Grades & exams / Studying abroad
ECTS Credit Converter: Hours, Semesters, and UK Credits
Convert ECTS credits to hours of study, full-time years and semesters, and UK credits, or work back from UK credits or a number of study hours, using the figures in the ECTS Users' Guide and the UK credit framework.
ECTS Credit Converter: Hours, Semesters, and UK Credits: A full-time year is 60 ECTS credits and 1,500 to 1,800 hours of work, so a credit is 25 to 30 hours. A 30-credit semester is 750 to 900 hours, and in UK credits, where 120 make a year, it is 60. Hours are converted at the middle of the range, 27.5 hours a credit. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
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In the European Credit Transfer System, a full-time academic year is 60 credits, a workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours, so one credit stands for 25 to 30 hours of classes, independent study, and exams, as the ECTS Users' Guide sets out. In the UK framework 120 credits make a year, so 2 UK credits equal 1 ECTS. There is no official rate for US credits, which count class hours instead; each university decides how to recognise them.
The sources
The 25 to 30 hours a credit and 60 credits a year come from the ECTS Users' Guide (European Commission, 2015). The UK's higher education credit framework sets 120 credits for a year, which is why 2 UK credits match 1 ECTS.
Planning the work
To spread the hours of a course over the weeks before an exam, use the exam study planner.
How to use it
- Choose whether you have ECTS credits, UK credits, or hours.
- Enter the amount.
- Read the equivalent hours, years, semesters, and credits.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is calculated in your browser.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Do the hours include lectures only?
No: they count all the work, including classes, reading, assignments, and exam preparation.
How do US credits compare?
There is no official rate. US credits count weekly class hours over a semester, and many European universities treat one US semester credit as about 1.5 to 2 ECTS, but each decides for itself.
How many ECTS is a master's degree?
Usually 60 to 120, that is one to two years of full-time study; a bachelor's is usually 180 to 240.
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