ECTS

The University of Catania has adopted the CFU accreditation system which corresponds to the European Community Course Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

What is ECTS?

ECTS was developed by the Commission of the European Union 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, concerning Information (on courses available), Agreement (between the home and host institutions) and the Use of Credit Points (to indicate student workload) are set out to reinforce this mutual trust and confidence. Each ECTS department will describe the courses it offers not only in terms of content but also adding credits to each course.

The ECTS credits

ECTS credits are a value allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course requires in relation to the total quantity of work required to complete a full year of academic study at the institution, that is, lectures, practical work, seminars, private work - in the library or at home and examinations or other assessment activities. ECTS credits express a relative value.

In ECTS, 60 credits represent the workload of a year of study; normally 30 credits are given for a semester and 20 credits for a term. It is important that no special courses are set up for ECTS purposes, but that all ECTS courses are mainstream courses of the participating institutions, as followed by home students under normal regulations.

It is up to the participating institutions to subdivide the credits for the different courses.

Practical placements and optional courses which form an integral part of the course of study also receive academic credit. Practical placements and optional courses which do not form an integral part of the course of study do not receive academic credit. Non-credit courses may, however, be mentioned in the transcript of records.

Credits are awarded only when the course has been completed and all required examinations have been successfully taken.

ECTS grading scale

The ECTS grading scale provides a common currency to measure the quality of student achievement. It is important to note that it is not meant to replace the local grade but to be used optionally and in addition to it.

ECTS students

The students participating in ECTS will receive full credit for all academic work successfully carried out at any of the ECTS partner institutions and they will be able to transfer these academic credits from one participating institution to another on the basis of prior agreement on the content of study programmes abroad between students and the institutions involved.

The learning agreement will be signed by the student 2 to 3 weeks after his/her arrival abroad to allow him/her to judge if the course chosen does in fact correspond to his/her expectations and his/her level of competence. Any changes will be made in agreement between all parties within this period.

Most students participating in ECTS will go to one single host institution in one single European Union Member State, study there for a limited period and then return to their home institution. Some may decide to stay at the host institution, possibly to gain a degree.

Some may also decide to proceed to a third institution to continue their studies. In each of these three cases, students will be required to comply with the legal and institutional requirements of the country and institution where they take their degree.

When the student has successfully completed the study programme previously agreed between the home and the host institutions and returns to the home institution, credit transfer will take place, and 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 and to take a 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 fulfil the general conditions of eligibility for the ERASMUS grant:

• students must be citizens of one of the European Union Member States or citizens of one of the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries (or recognized by one Member State or one EFTA country as having an official status of refugee or state-less person or permanent resident); as to EFTA nationals, students will be eligible provided they are moving within the framework of ERASMUS from the respective EFTA home country to an EU Member State. EFTA nationals registered as students in ECTS participating institutions in other EFTA countries or in Community Member States are only eligible for participation in ECTS if they have established a right of permanent residence;

• students shall not be required to pay tuition fees at the host institution; the student may, however, be required to continue to pay his/her normal tuition fees to the home institution during the study period 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; one study period abroad should not last less than three months or more than one year.