Daytime and Cycle Studies, Study Loads
- Daytime studies are a form of study designed for students for whom studying is their main activity and where regular instruction is carried out on a weekly basis.
- Cycle studies (including distance studies) are a form of study where instruction is carried out regularly on two or three evenings per week and/or on weekends, or in study sessions specifically designed for the curriculum or target group. The role of independent studies in this group assumes much greater importance in achieving the desired study results.
Students are divided according to their study load into full-time students and part-time students.
Student status according to the study load shall be calculated at the beginning of each academic year on the date specified in the academic calendar, usually on the first day of the autumn semester. Study load is calculated based on the volume of subjects obtained in credit points under the curriculum. In order to complete their Bachelor’s or Master’s studies in a nominal period, students shall obtain 60 ECTS credits per year cumulatively. Based on the study load, a student may be a full-time or part time student.
- Full-time student’s status is maintained, if by the end of each academic year the student cumulatively completes at least 75% of the standard amount of studies i.e. a minimum of 22,5 ECTS credits per semester and 45 ECTS credits by the end of the first year, and a minimum of 90 ECTS credits by the end of the second year.
- A part-time student shall obtain a minimum of 15 ECTS credits per semester based on his/her curriculum.
A student’s study load is determined at the end of every two studied semesters. The dates can be found in academic calendar.
Question |
Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I determine my study load upon admission? | Upon admission, all students apply for a full-time study load, regardless of what their load will be. Subsequently, the students’ study load will be determined by the number of ECTS credits under their curricula which they have acquired over the previous years. |
| What is the determining date for students to be classified as full-time or part-time status? | The student status will be determined based on their study capacity on the date specified in the academic calendar. The study load of the first year students will also be reviewed after the first semester. |
| Why should I avoid falling into part-time status? | You would need to pay for your studies when you are a part time student (if you did not need to pay for the studies already beforehand). A student studying on a part-time student place cannot apply for scholarships and a student loan for the duration of the part-time studies. A student may apply for a student loan when he/she is transferred back to a full-time study place. If you are studying in Estonia with a temporary residence permit for study, then the requirement for maintaining that permit is remaining a full-time student. Falling into part-time student status will result in revoking the temporary residence permit for study. |
| If I am at risk of being transferred to part-time studies, could I apply for an academic leave and fulfil my obligations during the academic leave? | No. Unfortunately, applying for an academic leave does not help you in this case. Your part-time or full-time status will depend on how many credits you have acquired in your previous academic years. All subjects completed after this date will be accounted for in the following academic year, not in the year that has ended. After returning from academic leave, your status will be based not on how many total credits you have already acquired in the prior year, but on how many credits you acquire in the current academic year. This usually means that you will have to continue in part-time studies. See also the academic leave section. |