Credit Certification for EAHEA Accredited Courses
EAHEA evaluates and certifies the credits of a course or program of study of at least 150 hours: its EAHEA credits, measured in the EAHEA Credit Systems (ECS), and its credit equivalents in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) and the US semester credit system (USC). To obtain this certification, the institution demonstrates that the corresponding learning outcomes and hours of study of the course, training or program of study have been met. Credit Certification was formerly called ECTS Certification.
EAHEA guides educational institutions on credits, recommends improvements based on a comparison of their existing study programs with their European counterparts, makes recommendations on the organization of program curricula, and issues the Credit Certification Document to institutions that meet the criteria. The document states the EAHEA credits of the course together with its ECTS, CATS and USC credit equivalents, which enables the conversion of existing credits into those credit systems.
Who can apply? Credit Certification is available to institutions that hold an EAHEA Course Accreditation, because it certifies the credits of the accredited courses. If your institution does not hold a Course Accreditation, apply for Program Accreditation instead, the broader service, which combines the scope of Course Accreditation and Credit Certification for a whole degree program.
Which Credits Does the Certification Cover?
The Credit Certification Document states four kinds of credits side by side, together with the local credits of your institution:
- EAHEA credits (ECS): the EAHEA Credit Systems are four independent evaluation metrics of EAHEA: MUC, PAC, ILC and EUC. A certified course is measured in Modular Units of Competency (MUC), and one MUC equals 10 to 15 hours of total nominal workload.
- ECTS credits: the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, explained below.
- CATS credits: the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme, the credit scheme used in higher education in the United Kingdom. One CATS credit represents 10 notional hours of learning.
- USC credits: US semester credits, the credit hours used in higher education in the United States. One semester credit typically represents about 45 hours of student work.
The ECTS, CATS and USC values are credit equivalents. EAHEA calculates them from the student workload and its guidelines, and they serve comparison and transparency purposes only.
What Are ECTS Credits?
ECTS stands for the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. It is a tool that enables students to collect credits for learning achieved through higher education. ECTS is a learner-centered system that aims to increase the transparency of learning outcomes and learning processes, and to facilitate the planning, delivery, evaluation, recognition and validation of qualifications and units of learning, as well as student mobility. It is widely used in formal higher education and can also be applied to other lifelong learning activities.
ECTS credits are based on the workload that students need to achieve the expected learning outcomes. Learning outcomes describe what a learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do after successfully completing a process of learning, and they relate to the level descriptors of national and European qualifications frameworks. Workload indicates the time that students typically need to complete all the learning activities (lectures, seminars, projects, practical work, self-study and examinations) required to achieve those outcomes.
One ECTS credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of study work. Sixty ECTS credits are attached to the workload of a full-time academic year, which in most cases ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 hours.
Credits are allocated to entire qualifications and study programs as well as to their educational components, such as modules, course units, dissertation work, work placements and laboratory work. The number of credits of each component is based on its weight in terms of the workload that students need to achieve the learning outcomes. Credits are awarded to individual students, full-time or part-time, after they complete the learning activities required by a program of study or a single component and their learning outcomes have been successfully assessed. Credits may be accumulated to obtain qualifications, as decided by the degree-awarding institution. If students have achieved learning outcomes in other contexts or timeframes (formal, non-formal or informal), the associated credits may be awarded after successful assessment, validation or recognition, and credits awarded in one program may be transferred into another program, offered by the same or another institution.
Institutions that use ECTS publish their course catalogs on the web, with detailed descriptions of study programs, units of learning, regulations and student services. The course descriptions contain the learning outcomes and the workload, expressed in credits and hours of study. Credit transfer and accumulation are supported by the ECTS key documents (the course catalog, the learning agreement and the transcript of records) and by the Diploma Supplement. ECTS can feed into decisions on recognition, but these decisions remain the responsibility of the competent authorities: professors involved in student exchange, university admission officers, recognition advisory centers, ministry officials and employers.
Countries across Europe increasingly emphasize the need to take account of the full range of an individual’s knowledge, skills and competencies, and the recognition of all forms of learning is a priority of EU action in education quality and accreditation. Learning that takes place in the formal education and training system is the most visible and the most likely to be recognized by the labor market and by society. Learning in non-formal settings is increasingly appreciated as crucial for lifelong learning, and it calls for new strategies to identify and validate its outcomes. The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) will make the current official validation (homologation) procedures unnecessary in most cases when education and training are provided according to the ECTS guidelines.
The European Union has no legal competence in matters of education: regulations are set by the Ministry of Education or the designated body of each country. The ministries of education of the European countries (including the EU countries, Turkey and Russia) signed the Bologna Declaration to bring their educational models together on the basis of the ECTS guidelines. Its goals are to facilitate international student mobility, to adapt university curricula to the demands of society and to improve education quality and competitiveness through a better understanding and transparency of what has been studied in each country. Non-formal education initiatives are not covered by the Bologna Declaration but by the legal framework of their own countries. The European Higher Education Area recognizes their importance and recommends that they follow the ECTS guidelines.
Following the ECTS guidelines does not mean that any other institution or organization has to accept the credits. Each institution is free to accept and validate ECTS credits obtained at other institutions, whether formal or non-formal. Expressing a program of education in the ECTS format, however, makes it easier to understand and to recognize.
How Are Credits Certified?
An educational institution that wishes to have the credits of a training course of at least 150 hours certified demonstrates, through the Application for Accreditation (Self-Assessment Report), that several of the standards of EAHEA are met. To apply for the certification, the school or institution:
- opens the Online Application page and fills in the EAHEA Application Form for Credit Certification;
- pays the whole fee, the application fee and the certification fee together, at once when it applies (this fee is not refundable);
- waits for the review of the application and for the evaluation report of EAHEA.
EAHEA applies the same procedures as in the process of educational accreditation, with some limitations and adaptations that result from the guidelines of the European Higher Education Area on ECTS credits. The application is the same as the application for accreditation, but not all the standards need to be addressed: 12 of the 26 accreditation quality standards in the application are required, and the cost of this process is therefore lower. The required accreditation standards are available as a PDF document.
Once the application is received, EAHEA guides the institution in adapting to the guidelines of the European Higher Education Area on ECTS credits and to the EAHEA credit rules. The certified school receives an evaluation report that notes any improvement or adaptation that is needed to meet the European guidelines on ECTS credits. When the whole process has been completed satisfactorily, the school also receives the Credit Certification Document. Certified institutions may be included in the list of EAHEA accredited institutes, provided that the corresponding yearly membership fee is paid.
What Do You Get upon Credit Certification?
- Credit Certification Document
- Credit Certification Evaluation Report
- Guidance on the EAHEA, ECTS, CATS and USC credits of your courses and programs
- E-delivery news alerts and newsletter
- Discounts for all EAHEA sponsored events
What Are the Credit Certification Fees?
All service fees follow the World Bank Country Income Classification, and additional discounts may apply depending on the economic situation of the country in which your institution carries out most of its activity or in which it is legally established. For the Credit Certification Fees, please visit the Service Fees page.
Payment: The price is paid at once, in full, when you apply.
Renewal: The certification is valid for one year and is renewed each year for the renewal fee. If your institution holds a valid Full Accreditation, Online Accreditation or Associate Membership on the renewal date, the partner discount shown on the Service Fees page applies to the renewal fee. A certification that is not renewed ends. A major change to a certified course or program (hours of study, credits, learning outcomes, educational content, name, level or delivery mode) is reviewed again and a change fee is charged; a minor change needs only a notice. Fees are not refundable, except an amount that was paid twice or by mistake.
Important Regulatory Notice & Legal Disclaimer
ECTS Framework: ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) is a credit framework and tool designed to increase transparency in learning workload, not a governing organization. The European Union defines and encourages the use of ECTS guidelines but does not issue or directly accredit individual ECTS credits.
EAHEA Credits, CATS and USC: The EAHEA credits (MUC, PAC, ILC and EUC) are independent professional metrics of EAHEA. CATS and USC are credit systems of the education systems of the United Kingdom and the United States. The CATS and USC values in the Credit Certification Document are credit equivalents that are given for comparison only; EAHEA is not affiliated with these education systems and does not guarantee that any institution will accept the credits.
Bologna Process & National Authorities: The Bologna Declaration is an intergovernmental agreement. Formal educational recognition and official monitoring fall strictly under the jurisdiction of each country’s respective Ministry of Education or national accreditation bodies. Non-formal education providers operate under their respective national private/commercial legal frameworks.
Formal vs. Non-Formal Credits: Any educational entity aligning with European Higher Education Area (EHEA) criteria may structure courses using ECTS workloads. Credits issued by non-formal institutions are categorized as non-formal ECTS credits. Their recognition by third parties depends entirely on the receiving institution’s internal policies; EAHEA does not guarantee automatic transferability or official state equivalency.
Status of EAHEA: EAHEA is an independent, non-governmental association promoting educational quality standards. EAHEA is not affiliated with, authorized by, or representative of the European Union, the Bologna Process, or any state accreditation agency. The Credit Certification Document serves as an independent advisory, evaluation, and quality assurance report and does not substitute for state authorization or official degree recognition.
