European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

This article is about ECTS-credits. For information about the ECTS grading system, see ECTS grading scale.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS credits that are equivalent to 1500–1800 hours of study in all countries respective of standard or qualification type and is used to facilitate transfer and progression throughout the Union.

The ECTS will be complemented by the European Credit Transfer System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), which the ministers responsible for vocational training in 32 European countries agreed to develop in the Maastricht Communiqué of 14 December 2004.

ECTS also includes a standard ECTS grading scale, intended to be shown in addition to local (i.e. national) standard grades:[1]

Current systems

List of credits given in one year in European countries
Country Credit Points per year Hours per Credit Point Credit point name

1 "()"s.

European Union (EU) 60 25-30 ECTS-credits
EU Member States
Austria 60 25 ECTS (also ECTS-Punkte, ECTS credits)
Belgium 60 25-30 ECTS (also studiepunten, ECTS)
Bulgaria 60 25-30 (*) кредити
Croatia 60 25-30 ECTS bodovi
Cyprus 60 30 ECTS
Czech Republic 60 ~26 kredity
Denmark 60 ~28 ECTS-point
England, Wales and Northern Ireland 120 ~15 credits (Open University – points). Two England/Wales/Northern Ireland credits are equivalent to one ECTS credit.[2]
Estonia 60 26 ainepunkt (EAP). Currently because many students are still used to the older system the longer name 'euroopa ainepunkt' is more often used for clarity's sake
Finland 60 27 opintopiste (op) / studiepoäng (Swedish)
France 60 29 crédits ECTS
Germany 60 25-30 ECTS, Leistungspunkte (LP), Kreditpunkte (KP), Credit Points (CP) or Credits
Greece 60 30 ECTS, Credit Points (CP), Μονάδες Φόρτου Εργασίας (Διδακτικές Μονάδες - Δ.Μ) or Credits
Hungary 60 30 kredit(pont)
Ireland 60 ECTS
Italy 60 25 crediti formativi universitari (CFU)
Latvia 60 30 ECTS kredītpunkts (equals 1.5 "Latvian" credit points - kredītpunkts (KP))[3][4]
Lithuania 60 ~28 kreditai; ECTS kreditai
Luxembourg 60 ECTS
Malta 60 25 ECTS-credits
The Netherlands 60 28 studiepunten (ECTS or EC)
Poland 60 25-30 punkty ECTS, eceteesy
Portugal 60 28 créditos
Romania 60 30 credite (SECTS)
Scotland 120 10[5] SCQF credit points (2 SCQF points equal 1 ECTS point[6])
Slovakia 60 kredity
Slovenia 60 kreditne točke
Spain 60 25 créditos ECTS
Sweden 60 26.667 högskolepoäng (Used from July 2007)
EFTA Member States
Iceland 60 25-30 einingar (units)
Liechtenstein
Norway 60 25-30 studiepoeng
Switzerland 60 30 ECTS-credits
Other European Countries
Bosnia and Herzegovina 60 25 ECTS bodovi
Macedonia 60 кредити (ECTS)
Montenegro 60 ECTS-krediti
Serbia 60 30 ЕСПБ бодови
Ukraine 60 30 кредити

(*) Note: some Bulgarian universities have put a lesser standard for their students, although there is a particular ordinance by the Ministry of Education and Science.[7] In such universities the hours per credit are ≈13[8][9] Moreover, an "academic hour" in a Bulgarian educational institution is 40 or 45 minutes long.[10]

See also

External links

References

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