Dutch Grade Calculator

Dutch grades run from 1 to 10 with 5.5 the standard pass. Your average is ECTS-weighted - each cijfer times its credits, divided by total credits - and this calculator computes it live, with decimals, because Dutch transcripts use them (a 7.3 is a real grade).

What outsiders misread is the top of the scale: Dutch examiners famously reserve 9s for brilliance and treat 10 as theoretical, so a 7.5 average is strong and an 8+ average is cum-laude territory at most institutions. If you are presenting Dutch grades abroad, say that out loud - an "8" converted naively to 80% undersells it by a full letter grade.

The Netherlands issues no GPA. Universities record the ECTS-weighted average on the 1 to 10 scale and nothing else, so any Dutch GPA you have been shown is a conversion applied after the fact. There is no official one. Evaluators generally read an 8 and above as an A, a 7 to 7.9 as a B+ to A-, and a 6 to 6.9 as a B or B-, but the table that decides your application is whichever the receiving institution publishes. Carry your gemiddelde, say it is out of 10, and let them map it - and never convert a cijfer as though it were a percentage. To compare against another country's scale directly, use the grade converter.

How do I calculate my average grade in the Netherlands?

Multiply each course grade (out of 10) by its ECTS credits, sum, and divide by total ECTS. That weighted gemiddelde is what this calculator computes as you type.

Is a 7 a good grade in the Netherlands?

Yes. A 7 is solidly good, a 7.5+ average is strong, and an 8+ average approaches cum laude at most universities. Dutch examiners barely use 9 and 10, which compresses the whole scale downward.

What average do you need for cum laude in the Netherlands?

Commonly an 8.0+ weighted average, often with conditions like no resits and no grade below a threshold - but each university's Onderwijs- en Examenregeling (OER) sets its own rule. Check yours.

How do I convert Dutch grades to a GPA?

Not linearly, and not by treating the cijfer as a percentage. The top of the Dutch scale is barely used, so a straight rescale understates a Dutch transcript. There is no official conversion, and we are not going to invent one. Quote the grade with its scale named and let the evaluator read it; the GPA converter will place it between this scale's pass line and its ceiling and print the arithmetic if you want a number for shortlisting.

Is there a Dutch GPA?

No. Dutch universities record a weighted average on the 1 to 10 scale - the gemiddelde - and issue no grade point average. Any Dutch GPA you have been given is a conversion someone applied afterwards, and two evaluators can convert the same transcript differently and both be defensible. The number your university actually holds is the ECTS-weighted average this page computes.

What is a 3.0 GPA in Dutch grades?

There is no official conversion, and we are not going to invent one. Quote the grade with its scale named and let the evaluator read it; the GPA converter will place it between this scale's pass line and its ceiling and print the arithmetic if you want a number for shortlisting.

Why is converting a Dutch 8 to 80 percent wrong?

Because the Dutch scale is not a percentage scale. An 8 sits near the practical ceiling of Dutch marking - 9s are rare and 10s close to unheard of - so it represents genuinely excellent work, while 80 percent reads as a solid B in an American system. Converting an 8 to 80 undersells a strong Dutch transcript by about a full letter grade, and it is the single most common way these transcripts get misread.

How do European grades convert to a US GPA?

There is no single European system to convert from. The Netherlands uses 1 to 10, Germany runs 1.0 to 5.0 with 1.0 as the best, France marks out of 20, Italy out of 30, and the Nordic countries differ again. Each needs its own comparison table, which is why a generic European to GPA converter is unreliable. Use the calculator for the actual country on your transcript, and name the scale on any form that asks.

What is the passing mark in the Dutch system?

5.5 in most institutions, displayed as a 6 where only whole or half grades are recorded. A 5.4 rounds down, a 5.5 rounds to pass - the rounding rule is exactly where OER small print earns its reputation.

Is this Dutch grade calculator free, without sign-up?

Yes. No account, nothing uploaded - grades are computed in your browser, stored only on your device, and the page keeps working offline.