The Grading System at German Universities

In the upper school of German schools, i.e. the last school years before the 'Abitur', which entitles students to enter higher education, all achievements of the students are evaluated with a point system from 0 (poor) to 15 (very good+). The final grade is then made up of a complicated calculation of the various achievements, consisting of preliminary grades and examination grades. However, different grades are weighted differently. The exact weighting of the grades can vary from one federal state to another as well as from one type of school to another. The decisive factor, however, is that ultimately a score of between 300 and 900 points is presented on the leaving certificate. 300 points means a final grade of 4,0, which is the minimum number of points and grade required to obtain the Abitur. With 900 points, one receives the best grade of 1,0. To apply to a German university, one must present this score. In the case of courses of study with restricted admissions it decides (among other things) who gets a place and who does not. Final grades from other countries can be converted into this score. The exact procedure can thereby vary from one federal state to another and (more rarely) from one university to another as well. Therefore, it is important that you research the websites of the universities of choice to find out what kind of conversion is used there. Often there are quite clear tables for some countries and for other degrees, there are conversion formulas in which you have to enter the possible best and minimum grades as well as your own final grade to get the German equivalent of your final grade.

At the university itself, there are no more points awarded, but grades between 1 and 6. Since the introduction of the Bologna system, however, the so-called ECTS points or credit points have been added. Such points are awarded to students for each passed course achievement, regardless of whether it is a (graded) examination or a regular course achievement (these are ungraded and usually achieved without an actual examination). In order to complete a course of study, a certain number of these points have to be achieved. The respective number of points of the individual achievements should reflect approximately how much work was necessary in order to generate a specific achievement. This, in turn, should serve to make academic achievements and degrees (especially within Europe) more comparable and thus facilitate a change of university and the international recognition of degrees. The number of ECTS points received therefore does not vary from student to student. It does not contain an evaluation of the quality of the performance but only of the quantity of the requirements of which at least the minimum has been fulfilled. However, there is also a so-called ECTS grading system that assigns grades from A to F. This has nothing to do with the ECTS points but is a grading system of its own that is used at some (European) universities and can serve as a frame of reference for converting different types of grades.

However, the actual evaluation, i.e. the statement about the quality of the individual performance of students, is represented in Germany in grades between 1 and 5 with a gradation in decimal numbers:

When evaluating individual achievements, it is common practice at most universities to do this in steps of 0,3, i.e. one receives a 1,0 or a 1,3, but not a 1,2. In most cases, these further intermediate steps only become relevant when calculating an average (e.g. for a module with several graded achievements or the final grade). In order to be able to compare the German grades with other (mainly European) grades more easily, they can usually be converted into the following ECTS grades:

An exception to the common grading system at German universities are law courses of study. There are also ECTS or credit points, however, to grade individual achievements 0 to 18 points are awarded:

In the exam, the individual grades are then combined and specified to two decimal places. This results in a slightly different score than for the individual performances:

It should also be emphasized that German jurists are known for their particularly strict evaluation. A 'very good' is practically never achieved. Therefore, the grades can’t simply be equated with other university evaluations.

As if none of this was complicated enough, the evaluation of doctoral degrees - whether in the field of law or not - is slightly different again. This is as follows:

If you are a little overwhelmed by the many different numerical values, we can reassure you: This is how most, also German pupils and students feel at the beginning. However, if you have received one or the other grade yourself, you will quickly get used to it and find your way around this mess of numbers - and if necessary, you can as well just look up or ask what this grade actually means.