ECTS was developed by the
Commission of the European Communities in order to provide common procedures to
guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad.
It provides a way of
measuring and comparing learning achievements, and transferring them from one
institution to another.
The ECTS system is based on the principle of mutual trust and
confidence between the participating higher education institutions.
The few rules of ECTS are set out to reinforce this mutual trust and
confidence:
- Information (about the available courses)
- Agreement (between the home and the host institutions)
- The Use of Credit Points (to indicate the student workload)
Each ECTS institution will describe the courses it offers, not only in terms of
content, but also adding credits to each course.
The ECTS system is reinforced by the following:
1. ECTS Credits
2. ECTS
Grading Scale
3. ECTS Learning
Agreement
4. ECTS Transcript of Records
ECTS and Credit Transfer
When the student has successfully completed the study programme previously
agreed between the home and the host institution and returns to the home
institution, credit transfer will take place. The student will continue the
study course at the home institution without any loss of time or credit.
If, on the other hand, the student decides to stay at the host
institution to take a certificate or degree there, he or she may have to
adapt the study course due to the legal, institutional and departmental rules
in the host country, institution and department.
Students selected by each institution to participate in ECTS may only
be awarded a student mobility grant if they fulfill the general conditions of
eligibility for the ERASMUS grant.
These are:
- Students
must be citizens of one of the EU Member States or citizen of one of the
EEC countries (or recognised by one Member State or one EEC country as
having an official status of refugee or stateless person or placement
resident)
- as
for EEC nationals, students will be eligible provided they are moving
within the framework of ERASMUS while they are registered as students in
ECTS participating institutions in other EEC countries or in Community
Member States and are only eligible for participation in ECTS if they have
established a right of permanent residence
- Students
are not to be required to pay tuition fees at the host institution;
students may, however, be required to continue to pay his/her normal
tuition fees to the home institution during the period of study abroad
- The
national grant/loan to which a student may be entitled for study at
his/her institution may not be discontinued, interrupted or reduced while
that student is studying in another Member State and is receiving an
ERASMUS grant
- The
study period abroad should not last less than three months or more than
one year.
- Students
must have completed their first year of studies at higher education level.
A Diploma Supplement is given automatically and free of charge when
graduating from Queen Maud University College.