German University Grade Calculator

The 1.0-5.0 scale where 1.0 is the best grade. ECTS-credit-weighted, with the word grade your average earns.

Course recordGerman university scale 1.0-5.0 (1.0 is best)

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German universities grade from 1.0 (sehr gut) to 4.0 (the lowest pass) in steps of 0.3 and 0.7, with 5.0 a fail - the smaller the number, the better, which trips up every calculator built for 4.0-scale GPAs. Your overall Note is the ECTS-credit-weighted average of your module grades: this calculator multiplies each grade by its ECTS credits, divides by the total, and shows the conventional word grade (sehr gut to 1.5, gut to 2.5, befriedigend to 3.5, ausreichend to 4.0).

Your degree's official final grade follows the Prüfungsordnung, which may weight the thesis separately, exclude early modules, or apply its own rounding - so treat this as the working average and the examination office's number as final. If you are converting a foreign grade INTO the German system, that is a different tool: the modified Bavarian formula, covered in the FAQ below.

The scale this page uses

Grade	Grade points
1.0	1.0
1.3	1.3
1.7	1.7
2.0	2.0
2.3	2.3
2.7	2.7
3.0	3.0
3.3	3.3
3.7	3.7
4.0 (Pass)	4.0
5.0 (Fail)	5.0

Award class	Minimum GPA
Sehr gut (very good)	1.50
Gut (good)	2.50
Befriedigend (satisfactory)	3.50
Ausreichend (sufficient)	4.00

The German university scale runs from 1.0 (best) to 5.0 (fail); 4.0 is the lowest pass. Averages are credit-weighted (ECTS). Word-grade boundaries shown are the conventional ones; Prüfungsordnungen (examination regulations) define the official rounding and weighting for each degree.

Source. This scale is set by Kultusministerkonferenz, Festsetzung der Gesamtnote (1991, i.d.F. 2004), which is the body that writes the rule. Click for authoritative source. We last read that document on 3 October 2026, and the sources page says when we check it again.

Questions this calculator gets asked

How do I calculate my grade average in Germany?

Multiply each module's grade by its ECTS credits, sum those products, and divide by total ECTS. Because 1.0 is the best grade, a lower weighted average is better - this calculator handles the inverted scale correctly.

What is a good grade in the German system?

Anything below 2.0 is genuinely good: 1.0-1.5 is sehr gut (very good) and 1.6-2.5 is gut (good). For competitive Master's admissions, averages under about 2.0 are typically expected; under 1.5 is excellent.

What is the modified Bavarian formula?

It converts a foreign grade to the German scale: x = 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) ÷ (Nmax − Nmin), where Nmax is the best possible grade, Nmin the lowest pass, and Nd your grade. Example: a US 3.5 GPA (Nmax 4.0, Nmin 2.0) gives 1 + 3 × 0.5 ÷ 2.0 = 1.75, and the KMK takes the result to one decimal without rounding, so the grade is 1.7. German universities use it when assessing international applicants.

How does a German 1.7 compare to a US GPA?

Roughly an A-/B+ territory - reversing the Bavarian formula puts 1.7 near a 3.5-3.6 on a 4.0 scale. No conversion is official; admissions offices evaluate transcripts individually.

Is 4.0 a pass in Germany?

Yes - 4.0 (ausreichend) is the lowest passing mark, and 5.0 is a fail. This surprises anyone used to US scales, where 4.0 is perfect; the two systems point in opposite directions.

Is this calculator free, without registration?

Yes. Kein Konto, no sign-up, no upload - the math runs in your browser, your modules stay on your device, and the page works offline once loaded.

Austria

Austria also grades from 1 to 5 with 1 the best, but only in whole grades, from Sehr gut to Nicht genügend, and the Erfolg ratings on an Austrian report are rules about the grades, not a plain average. Pick Austria at the top of the page and the calculator switches to the Austrian scale. Its full scale, notes and questions are below.

Austria: the 1-5 scale and the Erfolg rules

Austria grades on five steps - Sehr gut (1), Gut (2), Befriedigend (3), Genügend (4, the pass), Nicht genügend (5) - in school and at the Matura alike, and the Notendurchschnitt is a plain arithmetic mean: the law defines no weighting, so leave every weight at 1 unless your school weights internally. Lower is better here, which the target planner below understands: aim at a 1.5 and it tells you what the remaining subjects may average at most.

The correction this page exists to make: “mit ausgezeichnetem Erfolg” is not an average threshold. The popular 1.5-average rule is an approximation; the statute (SchUG §22 for the Jahreszeugnis, §38 for the Reifeprüfung) is combinatorial - at least half the compulsory subjects Sehr gut, the rest Gut, a single Befriedigend tolerated only when compensated by an additional Sehr gut beyond the half, and no Genügend at all. “Mit gutem Erfolg” needs nothing worse than Befriedigend and no more 3s than 1s. A 1.46 average can miss the designation while a 1.54 earns it - check the combination, not just the number below.

The Austrian scale

Note	Wert
1 - Sehr gut	1.0
2 - Gut	2.0
3 - Befriedigend	3.0
4 - Genügend (pass)	4.0
5 - Nicht genügend (fail)	5.0

The Austrian five-step scale from the Leistungsbeurteilungsverordnung: Sehr gut (1) to Nicht genügend (5), with Genügend (4) the last pass - one step shorter than Germany's 1-6, so a German 5 and an Austrian 5 are different animals. The law defines no weighting, so the Durchschnitt is a plain mean; leave every weight at 1 unless your school weights internally. The 'mit ausgezeichnetem Erfolg' designation is NOT an average threshold - it is a combination rule on the grades themselves (at least half Sehr gut, the rest Gut, a Befriedigend only if compensated by an extra Sehr gut, no Genügend), per SchUG §22.

Source. This scale is set by Leistungsbeurteilungsverordnung (LBVO), BGBl. 371/1974, para 14, which is the body that writes the rule. Click for authoritative source. We last read that document on 3 October 2026, and the sources page says when we check it again.

Questions about Austrian grades

How is the Notendurchschnitt calculated in Austria?

As a plain arithmetic mean of the grades - the law defines no weighting. Add the grades, divide by their count; this page does that live, with optional weights only for schools that weight internally.

When is a Zeugnis 'mit ausgezeichnetem Erfolg'?

Per SchUG §22: at least half of the compulsory subjects at Sehr gut and the rest at Gut; one Befriedigend is tolerated only if compensated by an additional Sehr gut beyond that half; any Genügend ends it. It is a combination rule, not an average - the 1.5 rule of thumb misfires on real edge cases.

And 'mit gutem Erfolg'?

No grade worse than Befriedigend, and no more Befriedigend than Sehr gut grades (SchUG §22). Again a combination, not a threshold.

Is a 4 a pass in Austria?

Yes - Genügend passes, and only Nicht genügend (5) fails. Austria's scale stops at 5, unlike Germany's 1-6; never read the two interchangeably.

Does the Matura use the same grades?

Yes, the same 1-5 scale, with the Erfolg designations at the Reifeprüfung governed by SchUG §38 under the same combination logic.

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Reading someone else's grades for a job or an admission? How to read a foreign grade