which the qualification was obtained, each other Party shall grant holders of such qualifications access to similar specific programmes in institutions belonging to its higher education system, unless a substantial difference can be shown between the requirements for access. This substantial difference has to be explained in detail in the decision.

4. Where admission to particular higher education programmes is dependent on the fulfilment of specific requirements in addition to the general requirements for access in the host Party, the public higher education institutions of the host Party may impose such specific requirements equally on holders of qualifications of other Parties or assess whether applicants with qualifications of other Parties already fulfil equivalent specific requirements.

5. Where, in the Party, secondary school leaving certificates give access to higher education only in combination with additional qualifying examinations as a prerequisite for access, the other Parties may make access conditional on these requirements or offer an alternative for satisfying such additional requirements within their own educational systems.

6. Where, in the Party, secondary school leaving certificates give access to higher education only in combination with additional qualifying examinations as a prerequisite for access, the other Parties may make access conditional on these requirements making it possible to attend classes but not to pass exams or offer an alternative for satisfying such additional requirements within their own educational systems.

7. Admission to a given public higher education institution may be made conditional on demonstration by the applicant of sufficient competence in the language or languages of instruction of the higher education institution concerned, or in other specified languages.

8. The recognition procedure of secondary education qualifications in all Parties, including the final secondary education exam results, and/or Matura exam results, is carried out within a period of a maximum of 30 (thirty) days.

9. In case the recognition procedure could not be completed within 30 days, the student can apply for enrolment at HEI with a confirmation from the competent authority that the process of recognition of secondary education qualification is in progress. This proof should be valid for 30 days only. On the admission day, the student needs to provide a decision issued by the competent authority on recognition of secondary education qualification.