How the credit and grading-point system works at university

You just started your first year, but words like "credit" on your schedule and "ÜOMG" (your grade average) on your transcript leave you puzzled. Let's unpack them, one by one, in plain language.

What a credit is, and how it differs from hours

Studies used to be measured in "hours": how many hours a week a subject got. Now the main unit is the credit. A credit counts not just the time you sit in class, but the total effort a subject takes — lectures, seminars, labs and the independent work you do at home — all together.

So a credit answers the question: "how much load does this subject demand of me?"

How many credits a subject is worth

Every subject has its own credit value: a small elective carries few, a core major subject carries more. The exact numbers differ from university to university, even from subject to subject, and they're written in the subject's curriculum.

The rule is simple: the more work a subject demands, the more credits it gives.

How many credits to take per semester

In the credit system you don't all sit the same timetable — you have an individual study plan. But there's a lower and upper limit to the credits you can take in one semester, set by your university's rules.

Take too many and the load gets heavy; too few and graduation stretches out. So build your plan together with your academic advisor.

How a grade adds up: exam + semester

Many students think the grade depends only on the final exam. In fact, on a 100-point scale the grade comes from two parts:

points you gather through the semester — attendance, seminar/lab activity, and independent work;
the final exam score.

At many universities the exam is worth up to 50 points and the remaining 50 come from your semester activity. The exact split is written in each university's assessment rules, so check your department's breakdown.

The takeaway: skipping the semester and piling everything onto the exam is risky — half the points are already gone.

The pass mark: when a subject counts as "passed"

To pass a subject, the final score must be above a certain threshold — the pass mark. According to sources, at many universities a subject below 51 points counts as a fail, and the exam itself may also carry a minimum-point requirement.

So you need to clear both the overall 100-point total and the exam part separately. Check the exact thresholds in your university's rules, as the numbers can vary.

What ÜOMG (grade average) is and how it's worked out

ÜOMG is your overall grade-point average across all subjects. Unlike school, grades aren't simply summed and divided by count: in the credit system each subject's score is weighted by its credit value.

That means a heavy, high-credit major subject affects your average more than a small elective. So scoring high in the heavy subjects lifts your average the most.

Credits and graduation

You earn your diploma by total credits collected, not by the number of exams. You graduate once you've gathered all the credits your program requires and passed every compulsory subject.

So the credits you collect each semester pile up on a scale — when you hit the target, your studies are done.

Grades, scholarship and academic debt

Your grades affect two concrete things. First, scholarship (təqaüd): a high average determines whether you get one (and sometimes how much). Second, academic debt: a subject you fail stays as a debt you must retake and pass — meaning extra time, and sometimes extra cost.

In short: keep your semester balanced, pass each subject on time, don't pile up debt.

To sail through your first exam session, read our 30-day exam study plan too.

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