ECTSstandardiin

ECTSstandardiin (the ECTS) is a European framework for credit transfer and accumulation in higher education. It aims to make study credits comparable across institutions and countries, facilitating student mobility and the recognition of qualifications within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

Credits reflect student workload, including contact hours, study time, assignments, and examinations. An academic year typically equals 60 ECTS credits, and one ECTS credit generally represents about 25 to 30 hours of work. Degree programs commonly require around 180–240 ECTS for a Bachelor's degree and 60–120 ECTS for a Master's degree, though exact totals vary by country and program.

Course modules or courses are assigned ECTS values based on expected workload; during studies, the earned ECTS are recorded on the student's transcript and Diploma Supplement. The system also provides a standard grading scale, the ECTS grade scale, ranging from A (highest) to F (failure), sometimes used alongside national grades to improve comparability.

Implementation is guided by the ECTS Users' Guide, maintained through the European Commission and partner agencies. ECTS credits are widely used by higher education institutions across the EHEA and by many non-European providers to ease credit recognition and transfer.

Critics note that while ECTS improves transparency, the estimation of workload can be imprecise, and the interpretation of grades and credits may still vary between institutions. Nevertheless, ECTS remains a core component of the Bologna Process and the broader goal of a more integrated European higher education area.