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). ECTS credits are awarded for successfully completed studies, with the basic definition being that one full time academic year corresponds to a total of 60 ECTS credits; typically this corresponds to an annual workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours, although this can vary as defined by national regulations. It results in a corresponding equivalence of one ECTS credit for each 25 to 30 hours of work. However, it is the correspondence to the academic year, rather than the hours worked, that is defining.

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. 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. 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.

Current systems

+ List of credits given in one year in European countries CountryCredit points per yearHours per credit point Credit point name Status Albania 60 30 EHEA member Austria 60 25 ECTS (also , ECTS credits) EHEA member Belgium 60 25–30 ECTS (also , , ECTS) EHEA member Bosnia and Herzegovina 60 25 ECTS bodovi EHEA member Bulgaria 60 25–30 EHEA member Croatia 60 25–30 ECTS bodovi EHEA member Cyprus 60 30 ECTS EHEA member Czech Republic 60 26 EHEA member Denmark 60 28 ECTS-point EHEA member Estonia 60 26 (EAP). Currently because many students are still used to the older system the longer name '' is more often used for clarity's sake EHEA member European Union 60 25–30typical values which can vary between national systems, "academic year" is normative ECTS creditsEHEA member Finland 60 27 (op) / (Swedish) (lit. study point) EHEA member France 60 25–30 EHEA member Georgia 60 25 () EHEA member Germany 60 25–30 ECTS, (LP), (KP), Credit Points (CP) or Credits EHEA member Greece 60 30 ECTS, Credit Points (CP), or Credits EHEA member Hungary 60 30 kredit (pont) EHEA member Iceland 60 25–30 (units) EHEA member Ireland 60 ECTS EHEA member Italy 60 25–30 (CFU) EHEA member Latvia 60 30 ECTS kredītpunkts (1 "Latvian" credit point (kredītpunkts) equals 1.5 ECTS) EHEA member Liechtenstein 60 EHEA member Lithuania 60 28 kreditai; ECTS kreditai EHEA member Luxembourg 60 25–30 ECTS EHEA member Malta 60 25 ECTS-credits EHEA member Montenegro 60 ECTS-krediti EHEA member Netherlands 60 28 (ECTS or EC) EHEA member North Macedonia 60 кредити (ECTS) EHEA member Norway 60 25–30 EHEA member Poland 60 25–30 EHEA member Portugal 60 28 EHEA member Romania 60 30 (SECTS) EHEA member Russia 60 30 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 ' and ) EHEA member Sweden 60 26.667 (Used from July 2007) EHEA memberSwitzerland 60 25–30 ECTS-credits, (KP) EHEA member Turkey 60 25–30 AKTS - kredi EHEA member Ukraine 60 30 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.EHEA member United Kingdom (Scotland) 120 (60 ECTS) 10 (20 hours per ECTS) SCQF credit points. Two SCQF points equal one ECTS point.

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

References