WHAT IS THE ECTS?
ECTS – the European Credit Transfer System – was developed by the European Commission in order to provide generally valid and accepted procedures for the recognition of study qualifications gained by students on courses outside their home country.
ECTS is based on three core elements: information (on study programs and student achievement), mutual agreement (between the partner institutions and the student) and the use of ECTS credits (to indicate student workload).
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a student-centered system based on the student work load (e.g. the time they generally need) required to achieve the objectives of the program.
ECTS is based on the convention that 60 credits measure the workload of a full-time student during one academic year. The student workload of a full-study program in Europe amounts in most cases to around 1500-1800 hours per year and in those cases one credit stands for around 25 to 30 working hours (including the hours of study at home).
Credits in ECTS can only be obtained after successful completion of the work required and appropriate assessment of the learning outcomes achieved.
HOW DOES ECTS OPERATE?
The ECTS system gives students the opportunity to receive from their home institutions official and binding recognition of study qualifications obtained abroad. For this to be done, a Learning Agreement must be concluded between the student and the home university before he or she starts to study abroad. The Learning Agreement is drawn up by the home university. The Learning Agreement is a document containing the study programme the student intends to follow abroad, i.e. a list of course units the student will follow at the host university and the corresponding exams at his/her own university. The document must be assessed and signed by the professors in charge of the exchange programme at the respective home and host universities, to confirm that the student’s choices correspond to his/her chosen university career.
In addition to the Learning Agreement, a further important document is the ERASMUS certificate or Transcript of records. When you have completed your course in Accademia Kandinskij, your results are entered on a certificate that shows the names of the classes you have attended, the number of ECTS points acquired, the Italian marks and grades given to you by the lecturers, and the ECTS marks, which allow your home university to convert your results into the form normally used in your home country.
The ERASMUS certificate can be used, for example, as confirmation for a future employer that you have successfully completed a course of study abroad.
The ECTS GRADE SYSTEM
Belowis an overview of the ECTS grade system with an explanation of the individual grades.
ECTS GRADE SYSTEM
| ECTS GRADE | % PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS OBTAINING THIS GRADE | DESCRIPTION |
| A | 10 | EXCELLENT: Outstanding performance and only few minor errors |
| B | 25 | VERY GOOD: Above the average standard, but with some errors |
| C | 30 | GOOD: Solid overall performance but with some noticeable errors |
| D | 25 | SATISFACTORY: Accepted performance |
| E | 10 | SUFFICIENT: The performance satisfies minimum requirements |
| F | – | FAILED: Considerable further work is required |
ACCADEMIA KANDINSKIJ GRADE SYSTEM CONVERSION
| GRADE | DESCRIPTION | RESPECTIVE ECTS GRADE |
| 30- 30cum laude | EXCELLENT: Outstanding performance and only few minor errors | A |
| 28 – 29 | VERY GOOD: Above the average standard, but with some errors | B |
| 26 – 27 | GOOD: Solid overall performance but with some noticeable errors | C |
| 23 – 25 | SATISFACTORY: Accepted performance | D |
| 18 – 22 | SUFFICIENT: The performance satisfies minimum requirements | E |
| Under 18 | FAILED: Considerable further work is required | F |
