ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Academic Accumulation System. It is a benchmark for comparing academic accreditations for higher education studies across the EU and other participating European countries.
The ECTS system is based on the principle that one academic year equals 60 credit hours in all European universities, which in turn represents the workload a student needs to complete studies and pass exams to obtain a graduation certificate.
Typically, a full-time student can earn 30 ECTS credits per semester or 60 ECTS credits per academic year. ECTS credits provide a common measure of the scale of learning, facilitating the transfer of credits between different institutions, countries and academic systems.
ECTS also includes a grading scale, which is based on a set of ECTS scores that correspond to a range of percentage marks.
ECTS grades are A, B, C, D, E and F;
Where A is the highest grade and F is the lowest passing grade. The system is designed to facilitate student mobility and facilitate identification and comparison of the academic achievements of students from different institutions and countries.
List of credits awarded in one academic year at European universities
Below is a table showing the number of ECTS credits typically awarded for one academic year in some European countries:
| Country | Number of ECTS credits |
|---|---|
| Austria | 60 |
| Belgium | 60 |
| Bulgaria | 60 |
| Croatia | 60 |
| Cyprus | 60 |
| Czech Republic | 60 |
| Denmark | 60 |
| Estonia | 60 |
| Finland | 60 |
| French | 60 |
| ألمانيا | 60 |
| Greece | 60 |
| Hungary | 60 |
| Iceland | 60 |
| Ireland | 60 |
| Italy | 60 |
| Latvia | 60 |
| Lithuania | 60 |
| Luxembourg | 60 |
| مالطا | 60 |
| Netherlands | 60 |
| Norway | 60 |
| Poland | 60 |
| Portugal | 60 |
| Romania | 60 |
| Slovakia | 60 |
| Slovenia | 60 |
| Spain | 60 |
| Sweden | 60 |
| Switzerland | 60 |
| United kingdom | 120 |
It should be noted that the number of credits awarded may vary depending on the institution, study program and specific requirements in each country. In addition, some countries may use different credit systems, such as the United Kingdom's National Credit System.
Another table of hours per credit point
Sure, here is a table showing the estimated working hours required per ECTS credit point for some European countries:
| Country | Estimated hours per ECTS credit point |
|---|---|
| Austria | 25-30 |
| Belgium | 25-30 |
| Bulgaria | 25-30 |
| Croatia | 25-30 |
| Cyprus | 25-30 |
| Czech Republic | 25-30 |
| Denmark | 25-30 |
| Estonia | 25-30 |
| Finland | 27-30 |
| French | 25-30 |
| ألمانيا | 25-30 |
| Greece | 25-30 |
| Hungary | 25-30 |
| Iceland | 25-30 |
| Ireland | 25-30 |
| Italy | 25-30 |
| Latvia | 25-30 |
| Lithuania | 25-30 |
| Luxembourg | 25-30 |
| مالطا | 25-30 |
| Netherlands | 28-30 |
| Norway | 25-30 |
| Poland | 25-30 |
| Portugal | 25-30 |
| Romania | 25-30 |
| Slovakia | 25-30 |
| Slovenia | 25-30 |
| Spain | 25-30 |
| Sweden | 27-30 |
| Switzerland | 25-30 |
| United kingdom | 20-25 |
What is the hourly cost per credit point?
The cost per ECTS credit or per 30 ECTS credits can vary depending on the country, institution, program of study and other factors such as scholarships and financial aid. It is also important to note that tuition fees may not be the only costs associated with studying, as students may also need to cover living expenses such as accommodation, food and transportation.
For example, according to the website Study in EuropeThe average annual tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students is around €7000 – €12000 for undergraduate programs and €10000 – €20000 for postgraduate programmes. However, these are just averages and actual costs may vary widely by country and institution.
In addition, some countries have lower or no tuition fees for EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students. For example, in Germany, most universities do not charge tuition fees for undergraduate programs, and tuition fees for graduate programs are generally lower than in other countries. However, students may still need to cover other living expenses.
Therefore, it is important to research the specific costs of studying in each country and institution of interest, as well as explore scholarship and financial aid opportunities that may be available.
How will ECTS be for students who studied their bachelor's outside Europe and want to study their master's in Europe?
For students who completed their bachelor's degree outside Europe and wish to study their master's degree in Europe, ECTS can be useful in determining the amount of credits and workload required to complete their study programme. However, specific procedures for recognizing credits may vary by country and institution.
In general, students who have completed their bachelor's degree outside Europe will need to have their qualifications assessed to determine whether they meet the entry requirements for their chosen Master's programme. The assessment may take into account factors such as the level and content of the courses studied, the institution where the degree was achieved, and the grading system used.
If qualifications are considered equivalent, a student may be able to gain credit for some or all of the courses they complete, and these credits may be recognized by the European institution as ECTS credits. However, the exact amount of credits that can be transferred will depend on the specific policies and requirements of the institution.
It should be noted that some universities and countries may have specific requirements for international students, such as language proficiency or additional courses that must be completed, so it is important to check with the institution and program in question for more information about admission and specific credit. Transportation policies.
Overall, ECTS can help ensure that students receive recognition for the work they have already completed and that their studies in Europe are efficient and effective.
Example with calculations
Here's an example of how the ECTS system can be used to calculate workload and transfer credit for a student who completed a bachelor's degree outside Europe and wants to study a master's degree in Europe.
Assume that a student has completed a three-year bachelor's degree program in his or her home country, and that the program consists of 1800 hours of coursework and examinations.
The student now wishes to study a two-year master's degree program in Germany.
To determine how many ECTS credits a student can transfer, an institution in Europe may use the following formula:
The estimated workload per ECTS credit can vary depending on the institution and country, but for the purposes of this example, let's assume it is 25 hours per ECTS credit.
Using this formula, the number of ECTS credits a student can transfer will be:
Number of credits = 1800 hours / 25 hours = 72 credit hours
This means that a student can transfer 72 ECTS credits to a Master's degree program in Europe.
It is important to note that the exact number of credits that may be transferred may depend on the policies and requirements of the specific institution, and some courses may not be considered equivalent or may require additional coursework. However, ECTS provides a transparent and consistent framework for recognizing credits, which can help make the credit transfer process easier for international students.
