An ECTS credit converter with the working shown
This ECTS credit converter turns European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits into US semester or quarter credit hours, UK credits and Indian credits, and converts them back. It answers the questions students ask when planning an exchange or a master’s abroad: how many US credits is a 6-ECTS course, how many ECTS does a 3-credit American course earn, and how many hours of work does one ECTS credit mean.
The method is simple and transparent: each credit system is expressed as the number of credits in one full-time academic year, and your amount is converted by its share of that year. The only official figure is that a full-time year is 60 ECTS; the other systems use conventions you can edit.
How to use the ECTS Credit Converter
- Enter the number of credits you have.
- Choose the system you are converting from: ECTS, US semester or quarter hours, UK credits or Indian credits.
- Read the ECTS equivalent in the large box and the full table of other systems.
- See the total study hours (25–30 hours per ECTS credit) and the share of a semester or year.
- Open the credits-per-year section if your university uses a different ratio and edit the numbers.
ECTS Credit Converter features
Two-way conversion
ECTS to US credits and credit hours to ECTS, plus UK and Indian credits, from one input.
Editable ratios
Change the credits in a full-time year for any system except the official 60 ECTS.
Workload hours
Total study hours from the ECTS range of 25–30 hours per credit.
Honest labels
Each row says whether it is official or a convention.
What the ECTS Users’ Guide says
According to the ECTS Users’ Guide (European Commission, 2015), 60 ECTS credits represent the workload of a full-time academic year, and one credit corresponds to 25–30 hours of work. That workload includes lectures, seminars, independent study, preparation and exams, not just classroom time. A full year therefore means roughly 1,500–1,800 hours; a semester usually carries 30 ECTS.
In Germany a bachelor’s degree is normally 180 or 210 ECTS and a master’s 60–120 ECTS, which is why the German grade and credit questions often appear together; see the German grade calculator for the grade side.
Conversion ratios used by default
The US, UK and Indian rows are conventions: a US year is commonly 2 semesters of 15 credit hours, UK universities count 120 credits a year and Indian frameworks 40, and many institutions apply their own. The popular shortcut “2 ECTS = 1 US credit” is the same ratio.
| System | Credits per full-time year | Equal to 1 ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| ECTS | 60 | 1 |
| US semester credit hours | 30 | 0.5 (2 ECTS = 1 US credit) |
| US quarter credit hours | 45 | 0.75 |
| UK credits (CATS) | 120 | 2 |
| Indian credits (NCrF/UGC) | 40 | 0.67 |
Worked example
A 6-ECTS course is 6 ÷ 60 = 10 % of a year. In the US system that is 10 % of 30 = 3 semester credit hours; in the UK 10 % of 120 = 12 credits; in India 10 % of 40 = 4 credits. It stands for 150–180 hours of work. Going the other way, a 3-credit US course is 3 ÷ 30 = 10 % of a year = 6 ECTS.
Limits
- A university may recognise credits differently from the arithmetic, based on content and level.
- Credit hours in the US also describe contact time; see the credit hours calculator for the weekly load.
- Grades are converted separately from credits; the CGPA to GPA converter is one starting point.
ECTS Credit Converter FAQ
How many US credits is 1 ECTS?
By the common convention of 60 ECTS = 30 US semester credit hours, 1 ECTS is 0.5 US credit, so 2 ECTS = 1 US credit. This is a convention, not an official rule.
How do I convert credit hours to ECTS?
Divide your US semester credit hours by 30 (credits in a full-time year) and multiply by 60. In short, double them: 3 credit hours is 6 ECTS.
How many hours is 1 ECTS?
The ECTS Users’ Guide (2015) says 1 credit corresponds to 25–30 hours of student work, so 60 ECTS is about 1,500–1,800 hours.
How do I convert ECTS to Indian credits?
With the default 40 credits a year, multiply ECTS by 40 ÷ 60. Indian institutions vary, so edit the value for your university.
How many ECTS credits per semester in Germany?
A full-time semester is normally 30 ECTS credits.
Will my university accept this conversion?
Not automatically. Recognition is decided case by case by the receiving institution; use the figure as an estimate when planning.