College credit refers to the number of semester hours or quarter hours that each college credit course is awarded by a degree-granting college or university. In the United States, a typical associate's degree would include a minimum of 60 credits, and a typical bachelor's degree would include a minimum of 120 credits.
College credit classes receive a grade, such as Pass or Fail, or a traditional letter grade, such as A, B, C, D or F.
College credit classes are offered in several formats, including partnerships with secondary schools and through distance-learning programs, away from the traditional college campus.
Many universities and colleges in the United States offer college credit classes to high school students on their own high school campuses or through arrangements in which the students attend classes on the college campus.
In the United States, adult basic education instructors may work with local community colleges to help bridge the gap for adults finishing their high school education or general education diploma who want to transfer their skills to college credit classes.
College credit classes taken with the non-graded option of the "audit" do not result in academic credit.