International Students : Presentation of ECTS - European Credit Transfert System

The ECTS, plan of European Credit Transfer System valid in the whole Community, has been developed by the European Community in order to establish common procedures so that studying abroad will be made easier, especially concerning the problems of academic recognition. The ECTS provides the means of assessing and comparing the level of studies and transferring the knowledge from one University to another.

The ECTS is a decentralized system based on the principle of mutual trust between the participating institutions.

Each participant to the ECTS Programme will describe the courses he proposes, not only in terms of content, but also in terms of credits for every course.

By using ECTS, transparency of curricula and students learning achievement is created, which in turn facilitates academic recognition.



 

What are ECTS credits ?

ECTS credits describe the student workload required for the completion of a full year of academic study (lectures, practical and tutorial work, seminars, private work) to pass examination.

In ECTS, 60 credits represent one year of study (in terms of workload) ; 30 credits are given for a semester (6 months) and 20 for a term (3 months).

ECTS credits are also allocated to practical training periods and to optional courses which are part of the study syllabus.

These credits will be transferred from one institution to another, in the case of previous agreement between them.