European Qualifications Framework

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European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a European Union initiative to create a translating facility for referencing academic degrees and other learning qualifications among EU member states.

The EQF was formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 23 April 2008.

The EQF is a common European reference framework which links countries’ qualifications systems together, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. It has two principal aims: to promote citizens’ mobility between countries and to facilitate their lifelong learning.

The EQF has eight reference levels

**Descriptors defining levels in the European Qualifications Framework (EQF)**
Level	Descriptor	Knowledge	Example
Level 1	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 1 are	basic general knowledge
Level 2	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 2 are	basic factual knowledge of a field of work or study
Level 3	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 3 are	knowledge of facts, principles, processes and general concepts, in a field of work or study
Level 4	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 4 are	factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts within a field of work or study
Level 5*	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 5 are	comprehensive, specialised, factual and theoretical knowledge within a field of work or study and an awareness of the boundaries of that knowledge
Level 6**	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 6 are	advanced knowledge of a field of work or study, involving a critical understanding of theories and principles	Honours Bachelor Degree
Level 7***	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 7 are	• highly specialised knowledge, some of which is at the forefront of knowledge in a field of work or study, as the basis for original thinking and/or research • critical awareness of knowledge issues in a field and at the interface between different fields	Masters
Level 8****	The learning outcomes relevant to Level 8 are	knowledge at the most advanced frontier of a field of work or study and at the interface between fields	Doctorate

The descriptor for the higher education short cycle (within or linked to the first cycle), developed by the

Joint Quality Initiative as part of the Bologna process, corresponds to the learning outcomes for EQF level 5.

- The descriptor for the first cycle in the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area

agreed by the ministers responsible for higher education at their meeting in Bergen in May 2005 in the framework of the Bologna process corresponds to the learning outcomes for EQF level 6.

- - The descriptor for the second cycle in the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education

Area agreed by the ministers responsible for higher education at their meeting in Bergen in May 2005 in the framework of the Bologna process corresponds to the learning outcomes for EQF level 7.

- - - The descriptor for the third cycle in the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area

agreed by the ministers responsible for higher education at their meeting in Bergen in May 2005 in the framework of the Bologna process corresponds to the learning outcomes for EQF level 8.