Could someone please explain the concept of 'credits'?

Applying to College
1

Hi, I am a student applying from the UK and I am currently on a gap year having finished my a-levels in 2014.
I looked on some of the university websites and saw that they gave “credits” if you received a certain grade or above in your A-levels, and I was wondering what role these ‘credits’ play in your uni application (if any?)

thanks!

2

Credits = units earned if you were to enroll at that university. I don’t think they play a major role in determining admission, although you can usually use high grades on A-level, AP, or similar exams for college credit.

3

what does it mean exactly by ‘units earned’?

4

For instance, your program might require 100 credits in order to obtain the degree. For some scores on some exams taken by incoming students, the individual departments may grant credit. Thus you might only require 90 credits – allowing you to graduate earlier and/or not have to pay for those 10 credits.

5

Instead of counting the number of classes you take, US colleges break it down to credits.

A Phys-Ed class that meets for, say 90 minutes a week, might be only one credit.
A Math class that meets, say 3 hours a week, might be 3 credits.
A Science lab that meets, say 5 hours a week, might be 4 credits.

It’s a matter of the number of hours per week the class meets, as opposed to the grade you earn in the class. Every student who passes a particular course receives the same number of credits for that course.

6

Classes are often 3 or 4 credits (or units). So they mean that if you already have an equivalent to calculs you may be given the 3 credits that you would have earned should you have taken the class at the university you enroll in. Same with equivalency of a foreign language.

They effect is that it could give you a semester of credit and you could graduate in 3-1/2 years, which some people like to do here at public universities to save money. For very selective universities it is more usual to simply do your full 4 years but take other courses or take advanced standing and jump to the next level of that course.

7

If classes were food then credits would be the calorie count.

8

thaaanks everyone!