Student credits: how they are earned and how to transfer them correctly when transferring between universities

When a student thinks about international mobility, the first thing that confuses them is the mysterious credits: they are asked to indicate in the application almost all foreign universities, partners and exchange programs. In fact, the system is logical: you just need to understand the general principle and rules of your own university, and everything will fall into place.

Why do we need credits at all and what do they measure

Credit, no matter how dry a term it may seem, in fact reflects a simple thing – how much time the student has dedicated to mastering the course.

In fact, a credit combines everything related to the study load: lectures, seminars, independent work, exams, projects. The more intensive the course, the more credits it brings.

For clarity, it is enough to imagine a subject where you need not only to listen to lectures, but also to prepare laboratory reports, pass colloquiums and write a final paper — such a course always "weighs" more than a calm "lecture" discipline with one credit.

Where did the credit system come from and why is it so different

Curiously, the idea to measure education in hours did not arise at all for students! At the end of the 19th century, Andrew Carnegie proposed the use of the so-called "Carnegie unit" to assess the work of teachers, and only then did the system migrate to school and university education. By the beginning of the 20th century, almost all American universities were actively using credits, and later this practice was picked up by Europe.

When European countries began to develop student exchanges, there was a need for a single standard, and in the late 1980s, the ECTS system appeared. Now it is used by 47 countries.

How credits are calculated in different countries

To put it simply, there is no global single standard, and therein lies the main confusion. Each country calculates in its own way, and the student has to correlate one system with another.

• In Europe, there is ECTS, where one credit is equal to 25-30 hours of work: students usually take about 60 credits per year, and it takes from 180 to 240 ECTS for a bachelor's degree.
• In the United States, they use Semester Credit Hours. One credit is about 15-16 hours of classroom work: American students complete about 30 SCHs per year, and undergraduate programs require 120 to 130 credits.
• The UK has its own logic — CATS. One credit in it is equivalent to 10 hours of study load, so the numbers look impressive on paper: 360 CATS for a bachelor's degree and 240 for a master's degree. To correlate this system with the European one, we can adopt a simple rule: two British credits correspond to approximately one ECTS.
• In India, there are no uniform requirements, but many universities use CBCS: one credit is about 15-16 hours of work per semester, and the annual workload is formed individually.

That is why the recalculation of credits is always carried out according to the rules of the host university – there is simply no universal formula.

When does a student really need to transfer credits?

Credit recalculation becomes relevant in several situations, and each of them is associated with the fact that the university is forced to compare your educational history with its educational logic.

1. Transfer to another program or university

When a student changes direction, the program office compares the content of the courses taken with the requirements of the new program, and if there are not enough coincidences, they offer to pass the difference. For example, a student of a technical profile could study physics for 10 credits, while a new program requires 20 credits, in which case the commission will decide whether to transfer him with the condition of revision or offer to stay in the previous program.

2. Participation in international mobility programs

Everything is simpler here: if the university has a valid agreement with a partner, the issue of recalculating credits will be resolved between the study offices. The student only needs to choose disciplines, agree on them in advance and then make sure that all the results are correctly recorded in the individual plan.

Each university conducts an exchange according to its own rules: someone offers dozens of directions, someone works only with a narrow circle of partners. But the principle of accepting credits is usually the same.

3. Admission abroad

Foreign universities ask for an extract with a list of completed disciplines and the number of credits — based on this data, they assess how well the applicant's education meets the requirements of the program. Sometimes a notarized translation of the diploma or an official certificate from the educational department is required - the rules of a particular university apply here.

4. Returning from academic leave

If the curriculum has changed, subjects can be converted to other credits: the studying center determines which courses will be credited and which will have to be retaken due to a change in the program structure.

5. Recognition of professional experience

Some universities abroad allow you to take into account the work experience as an equivalent of basic disciplines. This is especially important for adult students who are returning to learning and are able to close part of the program through experience.

6. GPA Calculation

In some countries, the average score is calculated taking into account the weight of the course. In this case, each discipline has a coefficient — the same credit: if a subject "weighs" more, its grade has a stronger effect on the overall GPA. A weighted score helps to determine academic success more accurately and is often required when competing for scholarships.

How do you know if you are suitable for academic mobility?

The algorithm is extremely straightforward:

• Go to the mobility section of your university's website. It usually lists the requirements: the number of closed credits, the minimum GPA, and the deadlines for submitting documents.
• See how your university transfers credits to the partner system. Most often, it is enough to divide the total number of course hours by the norm of the host university, but there may be nuances.
• Compare the data with the requirements of the program. If you are suitable in terms of volume, all that remains is to select courses and collect documents.

In other words, it is important for the student not to "guess" the correct number, but to carefully compare the data of their university with the rules of the partner — it is this step that determines whether you will be allowed to participate or not.

Let's summarize

The credit system seems chaotic only at first glance — in reality, it streamlines the teaching load and allows universities to understand each other, even if their educational models are very different. Credits are becoming a universal language, thanks to which the completed disciplines are recognized, individual learning routes are formed, and the extent to which a student is ready for international mobility.

If you are planning an exchange or admission abroad, the main thing is to carefully study the regulations of your university and the rules of the host country, the rest is a matter of technique.