Do you want to know about the credit system before making the final list of universities?

The Credit System of the U.S. Higher Education

Students at the US universities complete their degrees when they accumulated a certain number of credits. The number of credit hours differs from program to program and university to university. Students should understand the curriculum and credits allotted for the program before short listing the university.

Each individual course in the curriculum will be assigned specified number of credits/hours/units. Credits are assigned to courses based on a minimum of in-class time in combination with a minimum of out-of-class hours for course assignments. The student can earn the credits upon completing the class contact hours and other instructional work. As the level of course increases the credits assigned to the course increase.

Number of credit hours for Bachelor’s and Master’s program:

The students should gain around 120-130 credit hours to obtain a bachelor’s degree and around 30-64 to obtain a master’s degree. The program duration for bachelors and masters is 4 years and 2 years respectively. Each academic year is divided into two semesters. The students can take the help of academic advisors, plan course schedule for each semester and complete around 15-18 credits per semester.

To maintain the status of F1 in the U.S. the students should enrol for a full course of study and meet the minimum number of credit hours per week their school determines and it is necessary for normal progress toward graduation or completion of the program of study.

The credit system allows academic staff at the university to identify if the students have met study requirements and keep a track of their progress.

How does credit system help students?

1. The students can estimate cost per semester by using the formula.
   Cost per credit * No. credits planned for a semester = Tuition cost per semester
2. The students can estimate the workload before planning he course schedule.
3. The students have an option to transfer the credits earned from one university to another.
4. The credits earned will be recognized internationally for further studies and work opportunities.