ECTS calculation at the Graduate School

The Graduate Schools of Health and Medical Sciences at Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark have agreed on a common practice of calculating ECTS credits:

  • 1 ECTS credit equals 25 work hours. In practice, a 10:1 rule is applied, so that 1 course hour results in 0.1 ECTS credits, since a preparation factor of 1.5 is assumed.

  • Course hours that can be included in the calculation of ECTS credits are all specifically defined course activities such as lectures, practical exercises, group work, obligatory homework and exams.

  • General preparation such as the reading of background literature or protocols is included in the calculation of ECTS credits as part of the preparation factor of 1.5 for each hour spent on specifically defined course activities.

  • The number of ECTS credits allocated is always one decimal.

  • The final decision on the ECTS value of a given course is taken by the Graduate School offering the course. If identical or somewhat identical courses are offered by more than one of the graduate schools, the ECTS value of these courses should be coordinated.

  • When participating in PhD courses at institutions not included in this agreement (Danish or foreign) PhD students receive the amount of ECTS credits decided by the institution offering the course.

  • When participating in other types of courses, e.g. not regular PhD courses, the amount of ECTS is calculated using the model described in the agreement.

  • Breaks are included in the calculation.

The ECTS agreement (PDF)

Courses from online platforms

The Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen has the following practice of calculating ECTS for courses completed on online platforms:

  • The number of working hours to complete the course stated by the course provider will be divided by 25 to calculate the number of ECTS since a preparation factor is not assumed.