The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a credit system that is student-centered and based on the workload of the student. This value expresses all the work that a student must do to be able to complete courses successfully and to attain the predetermined learning outputs (theoretical lessons, practical lessons, seminars, individual study, exams, assignments, etc). Every course offered at Marmara University has both local and ECTS credits. The local credit of a lesson is formed by taking the total hours spent by the student in theoretical lessons every week, and half the hours spent in the laboratory, practical lessons, or in the studio. This system, created from the start for credit transfer, is used as a credit accumulation system institutionally, regionally, nationally and on the European level. Subsequent to the determination of the learning output for each lesson, the workload for the student to be successful and to attain the learning output is calculated. In calculating and distributing the ECTS credits, the workload required for the student to be successful is projected by the instructors. The workload of the student is measured at the end of every semester with a questionnaire.

For a student to complete a semester at Marmara University (a semester consists of 17 weeks, including exam weeks), the students must successfully complete at least 30 ECTS. 30 ECTS is equal to a workload of between 750-900 hours covering all activities that are carried out in the semester (lesson hours, assignments, projects, midterms, finals, etc). The calculation of the General Academic Grade Average (GANO) is carried out according to the student’s local credits and grades. However, both local credits and grades, as well as the ECTS credits and grades, will be shown on the transcripts.