Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a study programme or qualification – one credit represents about 10 hours of study. At the OU, you’ll be awarded credits after you have successfully completed a course. For example, if you study a 60-credit course and successfully pass it, you will be awarded the full 60 credits, never fewer than this. This usually represents 600 hours of study over 9 months, which is equivalent to about 16 hours per week.
The credit system used by the OU is aligned to the national CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) system. CATS helps you to move the credits you accumulate from one institution to another. So if you have completed some previous study at another institution, you may be able to count it towards your OU qualification. OU courses carry credits normally ranging from 10 to 60 credits.
Academic credit in Europe and ECTS points
Using OU credit in Europe - If you are looking to use your Open University credit in Europe, you may be interested to know of the existence of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This is the system commonly used in the EU for measuring study workload. Since the systems don't compare like with like, and ECTS doesn't take account of academic level, direct comparisons are difficult to make. However, broadly, at any given level, 60 OU credits would be worth 30 ECTS points, and 30 OU credits would be worth 15 ECTS points.
Using ECTS points towards OU study - If you have completed study elsewhere, that is recorded in ECTS points, and you want to count this towards your OU qualifications, please contact the Credit Transfer Centre for advice.
The table below shows the typical number of credits required at each level to achieve an OU qualification
There are some exceptions to these general rules, so please check the exact rules for the qualification you are interested in.
| Qualification | Credits required at Level 1 | Credits required at Level 2 | Credits required at Level 3 | Credits at professional or postgraduate level | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OU Certificate | 60 normally from Level 1 courses but can be at any level | 60 | |||
| Certificate of Higher Education | 120 | 120 | |||
| OU Diploma | 120 from Level 2 and / or Level 3 | 120 | |||
| Foundation degree or Diploma of Higher Education | 120 | 120 | 240 | ||
| BA or BSc Degree without honours | 120 | 120 | 60 | 300 | |
| BA or BSc Degree with honours | 120 | 120 | 120 | 360 | |
| Advanced diploma | 60 | 60 | 120 | ||
| Postgraduate certificate | 60 | 60 | |||
| Postgraduate diploma | 120 | 120 | |||
| Masters | 180 | 180 | |||
If you have successfully completed some study (either a full qualification or part of one) at higher-education level elsewhere, you may be able to count it towards your OU degree or other qualification. See counting previous study.