European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ECTS credits are awarded for successfully completed studies, with the basic definition being that one full academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS credits; in most cases this corresponds to a typical workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours, although this can vary as defined by national regulations, giving a correspondence of one credit for each 25 to 30 hours of work. It is the correspondence to the academic year, rather than the hours worked, that is defining.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ECTS credits originated within the European Union's Erasmus programme in 1989 as a method of transferring credit earned during study abroad back to students' home institutions; since 2015 it has been part of the EHEA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ECTS originally included a standard ECTS grading scale, intended to be shown in addition to local (i.e., national) standard grades, but this was dropped in 2009 in favour of institutions instead providing a grade distribution table showing the statistical distribution of grades in their national or institutional system.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ECTS credits describe the volume of learning, with the level of learning being defined by institutional systems that are referenced to national qualifications frameworks and international frameworks such as the EHEA's Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area and the EU's European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Current systems
| Country | Credit points per year | Hours per credit point | Credit point name | Status<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 60 | 30 | Pikët ECTS | EHEA member |
| Austria | 60 | 25 | ECTS (also ECTS-Punkte, ECTS credits) | EHEA member |
| Belgium | 60 | 25-30 | ECTS (also studiepunten, crédits, ECTS) | EHEA member |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 60 | 25 | ECTS bodovi | EHEA member |
| Bulgaria | 60 | 25-30 | кредити | EHEA member |
| Croatia | 60 | 25-30 | ECTS bodovi | EHEA member |
| Cyprus | 60 | 30 | ECTS | EHEA member |
| Czech Republic | 60 | 26 | kredity | EHEA member |
| Denmark | 60 | 28 | ECTS-point | EHEA member |
| 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 | EHEA member |
| European Union | 60 | 25-30<ref>typical values which can vary between national systems, "academic year" is normative</ref> | ECTS credits | EHEA member |
| Finland | 60 | 27 | opintopiste (op) / studiepoäng (Swedish) (lit. study point) | EHEA member |
| France | 60 | 25-30<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | crédits ECTS | EHEA member |
| Georgia | 60 | 25 | კრედიტები (kreditebi) | EHEA member |
| Germany | 60 | 25-30 | ECTS, Leistungspunkte (LP), Kreditpunkte (KP), Credit Points (CP) or Credits | EHEA member |
| Greece | 60 | 30 | ECTS, Credit Points (CP), Μονάδες Φόρτου Εργασίας (Διδακτικές Μονάδες - Δ.Μ) or Credits | EHEA member |
| Hungary | 60 | 30 | kredit (pont) | EHEA member |
| Iceland | 60 | 25-30 | einingar (units) | EHEA member |
| Ireland | 60 | ECTS | EHEA member | |
| Italy | 60 | 25-30 | crediti formativi universitari (CFU) | EHEA member |
| Latvia | 60 | 30 | ECTS kredītpunkts (1 "Latvian" credit point (kredītpunkts) equals 1.5 ECTS)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | EHEA member |
| Liechtenstein | 60 | EHEA member | ||
| Lithuania | 60 | 28 | kreditai; ECTS kreditai | EHEA member |
| Luxembourg | 60 | ECTS | EHEA member | |
| Malta | 60 | 25 | ECTS-credits | EHEA member |
| Montenegro | 60 | ECTS-krediti | EHEA member | |
| Netherlands | 60 | 28 | studiepunten (ECTS or EC) | EHEA member |
| North Macedonia | 60 | кредити (ECTS) | EHEA member | |
| Norway | 60 | 25-30<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | studiepoeng | EHEA member |
| Poland | 60 | 25-30 | punkty ECTS | EHEA member |
| Portugal | 60 | 28 | créditos ECTS | EHEA member |
| Romania | 60 | 30 | credite (SECTS) | EHEA member |
| Russia | 60 | 30 | кредиты | EHEA member |
| Serbia | 60 | 30 | ЕСПБ бодови / ESPB bodovi | EHEA member |
| Slovakia | 60 | 25 | kredity | EHEA member |
| Slovenia | 60 | 25-30 | kreditne točke | EHEA member |
| Spain | 60 | 25-30 | ECTS (also créditos and crèdits) | EHEA member |
| Sweden | 60 | 26.667 | högskolepoäng (Used from July 2007) | EHEA member |
| Switzerland | 60 | 25-30<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ECTS-credits, Kreditpunkte (KP) | EHEA member |
| Turkey | 60 | 25-30 | AKTS - kredi<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | EHEA member |
| Ukraine | 60 | 30 | кредити | EHEA member |
| United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) | 120 (60 ECTS) | 10 (20 hours per ECTS) | Credits. One ECTS credit is equivalent to two UK credits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="QAA Credits">Template:Cite web</ref> | EHEA member |
| United Kingdom (Scotland) | 120 (60 ECTS) | 10 (20 hours per ECTS)<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> | SCQF credit points. Two SCQF points equal one ECTS point.<ref name="auto"/> |
See also
- Educational policies and initiatives of the European Union
- Bologna Process
- European Higher Education Area
- ECTS grading scale
- Carnegie Unit and Student Hour
- Erasmus Programme
- Academic mobility