Credit system

Just as in most European educational systems,
the study workload in the Netherlands is
measured in ECTS (European Credit Transfer
and accumulation System) credits.

In case you are not familiar with the ECTS
scheme or the Bologna-process, check the
following:

› Student workload is the notional time an
average student needs to achieve the objectives
of a program. This includes lectures, seminars,
assignments, laboratory work, independent study
and exams.

› 60 credits represent the workload of a full-time
study year. Apparently, every student has to
complete 30 ECTS per semester.

› Each credit represents 28 hours of work.
Consequently, to complete the required learning
outcomes of a full cycle (full-time, one-year
program) you are expected to spend 1.680 hours
of work yearly.

› The ECTS credit system is useful to compare /
evaluate different universities, programs,
courses, modules, dissertations or even
students’ qualifications.

› Credits are awarded only after the completion
of the course / program.

Grading

In terms of grading, a 5,5 is the pass minimum.
More specifically, grades in Dutch universities
are set as follows:

› 1 - 5,4 failed
› 5,5 - 7 sufficient
› 7 - 8 satisfactory
› 8 - 9 good
› 9 - 10 outstanding

Please, note that desired grades also depend on
the type of program / study you are after; for
instance, an average of 7,5 may be more than
sufficient for an MSc but not for a PhD.