EAHEA credits state, in one clear measure, how much study a program contains and at what level. When a transcript or certificate shows MUC, PAC, ILC or EUC, it tells you how much work a typical learner needed and at which level the learning took place. Every authorized provider calculates the credits by the same method.
What a Credit Tells You
One credit stands for a fixed range of hours of Total Nominal Workload: all the time a typical learner needs to reach the learning outcomes of a program. This includes lectures and workshops, practical work, guided self-study and assessment. More credits mean more work. The name of the credit system tells you the level.
| Credit | Level | One Credit Stands For | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUC Modular Units of Competency | Short and modular learning | 10 to 15 hours | Micro-credentials, workshops, short courses, online courses, modules and professional certificates of 150 hours or less |
| PAC Professional Advancement Credits | Professional and undergraduate level | 20 to 25 hours | Professional certificates of more than 150 hours, associate and bachelor level programs, professional diplomas |
| ILC Institutional Learning Credits | Postgraduate level | 25 to 30 hours | Postgraduate certificates and diplomas, master’s level programs, MBA tracks |
| EUC Executive Units of Competency | Doctoral level | 30 to 35 hours | Executive doctoral level programs, DBA tracks, applied research for senior leaders |
How to Read a Credit on a Transcript
A provider declares one conversion ratio for each credit system, within the range shown above, and states it on the transcript supplement. The credits of a program are its total workload divided by that ratio, rounded to the nearest whole credit (a half rounds up).
Example. A postgraduate program has a total workload of 1,500 hours. The provider’s declared ratio is 25 hours per ILC. The program carries 1,500 ÷ 25 = 60 ILC. A program of 420 hours at the same ratio gives 16.8, which is rounded to 17 ILC.
A transcript that carries EAHEA credits always names the credit system (for example 60 ILC, never just “60 credits”), states the grading scale and the conversion ratio, and carries the EAHEA notice on the independence of the credits.
What EAHEA Credits Are Not
- They are not ECTS, CATS, U.S. credit hours or another credit system of a state higher education system. They are independent of ECTS, CATS, U.S. credit hours and other credit systems of state higher education systems, and EAHEA defines no conversion to them.
- They are not a degree. EAHEA does not award degrees. A credential that carries EAHEA credits is a professional or executive qualification under the authority of the provider that issues it.
- They are not a promise of acceptance. Whether another institution or an employer accepts a credit is that party’s decision.
Who May Award EAHEA Credits
Only providers that EAHEA has authorized may calculate, award and state these credits: institutions accredited by EAHEA, which are listed in the Accredited Institutions directory, and institutions that EAHEA has approved for the EAHEA Credit Systems alone, which are listed in the ECS Provider Directory. You can verify a provider in the respective directory. A provider that is not listed there may not use the credits.
Will Another Institution or Employer Accept the Credits?
On request, EAHEA acts as an intermediary between providers, learners and receiving institutions on questions of acceptance or equivalence, free of charge.
The receiving institution or organization decides, under its own rules. This is also how ECTS and the other credit systems work: a credit shows what was studied, and the party that receives it decides what it counts for.
EAHEA’s support covers, for example, confirming the authorization of the provider and the way in which the credits were calculated. The decision on acceptance stays with the receiving institution. To ask for this support, contact the EAHEA Secretariat.
For Employers: What to Check
- The credit system is named (MUC, PAC, ILC or EUC) and the credits are stated in the standard notation.
- The transcript shows the conversion ratio, the grading scale and the EAHEA notice.
- The provider appears in the Accredited Institutions directory or in the ECS Provider Directory.
- The credential carries a title that matches its level, and the provider does not present it as a state-recognized degree.
Learn More
- EAHEA Credit Systems: the overview of the four credit systems
- Modular Units of Competency (MUC), Professional Advancement Credits (PAC), Institutional Learning Credits (ILC) and Executive Units of Competency (EUC)
- ECS Provider Directory
- Accredited Institutions directory
- Knowledge Base