The ECTS system (European Credit Transfer System) facilitates the process of academic recognition of educational activities carried out by students at partner institutions as part of an Erasmus exchange. The system provides a means of conversion both in ‘quantitative’ terms (through the allocation of actual European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits) and in ‘qualitative’ terms (through the use of an ECTS grading scale).
Regarding European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits, 1 local credit equals 1 ECTS credit: 1 CFU = 1 ECTS.
Alongside a quantitative conversion of the work carried out, the ECTS system requires the adoption of an ECTS scale, that is, a conversion table which relates grades expressed out of thirty to the ECTS Grade.
In the Italian university system, candidates are graded on a scale of thirty:
30/30 is the highest grade, awarded WITH HONORS when the performance is considered excellent.
18/30 is the minimum passing grade for an exam.
The ECTS scale uses the following grades: A, B, C, D, E, F.
Each university has its own conversion scale between grades out of thirty and ECTS grades, which is derived from a statistical analysis of the grades awarded within the institution.
Procedure for the Recognition of Academic Activities Carried Out Abroad within International Mobility Programs
- Before departure, the student approved to spend a period of study abroad prepares a study proposal (together with the mobility tutor of their degree program) indicating the academic activities they intend to carry out at the host university, which will replace some of the activities scheduled in their degree program for an equivalent number of credits.
The evaluation procedure takes place through the "Management System for Academic Proposals/LA" platform. - The approved academic activities are transferred to the OLA platform for the signing of the Digital Learning Agreement, which must take place before the start of the mobility period.
- Within 30 days from the start of the mobility, the beneficiary can modify their study plan, in agreement with their mobility tutor, first by making changes in the "Management System for Academic Proposals/LA" platform and, following successful approval, by updating the OLA using the dedicated function.
- Upon the student's return from the period of study abroad, the Rector's Delegate for the Erasmus+ and International Mobility Program checks the consistency and validity of the certification presented and proceeds with the approval of the validations previously indicated in the OLA.
The student's academic record is then updated by the degree program office, which also integrates the Diploma Supplement.