Many scholars from Nigeria and West Africa often face confusion when it comes to determining their eligibility for certain programs in European universities, especially when it involves the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
In this article, we will explore how to effectively convert the Nigerian CGPA system to the ECTS (European Credits Transfer System), providing clarity for students navigating this process.
What is ECTS and how can you convert Nigerian CGPA to ECTS?
European Credits Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) are standard ways of relating the volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload for higher education throughout the European Union and other collaborating countries in Europe. ECTS includes a standard grading scale, intended to be shown in addition to local (i.e. national) standard grades. It is a credit system designed to make it easier for students to move between countries to study.
Since they are based on the learning achievements and workload of a course, a student can transfer their ECTS credits from one university to another so they are added up to contribute to an individual’s degree program or training
How many ECTS Credits are in One Nigerian Academic Year?
One Nigerian academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS credits which are normally equivalent to 1500–1800 hours of total workload, irrespective of standard or qualification type. 60 ECTS credits are the equivalent of a full year of study or work, and in a standard academic year, 60 credits would be broken down into several smaller components.
A typical Bachelor’s Degree will consist of 180 or 240 credits, whereas a typical Master’s Degree, will consist of 90 or 120 credits, with at least 60 credits at the second-cycle level.
How many ECTS credits is a semester?
Relating the above to a Nigerian education system. A typical Nigerian semester will be equivalent to 30 ECTS.
What is the ECT Grading Scale?
The ECTS grading scale is defined by the ECTS itself and the European Commission as follows:
| Class of Degree | Percentage Score | ECTS Grade |
| First-Class Degree | 70%-100% | A |
| Upper Second-Class Degree | 60%-69% | B |
| Lower Second-Class Degree | 50%-59% | C |
| Lower Second-Class Degree | 40%-49% | D |
What is 180 ECTS Equivalent to in GPA?
Technically, 180 ECTS and 240 ECTS simply signify a 3-year and 4-year university degree in Europe respectively at 60 ECTS per year.
How to convert CGPA in Nigeria to ECTS
Now let us make it practical. Imagine a single academic year in the Nigerian educational system where you took 40 credit units in total (irrespective of the number of courses), which is equivalent to 60 ECTS (single academic year) in most European Universities.
For the example above, 1 credit unit will be equivalent to 60/40 ECTS = 1.5 ECTS
1 credit unit = 1.5 ECTS
Therefore, if for instance, ENG 101 was 3 units in the courses you offered, it would be calculated as (3X1.5) ECTS = 4.5 ECTS
Let us consider another academic scenario where you took 50 credits in the academic year (maybe 27 credit units in your first semester and 23 credit units in your second semester)
It will be calculated thus: 60/50 which will give 1.2
So 1 credit unit that year will be equivalent to 1.2 ECTS
If your CSC 105 was 2 units in this second scenario, it would be equivalent to 1.2X2= 2.4 ECTS
Conclusion on how to convert CGPA in Nigeria to ECTS
With the above analysis, you can evaluate all your courses to calculate the ECTS obtained in a single academic year. Once the total ECTS obtained over your 4-year or 5-year bachelor’s degree is above 180 or 240 ECTS required by a program, then that should make you eligible to apply for such a program.
In conclusion, some programs may require applicants to have taken 6 ECTS in a Trigonometry course or 4 ECTS in a Calculus course during the previous study program to be eligible to apply for an Electrical Engineering course for instance. You could see something such as a “60 ECTS in chemistry or chemical engineering and 20 ECTS in mathematics and/or physics” is required.
The above analysis still holds to arrive at the estimated ECTS for that particular course. You might be interested in discovering how to unlock hidden scholarship opportunities.
