How many ECTS is my diploma? Converting CIS hours and credits to ECTS

German master's programmes describe their requirements in ECTS credits: "a bachelor's degree with at least 180 ECTS", "at least 30 ECTS in mathematics and statistics". A diploma from a CIS country usually shows hours or national credits. Here is how they relate, and why the same diploma can give different results.

ECTS in brief

60 ECTS = one year of full-time study. A 4-year bachelor's degree is therefore 240 ECTS, a 3-year one 180 ECTS.
1 ECTS = 25–30 hours of student work, including lectures, seminars, self-study and exams, not only classroom time.

What your diploma shows

Russia: credit units ("зачётные единицы"). Usually 1 unit = 36 academic hours of 45 minutes, i.e. 27 clock hours (a university may set its own value; HSE uses 38). A 4-year bachelor's degree is 240 units, about 60 per year. Russian universities design them to match ECTS 1:1, and German universities usually accept this. If your supplement already lists credit units per subject, use them; you don't need to convert hours.
Kazakhstan: since 2018, 1 academic credit = 30 academic hours of 50 minutes (25 clock hours) = 1 ECTS; a bachelor's degree is 240 credits. Diplomas issued under the older standard show about 129–146 credits of a different size: convert those by hours, not by credit count.
Other countries: check your diploma supplement. If it lists ECTS-compatible credits, use them. If it lists only hours, you need a conversion.
Tip: many universities issue a European-format Diploma Supplement with ECTS on request. Asking for it is often easier than calculating yourself.

Two ways hours are converted

There is no single official formula: each university (or uni-assist on its behalf) applies its own rules. Two approaches are common:

Proportional. A subject gets the same share of the degree's total ECTS as its share of total hours.
Fixed rate. A fixed number of hours per credit, for example 30 hours = 1 ECTS.

If the hours in your supplement are the full workload, both methods give similar results. The difference appears when they are not. Example: a supplement lists 144 contact hours of mathematics and 5,400 contact hours in total for a 4-year degree (240 ECTS).

Proportional: 144 / 5,400 × 240 = 6.4 ECTS
Fixed rate of 30 hours per credit: 144 / 30 = 4.8 ECTS

Across all mathematics courses, such a difference can decide whether you reach "30 ECTS in mathematics" or not.

Note: ECTS credits count the total workload, including self-study, but some supplements list only classroom (contact) hours. The proportional method avoids this problem if the total you divide by is also contact hours and the university accepts the full 240 ECTS for your degree. A fixed rate applied to contact hours always understates your workload.

Who decides

The university's admission committee. It also looks at the content of a course, not only its title: "Higher Mathematics" will most likely count as mathematics; "Mathematical Methods in Economics" may count only partly. If you are close to a threshold, ask the programme's student advisory service (Studienberatung) before applying, and attach module descriptions if the university allows it.

How MagisterWay handles it

MagisterWay converts your hours both ways and flags programmes where the result depends on the method, so you can see where you are close to a threshold. This is an estimate: the final count is made by the university.

Checklist

Get your diploma supplement with hours (or credits) per subject and the total.
If it already shows credit units or ECTS, use them.
Check whether the hours include self-study or only classroom time.
Group subjects by area (mathematics, computer science, economics…).
Convert and compare with the programme's requirements.
Borderline? Ask the university before paying uni-assist fees.

MagisterWay compares the subjects in your degree with the requirements of German master’s programmes and shows you where you qualify and where you’re short of credits. No sign-up needed. Scan recognition is in beta, by invitation: [email protected].

Check your diploma →

This article is for reference only and is not legal advice. The final decision on recognition and admission rests with the university, uni-assist or ZAB.

MagisterWay