ECTS System

European Credit Transfer System

What is ECTS?

ECTS, the European Credit Transfer System, was developed by the Commission of the European Communities in order to provide common procedures to guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. It provides a way of measuring and comparing learning achievements, and transferring them from one institution to another.

The ECTS system is based on the principle of mutual trust and confidence between the participating higher education institutions. The few rules of ECTS, concerning information (on courses available), agreement (between the home and host institutions) and the use of credit points (to indicate student workload) are set out to reinforce this mutual trust and confidence. Each ECTS department will describe the courses it offers not only in terms of content but also adding credits to each course.

The ECTS Credits

ECTS credits are value allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course requires in relation to the total quantity of work required to complete a full year academic study at the institution, that is, lectures, practical work, seminars, private work - in the library or at home - and examinations or other assessment activities. ECTS credits express a relative value.

In ECTS, 60 credits represent the workload of a year of study; normally 30 credits are given for a semester and 20 credits for a term. It is important that no special courses are set up for ECTS purposes, but that all ECTS courses are mainstream courses of the participating institutions, as followed by home students under normal regulations.

It is up to the participating institutions to subdivide the credits for the different courses. Practical placements and optional courses which form an integral part of the course of study receive academic credit. Practical placement and optional courses which do not form an integral part of the course of study do not receive academic credit. Non-credit courses may be mentioned in the transcript of records. Credits are awarded only when the course has been completed and all required examinations have been successfully taken.

ECTS Students

The students participating in ECTS will normally receive full credit for all academic work successfully carried out at any of the ECTS partner institutions and they will be able to transfer those academic credits from one participating institution to another on the basis of a prior agreement on the content of study programmes abroad between students and the institutions involved.

When the student has successfully completed the study programme previously agreed on between the home and the host institution and returns to the home institution, credit transfer will take place, and the student will continue the study course at the home institution without any loss of time or credit. If, on the other hand, the student decides to stay at the host institution and to take a degree there, he or she may have to adapt his or her study course due to the legal, institutional and departmental rules in the host country, institution and department.

Hannu Molsa
Professor
University of Kuopio
Institute of Applied Biotechnology          
POB 1627
FIN-70211 Kuopio
Finland
hannu.molsa@fishinnovationcentre.fi