ECTS -European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
About ECTS -European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, popularly known as ECTS is a student-centric system that depends on the amount of student work required to meet a program’s objectives, which are typically described in terms of learning outcomes and competencies to be obtained. Around 48 countries in the European Higher Education Area(EHEA) have adopted ECTS.
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
The main purpose of using the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is to achieve the following-
- 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-
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
And what’s the easiest way to convert your marks to German grades?
Calculate the German grade comparable to your score using our German grade calculator.
Overall, The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System makes it simple to read and compare study programs for local as well as international students. It makes mobility and academic recognition easier. It increases the appeal of European higher education to students from other regions.
