The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) was introduced in 1989 in the framework of the Erasmus programme as a means to transfer credits obtained by students studying abroad during their study and after their return to home institutions. Nowadays, it plays an additional role in accumulating credits, design, description and delivery of programmes, thus promoting student mobility within countries through the process of recognition of qualifications and periods of study. The ECTS Users’ Guide includes guidelines for implementing ECTS and links to useful supporting documents.

The ECTS Users’ Guide of 2009 was revised by the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) on 27-28 November 2014 in Rome and was approved by the Ministerial Conference in May 2015 in Yerevan, Armenia. This revised version is based on a solid foundation of work done in recent years, both within the Bologna Process and in individual countries, to help the academic community and other stakeholders in higher education to move in the direction of the changes advocated by the Bologna Process.

The revised Guide takes into account recent developments in the Bologna Process such as the establishment of the EHEA, the consolidation of lifelong learning, the paradigm shift from teacher-centred to student-centred higher education, the increasing use of learning outcomes, and the development of new modes of learning and teaching.

This information is taken from the ECTS Users' Guide. 

More information about the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is available on the website of the European Comission.