European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

This page describes ECTS-credits. For information about the ECTS grading system go to ECTS grading scale
ECTS grading scale
The ECTS grading scale is a grading system defined in the ECTS framework by the European Commission. Since many different grading systems co-exist in Europe, and considering that interpretation of grades varies considerably from one country to another, if not from one institution to another, the...

.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

across the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

and other collaborating European countries. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS-credits that are equivalent to 1500–1800 hours of study in all countries irrespective of standard or qualification type and is used to facilitate transfer and progression throughout the Union.

The ECTS will be complemented by the European credit transfer system for vocational education and training (ECVET) which the ministers responsible for vocational training in 32 European countries agreed to develop in the Maastricht Communiqué of 14 December 2004.

ECTS also includes a standard ECTS grading scale

ECTS grading scale

The ECTS grading scale is a grading system defined in the ECTS framework by the European Commission. Since many different grading systems co-exist in Europe, and considering that interpretation of grades varies considerably from one country to another, if not from one institution to another, the...

, intended to be shown in addition to local (i.e. national) standard grades :

Current systems

List of credits given in one year in European countries
Country	CP per year	Hours per CP	Credit point name
European Union (EU)	60	25-30	ECTS-credits
EU Member States Member State of the European Union A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
Austria Education in Austria The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for...	60	25	ECTS (also ECTS-Punkte, ECTS credits)
Belgium Education in Belgium Education in Belgium is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three communities: Flemish, French and German-speaking. The national legislator only kept a very few, minimal competences for education as the age for mandatory schooling, and, indirectly, the financing of the...	60	30	ECTS (also studiepunten, ECTS)
Bulgaria Education in Bulgaria Education in Bulgaria is overseen by the Ministry of Education and Science. Full-time education is mandatory for all children aged between 7 and 16. 6-year old children can be enrolled at school at their parents' discretion. Education at state-owned schools is free of charge, except for the higher...	60		кредити
Cyprus
Czech Republic Education in the Czech Republic Education in the Czech Republic is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 15. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 104 percent, and in 1995, the net primary enrollment rate was 86.9 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for the Czech Republic as of 2001...	60		kredity
Denmark Education in Denmark Education in Denmark is compulsory for children below 15 or 16. The school years up to the age of fifteen/sixteen are known as Folkeskole . About 82% of young people take further education in addition to this. Government-funded education is usually free of charge and open to all...	60	~28	ECTS-point
England, Wales and Northern Ireland Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme is used by many universities in the United Kingdom to monitor, record and reward passage through a modular degree course and to facilitate movement between courses and institutions...	120	~10	credits (Open University – points)
Estonia Education in Estonia The history of formal education in Estonia dates back to the 13–14th centuries when the first monastic and cathedral schools were founded. The first primer in the Estonian language was published in 1575. The oldest university is the University of Tartu which was established by the Swedish king...	60	26	ainepunkt (EAP), currently because many students are still used with the older system the long name 'euroopa ainepunkt' is more than often used for clarity's sake
Finland Education in Finland The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time students. The present Finnish education system consists of well-funded and carefully thought out daycare programs and a one-year "pre-school" ; a nine-year compulsory basic...	60	27	opintopiste (op) / studiepoäng (Swedish)
France Education in France The French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages:* the primary education ;* secondary education ;...	60		crédits ECTS
Germany Education in Germany The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory, in most cases for...	60	30	ECTS, Leistungspunkte (LP), Kreditpunkte (KP), Credit Points (CP) or Credits
Greece Education in Greece The Greek educational system is mainly divided into three levels, namely primary, secondary and tertiary, with an additional post-secondary level providing vocational training. Primary education is divided into kindergarten lasting one or two years, and primary school spanning six years...	60		ECTS, Credit Points (CP), Μονάδες Φόρτου Εργασίας (Δ.Μ) or Credits
Hungary Education in Hungary -The social environment of education:The decline of Hungary's population that started in 1981 has also continued in recent years. According to the 2001 census, the population of Hungary was 10,198,000, about half a million less than the figure of twenty years earlier. By 2005 the population dropped...	60	30	kredit(pont)
Ireland Education in the Republic of Ireland The levels of education in Ireland are primary, secondary and higher education. In recent years further education has grown immensely. Growth in the economy since the 1960s has driven much of the change in the education system. Education in Ireland is free at all levels, including college , but...	60		ECTS
Italy Education in Italy Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 15/16 years of age, and is divided into five stages: kindergarten , primary school , lower secondary school , upper secondary school and university...	60	25	crediti formativi universitari (CFU)
Latvia Education in Latvia Education in Latvia is free and compulsory until the age of 15, or through the completion of primary school. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 95.8 percent, while the net primary enrollment rate was 89.5 percent. The number of children who do not attend primary school was increasing...	40	40	kredītpunkts (KP)
Lithuania Education in Lithuania Education in Lithuania is free of charge and compulsory from the age of 6 or 7 to 16 years, as stated in the national Law on Education. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 98 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for Lithuania as of 2001...	60		kreditai
Luxembourg University of Luxembourg thumb\|Campus LimpertsbergThe University of Luxembourg is the only university in Luxembourg, founded on 13 August 2003. Prior to that, there were several higher educational institutions such as the cour universitaire or the IST that offered one or two years of academic studies...	60		ECTS
Malta Education in Malta Education in Malta is compulsory through age sixteen and is offered through three different providers: the state, the church and the private sector. The state is responsible for promoting education and instruction and ensuring universal access to education for all Maltese citizens the existence of...	60		ECTS-credits
The Netherlands Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels...	60	28	studiepunten (ECTS)
Poland Education in Poland Since changes made in 2009 Education in Poland starts at the age of five or six for the 0 class and six or seven years in the 1st class of primary school . It is compulsory that children do one year of formal education before entering 1st class at no later than 7 years of age...	60		punkty ECTS
Portugal Higher education in Portugal Higher education in Portugal is divided into two main subsystems: university and polytechnic education. It is provided in autonomous public universities, private universities, public or private university institutes, polytechnic institutions and higher education institutions of other types...	60	28	créditos
Romania Education in Romania According to the Law on Education adopted in 1995, the Romanian Educational System is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Research . Each level has its own form of organization and is subject to different legislation. Kindergarten is optional between 3 and 6 years old...	60	30	credite (SECTS)
Scotland Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland...	120		SCOTCAT credit points
Slovakia Education in Slovakia Education in Slovakia consists of a free education system based on 10 years of compulsory school attendance.- General characteristics:Most schools, especially universities, are owned by the state, though since the 1990s there are also church-owned and private schools .Slovakia has 10 years of...	60		kredity
Slovenia Education in Slovenia Education in Slovenia- Primary school :Children first enter primary schooling at about the age of 6 and finish at about the age of 14. Each group of children born in the same year forms one grade or class in primary school which lasts until the end of primary school. Each grade or year is divided...	60		kreditne točke
Spain Education in Spain The current system of education in Spain is known as LOE after the Ley Orgánica de Educación, or Fundamental Law of Education. Education in Spain is compulsory, and free from 6 to 16 years of age, supported by the Government in each Region....	60	25	créditos ECTS
Sweden Education in Sweden Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th...	60	26.667	högskolepoäng (Used from July 2007)
EFTA Member States
Iceland Education in Iceland The system of education in Iceland is divided in four levels: playschool, compulsory, upper secondary and higher, and is similar to that of other Nordic countries. Education is mandatory for children aged 6–16. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are very few private schools in the...	60		eining(ar) (unit(s))
Liechtenstein
Norway Higher education in Norway Higher education in Norway is offered by a range of eight universities, nine specialised universities, 24 university colleges as well as a range of private university colleges...	60		studiepoeng
Switzerland Education in Switzerland The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...	60	30	ECTS-credits
Other European Countries
Bosnia and Herzegovina	60	25	ECTS bodovi
Croatia Education in Croatia Education in Croatia is defined as a constitutional right: the Constitution of Croatia section 65 defines primary education as mandatory and free, while secondary and higher education as equally available to all...	60	25	ECTS bodovi
Georgia Education in Georgia (country) Education in Georgia is free of charge and compulsory from the age of 6 until 17-18 years. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 88.2 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 87 percent. Although the Constitution mandates that education is “free,” related expenses that include...	60-65	30	კრედიტი (krediti)
Macedonia Education in the Republic of Macedonia The Constitution mandates free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the Republic of Macedonia, and the Law on Primary Education specifies that all children from 7 to 15 years of age attend school for a compulsory 8 years...	60		кредити (ECTS)
Montenegro Education in Montenegro Education in Montenegro is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science of Government of Montenegro.Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools at the age of 6 and it lasts for nine years.- History :Before 1868, there were only a few...	60		ECTS-krediti
Serbia Education in Serbia Education in Serbia is divided in preschool, primary school, secondary school, and higher education . It is regulated by the Ministry of Education.-Current system of education:...	60		ЕСПБ бодови

Obsolete systems

List of credits previously given in one year in European countries
Country	CP/a	Abbreviation (unit)
Austria Education in Austria The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for... (old system)	~40	Semesterwochenstunden (SSt)
Denmark Education in Denmark Education in Denmark is compulsory for children below 15 or 16. The school years up to the age of fifteen/sixteen are known as Folkeskole . About 82% of young people take further education in addition to this. Government-funded education is usually free of charge and open to all...	1	Studenterårsværk (STÅ) (slowly phased out in Danish legislation since 2000)
Estonia Education in Estonia The history of formal education in Estonia dates back to the 13–14th centuries when the first monastic and cathedral schools were founded. The first primer in the Estonian language was published in 1575. The oldest university is the University of Tartu which was established by the Swedish king... (old system)	40	ainepunkt (AP)
Finland Education in Finland The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time students. The present Finnish education system consists of well-funded and carefully thought out daycare programs and a one-year "pre-school" ; a nine-year compulsory basic... (old system)	40	opintoviikko
Germany Education in Germany The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory, in most cases for... (old system)	~40	Semesterwochenstunden (SWS)
The Netherlands Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels...	42	studiepunten
Norway Higher education in Norway Higher education in Norway is offered by a range of eight universities, nine specialised universities, 24 university colleges as well as a range of private university colleges...	20	vekttall
Sweden Education in Sweden Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th...	40	poäng (used until July 2007)
Sweden Education in Sweden Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th...	2	betyg (used until late 1960s/early 1970s)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Current systems

Obsolete systems

See also

External links