About ECTS -European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is a standard system for measuring and comparing higher education study programs across Europe. It is a credit accumulation and transfer system that was developed by the European Union to facilitate the recognition of learning achievements and qualifications of students across participating countries.

ECTS credits are a standard measure of the volume of learning required to achieve specific learning outcomes within a study program. One ECTS credit represents approximately 25-30 hours of student workload, including time spent in lectures, seminars, self-study, and assessments.

The main purpose of ECTS is to provide a transparent and consistent way to transfer academic credits between institutions and countries, making it easier for students to move between different study programs or institutions within Europe. It is widely used in European higher education institutions and is particularly useful for students who are interested in studying abroad or transferring between institutions.

In addition to facilitating the recognition of learning achievements, ECTS also provides students with detailed information about the learning outcomes, content, and structure of study programs, making it easier for students to make informed decisions about their education and career paths.

The Concept and Design

The ECTS was created as part of a European Union pilot project that ran from 1989 to 1997. This initiative was funded by the European Union’s ERASMUS mobility program. It is the only credit system that has been thoroughly evaluated and implemented throughout Europe. It was created to transfer credits and the system made it easier to recognize study abroad periods, which improved the quality and quantity of student mobility in Europe. It has recently evolved into an accumulation system that may be used at the institutional, regional, national, and European levels.

Main Purpose of ECTS -European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

ECTS, or the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, was created to facilitate the recognition of qualifications and the transfer of credits between different higher education institutions across Europe.

The main purpose of ECTS is to provide a standard and transparent way of measuring and comparing learning outcomes and student workload in different higher education systems. ECTS allows students to build up credits for learning they have completed, and these credits can be transferred to other higher education institutions in Europe.

This system helps to ensure that students are able to receive recognition for their academic achievements, regardless of where they study within the European Higher Education Area. It also promotes academic mobility and the internationalization of higher education, by facilitating student and staff exchanges between institutions.

In summary, the main purpose of ECTS is to make it easier for students to transfer their academic achievements between different higher education institutions in Europe and to promote international academic mobility. Here are the main purposes:

• Real-time study times are significantly shorter.
• As a guide for students, performance monitoring will occur concurrently with the learning process.
• More transparent requirements for courses and examinations established based on credits associated with the educational institutions.
• Transparency regarding the workload of students.
• Students will have more confidence in terms of their capacity to plan, as clear details of the modules to be completed and evidence to be presented will be available.
• For students, there should be more national and international flexibility.
• Higher education institutions will have more flexibility to respond promptly to developments in the Job market.
• Mutual acknowledgment of studies and examinations is made easier.

Significant Characteristics

Some significant characteristics of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System are as follows-

1. It is built on the principle that 60 credits are equal to one academic year’s workload for a full-time student. In Europe, the average student workload for a full-time program of study is roughly 1500-1800 hours per year, with one credit equating to about 25 to 30 hours of work.
2. The time required to complete all scheduled learning activities, such as attending lectures, independent and private study, seminars, tests, project preparation, and so on, is measured in ECTS.
3. A local/national grade is used to document the student’s performance. It is a good idea to include an ECTS grade, especially if you are transferring credits. The ECTS grading scale uses statistics to rank students. As a result, statistical data on student performance is required before the ECTS grading system can be used. Students with a passing grade are given the following grades-

• • • A- best ten percent
    • B- next twenty-five percent
    • C- next thirty-five percent
    • D- next twenty-five percent
    • E- next ten percent

How do you convert ECTS to study hours?

One ECTS credit point equates to an average of 25-30 actual study hours based on your selected country of study. For various nationalities, the study hours for ECTS credits are pre-determined. For your convenience, a list of popular nations that accept ECTS credit points and study hours are provided below.

• 1 ECTS = 27study hours(Sweden, Finland, Lithuania)
• 1 ECTS = 25 study hours ( Ireland, Italy, Malta, Spain, Austria)
• 1 ECTS = 20 study hours(United Kingdom)
• 1 ECTS = 28 study hours(Netherlands, Portugal)
• 1 ECTS = 30 study hours (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Romania)

And what’s the easiest way to convert your grade to ECTS?

Make use of our ECTS credits calculator to find answers to your questions.

About ECTS calculator

The ECTS credits calculator or European Credit and Transfer and Accumulation System is basically a grading system. Moreover, this helps students in hopping from one university to the other by providing them with a common grading platform. Furthermore, the grades are subdivided on a scale from A to F. In a nutshell, ECTS is a platform that facilitates students in their studies by this credit transfer system, which will provide due recognition to the study obtained in the previous institute.

How does the ECTS Credit calculator work?

After completion of every course/seminar/module, students receive ECTS credit points. Each point depicts the workload they accomplished in that particular period. A few examples of ECTS credit points per degree type include:

• 60 ECTS credits- Dedicated for a full year of academic study.
• 120 ECTS credits- For a 2year master’s degree program.
• 180 ECTS credits- In relation to a 3year bachelor’s degree program.
• 240 ECTS credits- Dedicated for a bachelor’s degree program that extends up to 4years.

Moreover, there are several prominent international study destinations that are using the ECTS system, namely, the UK, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, ECTS credit points may be equivalent to different study hours depending on the country. For instance,

1. 1 ECTS = 30 study hours (In Germany, Belgium, Romania, and Hungary)
2. 1 ECTS = 27 study hours (In Finland)
3. A single ECTS = 28 study hours (In The Netherlands, Portugal)
4. A single ECTS = 25 study hours (In Austria, Italy, and Spain)

Study hours hare divided into lecture and self-study hours. Self-study means the given time
to complete an assignment & understand the subject matter. It refers to the
time spent on work outside the class.

So if you have 1 hour of lectures & 1 hour of out-of-class student work weekly, each
for 15 weeks, that equals to 30 hours. That’s 1 ECTS credit.

What are ECTS credits good for?

They make the student performance comparable and transparent. In addition to that, they are merely a supplement to the local grading system. Since its totally based upon the class percentile, hence, it allows students to critically analyze their position in class with respect to others. Whereas the other benefits include:

• You will have the liberty to pursue a Bachelor’s degree from one country and a Master’s from another within the EU.
• Since education is recognized all over the EU, you can get a job anywhere.
• Simplified academic paperworks.
• Less differentiation among students from local and international universities.
• The number of credits will remain the same irrespective of the discipline.
• Even though you drop out of a course due to some emergency, ECTS credits will aid in proving your academic achievements so that you don’t have to take the same courses all over again.
• One can easily make out the complexity of the course based on the number of credits offered on its completion.

Since the ECTS Credits calculator has its fair share of benefits and allows students to opt for different study destinations during their learning years. Meanwhile, it simplifies the transfer of students’ academic achievement from one university to another.

How to convert our grade to ECTS?

Use our ECTS credits calculator and resolve your queries!

How to convert your marks to German grades?

Use our German grade calculator and calculate the German grade equivalent to your score.