Higher education students: Course workloads are inconsistent – credits do not reflect time spent studying

Higher education students are critical of their courses’ credit allocations, especially regarding their inconsistency.

According to recently completed doctoral research at the University of Oulu, courses intended to be equal in workload often show unexpected variation in actual workload. An ECTS credit is a European measure of the breadth of studies, which is presumed to require about 27 hours of student work.

Jarkko Impola investigated students’ and teaching staff’s views on the time allocation and workload of studies, as well as learning outcomes, based on survey data. The sample comprised 684 students and 208 teachers, collected from one university and one university of applied sciences in Finland.

The time spent studying varied greatly and was connected, for example, to the stage of studies and the student’s study field. The clearest connection between credit allocation and time was in scheduled teaching, which is often regulated in degree plans according to the number of credits. However, independent study time formed the largest share of study-related time use, and its relationship with credits was weak.

Measuring study workload separately is important

More than half of the students worked alongside their studies, and the time spent on studies competed with time spent working. In the fields of humanities and social sciences, less time was spent on studies than in other fields, mainly due to less teaching.

The thesis phase of a bachelor’s degree was the most intensive in terms of time use, while towards the end of studies, the time spent studying decreased and paid work became more important.

Students reported relatively high levels of study-related workload, in line with national student health surveys. The correlation between workload and time spent studying was weak, but the connection to learning outcomes was stronger: as workload increased, learning outcomes declined.

“Students relate their experience of workload not only to their studies but also to challenges in personal life, such as work, livelihood and health”, Jarkko Impola explains.

Different practices for estimating workload for courses

The research identified the need to familiarise study programmes and teachers with sufficiently resourced and coherent course planning. Collaboration at the degree programme level for a balanced distribution of study time and adequate pedagogical competence among staff are beneficial when determining student workloads.

According to the doctoral research, teaching staff define course workloads in various ways, often using calculation principles provided by employers, but also drawing on their own subject-specific experience and student feedback. Teachers were mostly satisfied with their workload estimates, but often found it challenging to judge how difficult tasks are from the students’ perspective and how much time, especially for independent study, should be allotted.

For successful study progress, it was found essential to collect feedback on workload directly from students and to communicate expectations related to studies clearly and consistently. In alleviating study-related workload and supporting students’ life management, well-resourced support and guidance services, as well as training in life and time management, are helpful in supporting students’ agency in both study and work life.

“There are significant innovation and labour market policy expectations placed on the progress of higher education students’ studies. At the same time, student burnout is frequently in the headlines. My research helps to identify problem areas in planning and completing studies and, hopefully, also to address them,” Impola says.

Impola’s doctoral research was examined at the University of Oulu on 10/04/2026. It falls within the field of educational sciences.

Research publications:

Impola, J. (2025). Teachers’ and students’ views on higher education workload determination practices. European Journal of Higher Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2025.2542152

Impola, J. (2025). The Relationship of ECTS Credits with Study Time, Workload, and Achievement in Higher Education. European Education, 57(4), 279-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/10564934.2025.2547918