The Bologna Process
The Bologna Process
UCSB Policy on the Bologna Process
The UC Santa Barbara Graduate Council approved campus Bologna policy in December 2010. UC Santa Barbara does not require an exception to admissions policy request to admit students earning undergraduate Bologna degrees if the student completes 3 or more years of study at the undergraduate level AND 180 or more ECTS credits in order to earn the undergraduate degree. If the student completes less than three years of undergraduate study or less than 180 ECTS credits to earn the undergraduate degree, an exception to admissions policy request is required to admit.
What Is the Bologna Process?
The Bologna Process is a series of changes being implemented to restructure tertiary education in Europe in accordance with the Bologna Declaration, a European agreement signed in 1999.
The objectives set out in the Bologna Declaration of 1999 were the following:
Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees.
Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles: undergraduate and graduate.
Establishment of a system of credits — such as in the ECTS system — as proper means of promoting the most widespread student mobility.
Promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement of students, researchers, instructors and staff.
Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies.
Promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education, particularly with regards to curricular development, inter-institutional co-operation, mobility schemes and integrated programs of study, training and research.
It is important to note that the Bologna Process is not a European Union program like SOCRATES-ERASMUS, TEMPUS or the Leonardo Da Vinci Program, although the EU is certainly one of the principal stakeholders in the European Higher Education Area.
In sum, the Bologna Process is a commitment by 46 national governments, mostly in Europe (and some beyond), to reform their systems of higher education in an effort to make European qualifications more transparent, more attractive and more competitive in the international student market. The Bologna Process is a colossal undertaking that involves governments, education organizations, higher education institutions, and students. It should be fully implemented in the European Higher Education Area as of 2010.
Countries Participating in the Bologna Process
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Holy See
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Türkiye
Ukraine
United Kingdom
The ECTS Grading Scale
Many different grading scales currently co-exist in Europe. In order to facilitate the mobility of students and their grades between institutions, an ECTS grading system has been developed to complement the award of ECTS credits. This provides additional information alongside that provided on the transcript, but does not replace the local grade. Receiving institutions make their own decision on how to apply the ECTS grading scale to their own system. The grading scale is based on the combined use of keywords with short explanations and alphabetical definitions from A to F.
ECTS Scale | Definition | Percentage of Successful Student/s Normally Achieving the Grade | U.S. Grade Equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
A | EXCELLENT – outstanding performance with only minor errors | 10 | A |
B | VERY GOOD – above the average standard but with some errors | 25 | A-/B+ |
C | GOOD – generally sound work with a number of notable errors | 30 | B |
D | SATISFACTORY- fair but with significant shortcomings | 25 | C+ |
E | SUFFICIENT – performance meets the minimum criteria | 10 | C |
FX | FAIL – some more work required before the credit can be awarded | - | F |
F | FAIL – considerable further work is required | - | F |
Sources for this information and further reading
European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
World Education Services (WES) and World Education News and Reviews (WENR)
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)