ECTS Grading System
Grading and ECTS
At Instituto Superior Técnico, grades are awarded on a scale from 0 to 20, with 10 being the minimum passing grade, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 42/2005 and Técnico’s Academic Assessment Regulations.
As a Higher Education Institution (HEI), Técnico uses the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), the european framework designed to support:
- international academic recognition;
- student mobility;
- comparability between academic programmes across European higher education institutions.
ECTS grades complement the portuguese national grading system and help international institutions better understand students’ academic performance.
How are ECTS grades assigned?
At Técnico, ECTS grades are based on the statistical distribution of the grades achieved by students who successfully completed a course unit or degree programme over the previous three academic years.
The distribution follows the reference scale below:
| ECTS Grade | Approximate percentage of successful students |
|---|---|
| A | Top 10% |
| B | Next 25% |
| C | Next 30% |
| D | Next 25% |
| E | Last 10% of passing students |
ECTS grades are assigned using an institutional statistical model approved by Técnico’s Executive Board on 1 July 2008 and revised in July 2009.
Important information
ECTS grades:
- do not replace national grades;
- are mainly used in international mobility and academic recognition contexts;
- may vary between course units and degree programmes, depending on the actual grade distribution.
ECTS Credits
Student workload is measured in ECTS credits.
At Técnico:
- 60 ECTS correspond to one full-time academic year;
- one academic year represents approximately 1680 hours of student workload;
- 1 ECTS credit corresponds, on average, to 28 hours of work (p. 38 of the Study at Técnico Guide 2025/2026).
This workload includes – classes; laboratory work; projects; independent study; assessments; other academic activities.
References
This system is based on:
- Decree-Law no. 42/2005 of 22 February – although this document is only available in Portuguese, it is possible to read the text in English by selecting English version option – top right corner, globe icon
- the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
- European Commission guidelines for the European Higher Education Area