At Khazar University, students must study and pass a number of courses to obtain a degree: for example, a minimum of 40 courses are required for the degree of Bachelor. Each course is worth a number of credits and most courses at Khazar are worth at least three credits. Credits are only awarded after the course has been successfully completed. Credits are sometimes referred to by other names, for example “credit hours” or “units,” and in some cases the credit hours are close to the number of academic hours spent in class each week. In other cases, for example, in laboratory classes, one credit hour is equal to 80 or 90 minutes spent in class each week. In general, credit hours reflect the contact hours and workload of a course.

The four-year Bachelor's degree at Khazar University requires the successful completion of between 128 and 140 credits and a minimum of 40 undergraduate level semester courses depending on the individual school and the major in a chosen field of study.

Candidates for the Master's degree holding a Bachelor's degree must take between 32 and 60 credits, involving a minimum of 7 graduate-accredited courses, and sometimes including a thesis beyond the Bachelor's.

A candidate with a Master's Degree admitted to the PhD program is required to take at least additional 7 courses (32-60 credits) including a dissertation, although more credits and courses may be required to satisfy the particular aims of the student and the student's advisor.

Students may earn credits mainly during the Fall and Spring semesters, and register for at most 19 credits per semester. A full-time student is required to take at least 12 credits per semester; otherwise, s/he will be classified as a part-time student. Courses taken for the Summer Session and a few courses from the Khazar Extension Program may qualify for credits with the approval of the Department and Dean. During the Summer Sessions a student may register for at most 10 credits.

In some cases, credits can be earned through good performance in placement examinations administered by Khazar University’s academic departments.

The credit accumulation model is a student-centered system based on prioritization of individual study trajectories of each student. In accordance with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), one Khazar University credit equals two European Credits. ECTS is one of the key objectives of the 1999 Bologna Declaration, which aimed at the creation of a common European Higher Education Area, and Azerbaijan joined the process in Spring 2005.