The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) was established in 1989, within the framework of the Erasmus programme, to transfer credits acquired by students during their studies abroad into credits counted towards a degree upon their return to their home institution.

It facilitates student mobility between different countries, making studies and courses more transparent and facilitating the process of recognition of learning outcomes, qualifications and study periods.

It is a central instrument aimed at improving the compatibility of national systems.

The University of Cagliari has adopted ECTS as a credit accumulation system: 1 CFU = 25 working hours = 1 ECTS Credit.

ECTS credits express the volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and the associated workload. 60 ECTS credits correspond to the workload of a full-time academic year or its equivalent, which normally includes a number of learning components to which credits are allocated.

First-cycle qualifications typically include 180 ECTS credits. 

Grade distribution tables

Due to different cultural and academic traditions, European education systems have developed not only different national grading scales, but also different ways of using them within the same country, in different subject areas or institutions.

In order to ensure transparent and consistent information on an individual student's performance, each higher education institution should provide a statistical distribution table of the passing grades awarded in the programme or field of study attended by the student (grade distribution table) that shows how the grading scale is actually used in that programme, since mobile students are entitled to fair treatment and transparency of their grades when credits are transferred from one institution to another. 

Grade distribution tables should replace the former ECTS grading scales (A, B, C, D, E), which are still used by some institutions. In the Italian system, the minimum grade for examinations is 18 out of 30. The maximum grade for examinations is 30 out of 30 (30 cum laude is also possible). An excellent performance is usually graded above 28.

The following grade distribution tables have been developed with data from the positive grades of the last three academic years.

They include the absolute number of positive grades assigned to each identified reference group, the percentages of positive grades assigned to the reference group and the cumulative percentages (to be used for grade conversion).

The tables also include the 'old' CFU grading scales (A, B, C, D, E), to be used in case higher education institutions still use them.

For each Faculty, the grade distribution table for the Faculty as a whole is shown first, followed by those for each Degree Course.