What are credits and how many do I need?

Credit units, or credits for short, are used to convert student performance into numbers. This means that a predefined number - in the USA 3 time hours - corresponds to one credit unit. Credits are therefore points of achievement that one receives for courses attended. The credit hour represents the amount of time spent in the lecture hall per lecture, seminar or course.

1 US Credit corresponds to 2 ECTS Credits (European Credit Transfer System).

Important:
In order to meet your eligibility and visa requirements, you must earn 12 U.S. credits per semester, which typically equates to 4 courses of 3 credit units each.

To complete your bachelor's degree in the USA within the standard period of study (4 years), you need at least 90 US credits. Divided into eight semesters, this amounts to 15 credits per semester.

Although only 12 credit units per term are required of U.S. undergraduate students, the majority of U.S. undergraduates take 15 credits, per semester (i.e., 30 per academic year) to complete their degree as scheduled. This is referred to as a full course load.

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