European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)

ECTS makes teaching and learning in higher education more transparent across Europe and facilitates the recognition of all studies. The system allows for the transfer of learning experiences between different institutions, greater student mobility and more flexible routes to gain degrees. It also aids curriculum design and quality assurance.

Institutions which apply ECTS publish their course catalogues on the web, including detailed descriptions of study programmes, units of learning, university regulations and student services.

Course descriptions contain ‘learning outcomes’ (i.e. what students are expected to know, understand and be able to do) and workload (i.e. the time students typically need to achieve these outcomes). Each learning outcome is expressed in terms of credits, with a student workload ranging from 1 500 to 1 800 hours for an academic year, and one credit generally corresponds to 25-30 hours of work.

A series of ECTS key documents help with credit transfer and accumulation – course catalogues, learning agreements, transcript of records and Diploma Supplements (DS).

Although ECTS can help recognition of a student’s studies between different institutions and national education systems, higher education providers are autonomous institutions. The final decisions are the responsibility of the relevant authorities: professors involved in student exchanges, university admission officers, recognition advisory centres (ENIC-NARIC), ministry officials or employers.

The European Commission has established a network of Recognition experts (ECTS/DS) and developed the ECTS and DS labels to recognise excellent application of either system.

ECTS is closely related to other efforts to modernise higher education in Europe. In particular, it has become a central tool in the Bologna Process which aims to make national systems converge.

ECTS Users Guide

The ECTS Users' Guide provides guidelines for implementation of ECTS. It also presents the ECTS key documents. The Guide is offered to assist learners, academic and administrative staff in higher education institutions as well as other interested parties. It has been updated in 2009 to take account of developments in the Bologna Process, the growing importance of lifelong learning, the formulation of qualifications frameworks and the increasing use of learning outcomes. It has been written with the help of experts from stakeholders’ associations and ECTS counsellors, and submitted for consultation to stakeholders’ associations, Member States’ experts and the Bologna Follow-up Group. The European Commission has coordinated the drafting and consultation process and is responsible for the final wording of the Guide.

Translations:
(DISCLAIMER - translations provided by national agencies, in case of contest only the English version is the valid version)

Hard copies of the ECTS Users Guide can be ordered at the EU Bookshop.

The basic principles of ECTS are summarised in the ECTS Key Features .

Standard forms of the ECTS Users' Guide

• Erasmus Student Application Form (word format)
  

• Erasmus Learning Agreement (word format)
  

• Erasmus Training Agreement (word format)
  

Erasmus Transcript of Records (word format)

Cindy Baker sentenced to 10 years, 6 suspended

BERRYVILLE -- Attorney Cindy Baker will be stripped of her law license and sent to a drug rehabilitation facility after pleading guilty to meth-related felony charges Wednesday.
She received a 10-year sentence, with six years suspended, a judicial transfer to the Department of Community Correction where drug rehab is available, and 14 years of supervised probation.
The 37-year-old Berryville attorney made headlines several years ago when the courthouse was evacuated after she introduced what was believed to be a bomb during trial.
Her name surfaced in the news again when she was charged with contempt of court by both Green Forest and Berryville district judges, who claimed she had misrepresented her ability to appear in their courts.
Baker was set for a jury trial earlier in this month to face several felony charges stemming from her arrest more than a year ago when investigators arrived at her Berryville home and law office with a search warrant. Meth, drug paraphernalia and weapons were seized.
She was suspected of selling meth to a confidential informant on more than one occasion.
During Wednesday's negotiated plea agreement, Baker admitted she was in possession of meth when investigators arrived.
She was represented by Little Rock Attorney Jeff Rosenzweig, who outlined the conditions of the negotiated plea agreement.
She is to surrender to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office by noon Jan. 4 following medical tests that are scheduled to take place in Springfield, Mo., on Jan. 3.
She will be allowed to reside in Missouri, where she is currently living, once her incarceration is complete, and will be allowed to comply with her terms of probation/parole there.
In addition, Rosenzweig wanted to make it clear that his client was in need of various prescription drugs and asked for assurance that those drugs would be properly administered while she was incarcerated.
He also asked for credit for the 72 hours of time served.
H.G. Foster, special prosecutor for the state, said he agreed to the negotiations and the results because it was the appropriate resolution. He said the Carroll County Sheriff's Office had done an excellent job and had an excellent case -- but based upon his examination of the issues, this resolution was the best.
Special Judge Gary Arnold agreed, saying it was an appropriate sentence.
He made sure Baker was aware that under the terms of the sentence, she could "go to the pen up to 14 years."
He spoke to her directly, saying she was the "perfect example" of what meth can do, saying it does not respect anyone, anywhere, and she had made bad choices.
Arnold said he hoped she would consider her "obligation and opportunity" to correct the problem and to make a big difference in the lives of others dealing with the evils of meth.
"I encourage you to do that," he said. "First take care of yourself, then help others."
Investigator J. J. Reddick, with the CCSO, said he was satisfied with the outcome, although law enforcement officials always want the guilty to serve the maximum time.
"As long as she gets help -- that's what it's all about," he said. "I feel good because our case was solid."
Prosecutor Foster agreed, saying, "It's her best shot at keeping a needle out of her arm and messing up again."

How to be a millionaire by age 25

People who have done it tell what it takes -- and how to overcome the perceived obstacles that might be holding you back.

Manage Student Loans Via Income-Based Repayment

My mama always told me that you can't get blood from a turnip. True enough. Even so, when student loan borrowers graduate, we're told we have to start paying back our loans. That can be tough, especially for graduates still looking for work in this sluggish economy. There are lots of different repayment plans for borrowers to choose from, but if you're struggling to manage your student loan payments, consider the benefits of the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) option.
[Learn more about paying off your student loan with help from Uncle Sam.]
IBR caps student loan payments at a reasonable percentage of income. Payments are based on income and family size, with most people paying 10 percent of their income or less. Repayment of student loans under IBR is limited to a maximum 25-year period, after which the remaining balance is forgiven. All federal student loans can be repaid through IBR, even if the loans were borrowed a long time ago or the federal loan was borrowed from a bank or private lender through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program.
[Read about colleges with higher than expected loan repayment rates.]
Unfortunately, IBR is not available for private loans (another reason to step away from private loans). IBR is a good option for out of work or underpaid student loan borrowers.
More information about IBR is available from Equal Justice Works, and IBRInfo.org provides answers to your frequently asked questions.
Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.