German Grade Converter
Type your German grade — see your US GPA right away. 1.0 is the best grade, 5.0 is a fail. This german grade converter also works the other way round, and the german grade calculator below uses the standard conversion table universities start from. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to figure out.
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Enter your gradeType your German grade or your points.
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Check the conversionIt updates on its own as you type — no button to press.
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See your result instantlyYour US GPA and ECTS guidance appear right below.
German Grade to US GPA Calculator
Just type in one box. The other box fills in by itself.
Percentage to German Grade
Only have a percentage or points score? Fill in these three boxes and this german gpa calculator turns it into a German grade for you, using the Modified Bavarian Formula — the simple method German universities recommend.
German Grade to US GPA Conversion Table
Every grade at a glance. The row for the grade you entered above is highlighted, so you can find it in a second.
| German grade | Description | US GPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | sehr gut — very good | 4.0 |
| 1.3 | sehr gut — very good | 3.7 |
| 1.7 | gut — good | 3.3 |
| 2.0 | gut — good | 3.0 |
| 2.3 | gut — good | 2.7 |
| 2.7 | befriedigend — satisfactory | 2.3 |
| 3.0 | befriedigend — satisfactory | 2.0 |
| 3.3 | befriedigend — satisfactory | 1.7 |
| 3.7 | ausreichend — sufficient | 1.3 |
| 4.0 | ausreichend — sufficient (lowest pass) | 1.0 |
| 5.0 | nicht ausreichend — fail | 0.0 |
The German Grading Scale, Explained
German universities and schools grade on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0, and the direction surprises many international students: the lower the number, the better the grade. A 1.0 is the highest achievement, awarded for outstanding performance, while a 5.0 means the exam or course was not passed. In between, grades are usually given in steps of 0.3 or 0.7 — 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0, 2.3 and so on — although some institutions round to full or half grades.
The scale is grouped into descriptive bands. Grades from 1.0 to 1.5 are sehr gut (very good), 1.6 to 2.5 are gut (good), 2.6 to 3.5 are befriedigend (satisfactory), and 3.6 to 4.0 are ausreichend (sufficient). The pass line sits at 4.0: it is the weakest result that still counts as a pass. Anything above 4.0 up to 5.0 is nicht ausreichend — not sufficient — and the course or exam must normally be repeated. Because top grades are awarded sparingly in Germany, a 1.7 or 2.0 is genuinely strong, and even a 2.7 is a respectable, solidly average result.
The Modified Bavarian Formula
When a mark arrives as a percentage or a points score rather than a German grade, the most widely accepted way to convert it is the Modified Bavarian Formula, recommended by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and used by admissions offices across Germany:
The logic is simple. A perfect score converts to exactly 1.0, a score that only just reaches the pass mark converts to exactly 4.0, and every score in between is spread evenly across that range. Scores below the pass mark produce grades worse than 4.0, down to a floor of 5.0, and the result is normally rounded to one decimal place. For example, 90 out of 100 where 50 is needed to pass gives 1 + 3 × (100 − 90) ÷ (100 − 50) = 1.6. The percentage tool above applies exactly this calculation, and you can adjust the maximum and pass marks to match systems — such as the UK or India — where the pass threshold is 40 or another value.
ECTS Calculator: ECTS Grades and Credits Explained
Alongside national grades, European universities use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) so that study achievements can be compared across borders. ECTS has two separate parts that are often confused: credits and grades. ECTS credits measure workload, not performance. A full academic year is worth 60 ECTS credits — typically 30 per semester — so a three-year bachelor's degree totals 180 credits and a two-year master's degree totals 120. Credits are awarded when you pass, regardless of the grade achieved.
ECTS grades, by contrast, describe how well you did compared with other passing students. They are statistical: grade A goes to the top 10% of the cohort, B to the next 25%, C to the next 30%, D to the next 25%, and E to the lowest 10% who still pass; FX and F denote a fail. Because the bands are based on the distribution of real results, there is no fixed conversion from a German grade to an ECTS grade — a 2.3 might be a B in one cohort and a C in another. Many German universities publish their own grade-distribution tables for each programme, and those tables, not a generic calculator, govern the official conversion. Treat any ECTS estimate — including the guidance in our FAQ — as an approximation that your home or host university must confirm.
No German law or central authority defines one official German-to-GPA conversion. The table and formula on this page are the most commonly used references, but each university, employer and credential evaluation service (such as WES, ECE or uni-assist) applies its own scale and makes the final decision. Always check the conversion rules of the institution you are applying to, and use the results here as a reliable estimate rather than a guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tap a question to see the answer — plain and short.
What is a 2.0 German grade in GPA?
A German grade of 2.0 converts to a US GPA of 3.0 on the standard 4.0 scale. It sits in the “gut” (good) band, roughly comparable to a B average in the United States.
Is 1.7 a good German grade?
Yes. A 1.7 is a strong result in Germany. It falls in the “gut” (good) band, just below “sehr gut” (very good), and converts to a US GPA of about 3.3 — roughly a B+ average.
How does the Bavarian formula work?
The Modified Bavarian Formula converts a percentage or points score into a German grade: German grade = 1 + 3 × (maximum mark − your mark) ÷ (maximum mark − minimum passing mark). A perfect score gives 1.0, a score exactly at the pass mark gives 4.0, and anything below the pass mark works out to a failing grade above 4.0.
What ECTS grade is a German 2.3?
A German 2.3 is often estimated as an ECTS grade B, but there is no fixed one-to-one mapping. ECTS grades are awarded statistically — A goes to the top 10% of passing students, B to the next 25% — so the ECTS grade for a 2.3 depends on how the rest of the cohort performed and on the conversion table your university uses.
Is a German 4.0 a pass or a fail?
A 4.0 is a pass — it is the lowest passing grade (“ausreichend”, sufficient) on the German scale and converts to a US GPA of 1.0. Anything worse than 4.0, up to 5.0, is a fail (“nicht ausreichend”).
Is there an official German grade to GPA conversion?
No. There is no single official conversion from German grades to US GPA. The table and the Bavarian formula on this page are the most widely used references, but every university, employer and credential evaluator (such as WES or uni-assist) applies its own rules, so always treat the result as a close estimate and check the requirements of the institution you are applying to.