In 2005 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research launched the programme ANKOM (Recognition of Vocational Competences in Higher Education). Until now the twelve regional projects of this initiative have developed several instruments and methods to assess and evaluate prior vocational learning for accreditation. A core element of the recognition process is a so called “equivalence check”. The objective of this check is to find out to what extent different modules from vocational and higher education have similar contents and the same level. The Module Level Indicator (MLI) is an instrument applicable as a part of the equivalence check. Its function is to determine the level of a certain module or subject. The MLI is based on the European Qualifications Framework for LLL (EQF) and was developed on the basis of psychometrics. First empirical results of the instrument’s validation process are now available. The paper will present the basic concept of the MLI and discuss the empirical findings as well as their implications for the further development of accreditation procedures.