Pick the system your credits are in and enter them. The converter finds what share of a full-time year they are, and shows the same workload in ECTS, UK credits, Scottish credit points, US semester credits, Canadian credits and Australian credit points. If your school uses a different full-time load, type it in.
Pick your system and enter your credits
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Your answer
Your answer shows up here once you enter your credits.
What to enter
- Credits
- The credits you want to convert, in the system you picked.
- Credits in a full-time year
- Leave it empty for the usual figure: 60 ECTS, 120 UK or Scottish, 30 US or Canadian, 48 Australian. Type your school’s own number if it differs.
Worked examples
A 20-credit UK module
A UK module is worth 20 credits. A full-time year is 120.
- Find your share of a full-time year: 20 ÷ 120 = 0.167, which is 16.7%.
- Multiply that share by the credits in a full-time year in each system. For ECTS it is 60: 0.167 × 60 = 10.
- ECTS credits are 25 to 30 hours each, so 10 ECTS is about 250 to 300 hours.
That is 16.7% of a year, so 10 ECTS. In US semester credits it is 5.
A semester abroad: 30 ECTS
An Erasmus-style semester gives 30 ECTS credits.
- Find your share of a full-time year: 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5, which is 50%.
- Multiply that share by the credits in a full-time year in each system. For ECTS it is 60: 0.5 × 60 = 30.
- ECTS credits are 25 to 30 hours each, so 30 ECTS is about 750 to 900 hours.
Half a year is 60 UK credits, 15 US semester credits and 24 Australian credit points.
A 3-credit US course
A US course is 3 semester credits. A full-time year is 30.
- Find your share of a full-time year: 3 ÷ 30 = 0.1, which is 10%.
- Multiply that share by the credits in a full-time year in each system. For ECTS it is 60: 0.1 × 60 = 6.
- ECTS credits are 25 to 30 hours each, so 6 ECTS is about 150 to 180 hours.
That is 6 ECTS, and 150 to 180 hours of work.
A school with a 36-credit year
The same 3-credit course at a school where a full-time year is 36 credits.
- Find your share of a full-time year: 3 ÷ 36 = 0.083, which is 8.3%.
- Multiply that share by the credits in a full-time year in each system. For ECTS it is 60: 0.083 × 60 = 5.
- ECTS credits are 25 to 30 hours each, so 5 ECTS is about 125 to 150 hours.
Now the course is 8.3% of a year, so 5 ECTS.
How the conversion works
ECTS is built on workload. The European Commission’s Users’ Guide says 60 credits are allocated to a full-time year, and a year is 1,500 to 1,800 hours, so a credit is 25 to 30 hours. Other systems measure different things, so the safest bridge is the full-time year. 120 UK credits are one year, 30 US credits are one year, and each is 60 ECTS. That gives 2 UK credits to 1 ECTS, which Oxford states, and 2 ECTS to 1 US credit.
Where this can differ
A year-load bridge is a convention, not a law. Some US schools use ratios like 1.8 or 2.3 instead of 2. A UK credit is a notional 10 hours, while an ECTS credit is 25 to 30, so a UK credit and half an ECTS credit are not equal in hours, only in the share of a year. The receiving school decides how credits transfer, so ask its registrar.
How it is calculated
- Divide your credits by the credits in a full-time year in your system. That is your share of a year.
- Multiply that share by the credits in a full-time year in each other system.
- For hours, multiply the ECTS figure by 25 and by 30 to get the range.
Share of a year = your credits ÷ credits in a full-time year
Credits in another system = share of a year × credits in a full-time year there
Assumptions to keep in mind
- A full-time year is 60 ECTS, 120 UK or Scottish credits, 48 Australian credit points and 30 US or Canadian credits, unless you type your own.
- Every credit in the same system counts the same, whatever the level or the subject.
- The 30-credit US and Canadian year is a convention. A school with a heavier or lighter load will differ.
- The hours range is the ECTS definition. It is a guide to workload, not a count of your actual hours.
- Transfer decisions belong to the receiving school, and not every credit transfers.
Mistakes that give the wrong answer
Converting UK credits by hours
A UK credit is 10 hours and an ECTS credit is 25 to 30, so matching hours gives a wrong answer. Match the share of a year instead.
Assuming every US school uses 2 to 1
Many do, but some round differently. Ask the registrar at the school you are transferring to.
Forgetting that transfer is not automatic
A school can convert the credits and still not accept the course. Conversion is a first step.
Using the wrong year load for part-time study
Enter the credits in a full-time year, not what you take. The converter works out your share.
Questions students ask
How many ECTS credits is a UK credit?
Two UK credits are one ECTS credit. Oxford’s guidance says to divide CATS points by two, so 120 CATS points are 60 ECTS credits.
How many US credits is an ECTS credit?
A common rule is 2 ECTS credits to 1 US semester credit, because 60 ECTS is a full year and 30 US credits is about a full year. It is a convention, and some schools use a different ratio, so ask the registrar.
How many hours is an ECTS credit?
The ECTS Users’ Guide says one credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work, and a full-time year is 1,500 to 1,800 hours.
How many ECTS credits do I need for a bachelor’s degree?
The ECTS Users’ Guide says first cycle qualifications typically include 180 or 240 ECTS credits, which is three or four years at 60 a year. Your programme sets the exact total.
How do I convert Australian credit points to ECTS?
Australian universities set their own points, and several use 48 for a full-time year. At 48 a year, 24 points is half a year, so 30 ECTS. Check your own university’s load.
Will my credits transfer?
Converting them is only the first step. The school you are moving to decides which courses it accepts and how many credits each is worth.
