European (ECTS) Credit Conversion

ECTS is the credit system that institutions in the European High Education Area (EHEA) use to allow students to transfer credits to their home institutions.

Dartmouth’s Statement of Credits specifies that each course count unit may be considered the equivalent of a semester course worth 3.5 semester hours (4.5 if a laboratory course) or 5 quarter hours (6.7 if a laboratory course.) Because 1 ECTS credit is most widely considered the equivalent of 0.5 semester hours, a minimum of 7.5 ECTS credits per course are required to earn 1 Dartmouth credit.

ECTS credits transfer to Dartmouth according to the following equivalencies:

Courses within the same field that individually do not meet the minimum ECTS credit equivalent can potentially be faculty-approved to combine to meet the minimum ECTS credit requirement.

Courses which exceed the minimum 7.5 ECTS credit requirement for 1 Dartmouth credit, and do not meet the minimum for 2 credits, will receive 1 Dartmouth credit, with the additional ECTS value not factored into the transfer.