US University Education System

education-systemsSchool Calendar system: The United States colleges and universities have three school calendar systems.

  1. The most common is the “Semester System”, the whole year is divided into two Semesters of spring and autumn;
  2. The second is the “Quarter System” which is divided into four academic quarters, 10 weeks per quarter;
  3. The third is the “Trimester System” which is divided into three equal-length semesters each year, 15 weeks per semester, split by holidays.

Credit System

American students’ academic performance and progress often measured by “credits” or “score” to measure. A credit stands for one hour of classroom study or two to three hours of laboratory study per week in a semester. If students take one hour of class per week, and the results meet the requirements, then they get a credit. The schools will grant degree to students based on their accumulated credits. U.S. university credit is mutual recognised, students can transfer accumulated credits from a university to another university. Grading scale: U.S. schools commonly adopt “Letter Grade”, each letter equals to a fraction, students can calculate the grade point average (GPA). Calculation as follows :

  • 90-100: A;
  • 80-89: B;
  • 70-79: C;
  • 60-69: D ;
  • 60 or below, E, F, I, N or U.