The ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) was developed by the European Commission in order to provide common procedures to guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. ERASMUS students receive full credit for all academic work successfully carried out at any of the ERASMUS partner institutions and they are able to transfer these credits from one participating institution to another.
The ECTS system is based on the principle of mutual trust and confidence between the participating partner institutions. The few rules of ECTS include: the information on courses available (ECTS Information Package), the agreement between the home and host institutions establishing the programme of study to be taken (Learning Agreement), the use of credit units to indicate the student's workload (ECTS credits) and the use of a Transcript of Records, which shows the student's learning achievements in a way which is commonly understood and easily transferable from one institution to another. After their study period in Germany, ERASMUS exchange students will receive a Transcript of Records.