Studying abroad is an enriching personal and cultural experience. And it should be of direct benefit to your studies and career. To this end, credits earned abroad should be recognized at your home university, wherever possible.

Recognition of credits earned in Europe

The European Commission developed the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), a standardized system for converting credits to ensure academic recognition throughout Europe. ECTS is designed to enable the recording of credits and their transfer from one university to another. This means that if you earn credits in different university systems, ECTS makes the amount of work you have done comparable and transparent.

Every course (or module) of a degree program is assigned a certain number of ECTS credits. They are an indication of the workload that is necessary for students to successfully complete a course. This includes not only the course itself (lectures, seminars, practicals, tutorials, field trips, internships), but also individual study time (independent study at home or in the library, exam preparation).
Under ECTS, the study workload of a full academic year amounts to 60 credits; a semester is generally based on 30 credits and a trimester on 20 credits. ECTS credits are only awarded upon presentation of proof of academic performance (an exam, term paper, seminar presentation, etc.). Simply attending courses or lectures or studying abroad does not qualify you for ECTS credits.

Legal basis

The legal basis for the recognition of study achievements and examined assessments was newly regulated in 2012 (§35 para. 9 Sächs. HSFG). Since then, credits must be recognized insofar as there is no significant difference between credits earned abroad and credits earned in the curriculum.

However, legal regulations concerning the transfer of grades from abroad are different (cf. §16 para. 5 sentences 2 and 3 MPO): If the grading systems are not comparable, for example because the number of grade levels does not match, the grades are not credited; in particular, no formulas or tables are used. Instead, study achievements are simply marked as passed; they (and the grade weightings, if applicable) are not included in the grade calculation.

Please note that credits earned abroad are not automatically recognized. You should follow the steps below to have your academic achievements recognized.

Before your stay abroad

• Consult your Academic Advisor or Examination Office to clarify which content and formal requirements the course must meet to be recognized -> clarify which documents must be submitted for recognition (course description, literature lists, etc.).
• Enter the agreed course selection in the Learning Agreement and have it signed by the person responsible for recognizing credits at TUD and the exchange coordinator at your host university.
• Please note: A full academic year generally requires 60 credits, a semester 30 credits and a trimester 20 credits. Fewer may be required, depending on the University and Faculty.

During your stay abroad

• If you have not already done so: get a detailed course description in English from the course catalog of your host university.
• Get a transcript of records from your host university after completing your exams there.

After your stay abroad

• Submit the application for recognition of credits earned abroad to your Examination Office or Academic Advisor.
• Fill out the corresponding application (faculty-specific) for submission to the Examination Committee and attach the Transcript of Records as well as the detailed course descriptions in English.
• Please note: You should contact your Examination Office or Academic Advisor for more specific information.