European Credit Transfer System

1.1. What is ECTS?

ECTS, the European Credit Transfer System, was developed by the Commission of the European Union 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 course available), Agreement (between the home and the host institution) 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.

1.2. What are ECTS-Credits?

ECTS-Credits show the use of labour of a student in connection with the respective course. The universities themselves assign credits to each course. One term of full-time-study is equivalent to 30 ECTS-Credits (accordingly one year is 60 ECTS-Credits, one trimester is 20 ECTS-Credits), that can be gained after attending courses successfully. ECTS-Credits can only be given to courses that are part of the regular degree programme.

Normally, the 60 Local Credit Points required per academic year (i.e. 30 credits per semester), are converted into ECTS Credits by 1, with the exception of year 5, where ECTS Credits are allocated to otherwise locally uncredited but required and graded work: the diploma thesis (30 Local Credit Points, i.e. 30 ECTS Credits). However, neither Local Credit Points nor ECTS Credits are allocated to the local and obligatory Intermediate and Final Examinations at the end of year 3 and 5, respectively.

1.3. What are ECTS-Grades?

The grading of a course is made by the grading-system of the responsible university. In order to make a conversion into the grading-system of the home country easier, a describing ECTS-grading system was developed, which under no circumstances replaces the national grading-system.
Courses may be graded on a scale from one to three, while the ECTS scale is more sensitive. The chart below describes the method of grade conversion. Ungraded attestations are given on a pass/fail basis. Courses awarded the fail grade will not be recognised by the home university.

1.4. How Does ECTS Work?

Students of co-operating universities are able to stay at ECTS-partner universities, for part of their studies, after prior consultation with the ECTS coordinator. Prior to the departure of the student, the two partner universities and their coordinators define within the Learning Agreement which courses the student should have to attend. Changes during the stay also have to be discussed with both coordinators. After returning to the home-university the academic records will be accredited with the Transcript of Records. Therefore it is guaranteed that the student does not suffer from time loss due to his/her stay abroad.

1.5. ECTS Students

The students participating in ECTS will receive full credit for all academic work successfully carried out at any of the ECTS partner institutions and they will be able to transfer these academic credits from one institution to another as long as there is prior agreement between the institutions involved.

All students of the participating departments who are willing to take part in the ECTS Pilot Scheme may do so if their institution agrees and within the limit of available places.

Most students participating in the ECTS pilot scheme will go to one host institution in an EU Member State or EFTA country, study there for a limited period and then return to their home institution. Some may decide to stay at the host institution and finish their degree there. Some may also decide to proceed to a third institution to continue their studies. In each of these three cases, students will be required to comply with the legal and institutional requirements of the country and institution where they take their degree. When the student returns and has successfully completed the study programme previously agreed between the home and host institutions, credit transfer will then 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 his/her degree there, he/she may have to adapt his/her study course to the legal, institutional and departmental rules in the host country, institution and department.

1.6. ECTS Transcript of Records

The University uses a standard ECTS Transcript Form. The Transcript Form is issued to every ERASMUS student by the faculty study department or by the University International Office.