Credit Hours to Units Converter
Convert between credit hours, semester units, quarter units, and contact hours — plus calculate full-time vs part-time student status.
Understanding Credit Hours and Units
Different educational systems use different terminology for measuring academic course load. Converting between them is important for transfer students, international students, and anyone comparing programs.
Definitions
Semester Credit Hour (SCH) One semester credit hour represents approximately 1 hour of classroom instruction per week for a 15–16 week semester. Most US universities use this system. One credit hour typically requires 2 additional hours of outside study per week, so 1 SCH = ~3 hours of total weekly effort.
Quarter Credit (QC) Used by universities on the quarter system (10–12 week terms). One quarter credit ≈ 0.667 semester credits.
Contact Hours Some vocational, trade, and international programs measure learning in total contact hours — the raw number of hours spent in class. 1 semester credit = 15–16 contact hours.
Conversion Table
| From | To | Multiply By |
|---|---|---|
| Semester credits | Quarter credits | × 1.5 |
| Quarter credits | Semester credits | × 0.667 |
| Semester credits | Contact hours | × 15 |
| Contact hours | Semester credits | ÷ 15 |
| ECTS (European) | Semester credits | ÷ 2 |
| Semester credits | ECTS | × 2 |
Full-Time vs. Part-Time Status (US)
| Status | Semester Credits | Quarter Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time undergraduate | 12+ credits | 18+ credits |
| Full-time graduate | 9+ credits | 12+ credits |
| Part-time | Below threshold | Below threshold |
| Overload | 18+ credits | 27+ credits |
Full-time status often affects financial aid eligibility, health insurance coverage, and visa status for international students.
ECTS Credits (European System)
The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) defines 1 credit as 25–30 hours of total student workload. A full academic year in Europe = 60 ECTS credits. One US semester credit ≈ 2 ECTS credits.