What Are Credit Points, and How Many Does a Bachelor's Degree Need?
A credit point is the unit that measures how much a course is "worth" toward your degree. At most institutions in Israel, one credit point is roughly one weekly classroom hour over a semester, so a course with three lecture hours a week is usually worth 3 credits. To finish a bachelor's degree you need a set number of them, in most programs between 120 and 160.
How credits are counted
| Lecture hours a week | Credits, usually |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | 2 credits |
| 3 hours | 3 credits |
| 4 hours | 4 credits |
That is the basic rule, and it has exceptions. Tutorials, labs, seminars and practical work are sometimes counted differently, according to each institution's regulations. The number of credits for every course is listed in your program's course catalog and in the registration system.
How many credits a degree needs
At most institutions in Israel, a bachelor's degree is 120 to 160 credits, spread across 6 to 8 semesters. That is where the usual load of roughly 18 to 24 credits a semester comes from: it is the pace that finishes the degree on time. Degrees such as engineering usually need more, and inside the degree the credits split between required courses, electives and sometimes general courses outside your department. The exact requirements are in your program's catalog.
What credits don't measure
A credit counts hours in the classroom, not the amount of work. Every lecture hour usually needs another one to two hours of independent work: problem sets, reading and review. So 18 credits are really about 45 hours a week, and two courses with the same credits can demand very different workloads, for example one final exam versus a weekly assignment.
Want to know how many hours your semester really takes? The course load calculator converts credits into weekly hours, including work and commuting, and the guide on how many credits to take walks through the decision.
Credits and your average
Credits are also each course's weight in your degree average. The degree average is a weighted average: multiply each grade by the course's credits, add them up, and divide by the total credits. So a grade in a 5-credit course moves your average much more than the same grade in a 2-credit course. The GPA calculator does the math for you.
Credits in Europe and the US
Europe uses ECTS, where a full year of study is worth 60 credits, and credits measure all of your work rather than only classroom hours. Source: European Commission. In the US, colleges count credit hours: one hour of class a week plus at least two hours of work outside it, for about 15 weeks. Source: US federal regulations. When you move between institutions or countries, the institution that admits you decides how many of your credits count.
Two free tools that work with credits, in your browser and with no sign-up: the course load calculator, which shows how many hours your credits demand, and a GPA calculator by credits.
Check my loadFrequently asked questions
What are credit points?
A credit point is the unit that measures how much a course is worth toward your degree. At most institutions in Israel, one credit is roughly one weekly classroom hour over a semester, so a course with three lecture hours a week is usually worth 3 credits.
How many credits do you need for a bachelor's degree?
At most institutions in Israel, between 120 and 160 credits, spread across 6 to 8 semesters. The exact number depends on the institution and the department, and it is listed in your program's course catalog.
How many credits is a course worth?
Usually as many as its weekly lecture hours: a three-hour course is typically worth 3 credits. Tutorials, labs and seminars are sometimes counted differently, and every course's credits are listed in the catalog and the registration system.
How are credits different in Europe and the US?
In Europe a full year of study is 60 ECTS credits, and credits measure all of your work, not only classroom hours. In the US a credit hour is one hour of class a week plus at least two hours outside it, for about 15 weeks. The institution that admits you decides how transferred credits count.
How do credits affect my average?
Your degree average is a weighted average by credits: multiply each grade by the course's credits, add them up, and divide by the total credits. So a 5-credit course moves your average more than a 2-credit course.
Credits are counted in class. Learning happens at home.
Focusity builds a weekly study plan inside your free time, around your timetable, deadlines and exams. Free, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Build my plan — free