THE EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM (ECTS)
The European Credit Transfer System is a standard for comparing and recognising the academic achievements and performance of students of higher education across Europe. The system facilitates the transfer of learning outcomes between different institutions, hence promoting greater student mobility and flexibility in the student’s study plan.Each module (described in terms of learning outcomes and timescale) corresponds to a certain number of credits, accorded to the students after its successful completion. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS (30 credits per semester) credits, equivalent to a study workload ranging between 1500 to1800 hours.
The ECTS system is based on three core elements
- Information on the student’s programme of study and the academic results
- Mutual agreement between the partner institutions and the student concerned
- The use of ECTS credits to indicate the academic value of the learning outcomes and the study timescale and workload necessary
Reference to ECTS credits are normally cited in the following documents:
- The ECTS information package and the establishment’s prospectus
- The ECTS learning agreement
- The ECTS academic transcript
For more information: http://ec.europa.eu