The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing
academic credit
A credit is the recognition for having taken a course at school or university, used as measure if enough hours have been made for graduation.
University credits United States Credit hours
In a college or university in the United States, students ...
s, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...
across the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS credits that are normally equivalent to 1500–1800 hours of total workload, irrespective of standard or qualification type. ECTS credits are used to facilitate transfer and progression throughout the Union.
ECTS also includes a standard
grading scale, intended to be shown in addition to local (i.e. national) standard grades.
Current systems
See also
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Educational policies and initiatives of the European Union
In the European Union education is at the responsibility of its Member States and their Ministries of education that they have; in such, the European Union institutions play only a supporting and overseeing role. According to Art. 165 of the Tr ...
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Bologna Process
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European Higher Education Area
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was launched in March 2010, during the Budapest-Vienna Ministerial Conference, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Bologna Process.
As the main objective of the Bologna Process since its ince ...
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ECTS grading scale
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Carnegie Unit and Student Hour The Carnegie Unit and the Student Hour are strictly time-based references for measuring educational attainment used by American universities and colleges; the Carnegie Unit assesses secondary school attainment, and the Student Hour, derived from the ...
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Erasmus Programme
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Academic mobility
Academic mobility refers to students and teachers in higher education moving to another institution inside or outside of their own country to study or teach for a limited time.
The Bologna process regulates academic mobility within European hig ...
References
External links
European Commission ECTS informationThe Official Bologna Process - European Higher Education Area Website 2010-2020Systemy Akumulacji i Transferu Osiągnięć Na Przykładzie ECTS I ECVET
{{DEFAULTSORT:European Credit Transfer And Accumulation System
Academic transfer
Educational policies and initiatives of the European Union
Universities and colleges in Europe