EduAsiaNews, Jakarta – Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) is expanding access to higher education through its Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathway for working professionals, practitioners, and individuals with relevant experience and competencies. Through an assessment of previous education, professional certifications, portfolios, and work experience, prospective students may receive academic credit in the form of Semester Credit Units (SKS). Those granted the maximum recognition may complete a bachelor’s degree in as few as three semesters (approximately 1.5 years), while a master’s degree may be completed in around one year.
RPL is a mechanism that recognizes learning outcomes acquired through formal, non-formal, informal education, as well as professional work experience. This recognition may be used as a basis for continuing formal education or obtaining credit exemptions for selected courses, subject to the results of the assessment. Credit recognition is determined individually and is not granted automatically to all applicants.
At the undergraduate level, UPNVJ’s Information Systems program offers recognition of up to 102 SKS, equivalent to approximately 70 percent of the total 145-SKS curriculum. The Accounting program offers recognition of up to 92 SKS, while the Management program provides recognition of up to 88 SKS. For the Physiotherapy program, the number of recognized credits is determined based on an evaluation of each applicant’s prior learning outcomes and supporting documentation.
With maximum credit recognition, students in these undergraduate programs may complete their remaining coursework within three semesters. Compared with the standard eight-semester undergraduate program, this pathway has the potential to reduce the duration of study by five semesters, or more than 60 percent.
At the graduate level, the Master of Accounting program may recognize up to 26 SKS, while the Master of Management program offers recognition of up to 27 SKS. Students receiving the maximum credit recognition may complete their master’s degree in one year, compared with the conventional two-year study period.
UPNVJ has also obtained authorization to offer the RPL pathway for its Master of Law program. This pathway is intended for legal professionals and practitioners with relevant work experience and demonstrated learning outcomes. According to the program guidelines, applicants to the Master of Law through the RPL pathway must possess a minimum of five years of professional work experience.
To participate in the RPL assessment process, applicants are required to submit a comprehensive, authentic, and verifiable portfolio. Supporting documents may include national or international competency certificates, employment records and references, work logs, supervisor recommendations, and official study permits issued by their employing institution.
The submitted portfolio is then evaluated by the UPNVJ RPL assessment team, which matches the applicant’s experience and competencies against the learning outcomes of individual courses. For applicants to the Master of Law program, evidence of professional experience must be organized according to the courses for which credit recognition is requested.
In addition to shortening the duration of study, the RPL pathway may also reduce overall educational and related costs, as students are only required to complete courses that have not been recognized through the assessment process. However, the extent of any cost savings varies depending on the assessment results, the number of approved credits, the remaining study period, and the applicable tuition regulations. All students are still required to fulfill their financial obligations in accordance with UPNVJ’s academic policies.(www.upnvj.ac.id)
