Swedish Grade Calculator

The Swedish grading scale and the jämförelsetal

Sweden runs two different systems at two levels, and most of the confusion about Swedish grades comes from mixing them up. The gymnasium, upper secondary, grades A to F with points attached. Swedish universities largely do not, and many report nothing more than pass or fail.

The gymnasium scale has applied since the 2011 reform, when it replaced the older IG, G, VG and MVG grades still found on pre-2011 transcripts.

E is the lowest pass and F is the only failing grade. B and D are deliberately defined as in-between grades rather than as bands of their own: a B means the student has met all of the C criteria and most of the A criteria, which is why the point values sit exactly halfway.

Your jämförelsetal is the average of those points weighted by each course's gymnasiepoäng, most courses carrying 50 or 100. A straight-A record gives 20.0, which is the ceiling. For university admission the number that actually competes is your meritvärde: the jämförelsetal plus up to 2.5 meritpoäng earned for qualifying courses in modern languages, English and mathematics. A 17.8 jämförelsetal can therefore enter an admission round as a 20.3, which is why a meritvärde above 20 is not a mistake.

Swedish universities are a different world. Many programmes grade only U and G, underkänd and godkänd, fail and pass, and some add VG, väl godkänd, pass with distinction. Others have moved to an A to F scale that looks like the gymnasium one but carries no national point values. There is no Swedish university GPA, which is why no such calculator exists on this site: the number does not exist to be computed. To work out a gymnasium jämförelsetal, use the Swedish grade calculator. To compare Sweden with other countries, see the grading scale comparison.

Questions about the Swedish scale

What is the Swedish grading scale?

At gymnasium level, A to F with points attached: A = 20, B = 17.5, C = 15, D = 12.5, E = 10 and F = 0. E is the lowest pass and F the only fail. The scale has applied since the 2011 reform, replacing the older IG, G, VG and MVG grades that appear on earlier transcripts.

What is a jämförelsetal?

Your gymnasium grade average: each grade's points weighted by that course's gymnasiepoäng, which are usually 50 or 100 per course. The maximum is 20.0, from straight A grades. It is the base figure Swedish university admission works from.

What is the highest meritvärde in Sweden?

22.5: a maximum jämförelsetal of 20.0 plus the full 2.5 meritpoäng. It requires straight A grades together with the qualifying language and mathematics courses, so it is rare.

What is the lowest passing grade in Sweden?

E, worth 10 points. F is the only failing grade and contributes 0. Because the gap between F and E is the whole of the pass boundary, a single F does more damage to a jämförelsetal than a single E does.

Do Swedish universities give grades?

Many give only U and G, underkänd and godkänd, fail and pass, and some add VG, väl godkänd, for a pass with distinction. Others use an A to F scale. None of these produce a national grade point average, which is why Sweden has no university GPA to calculate or convert.

What do the old Swedish grades IG, G, VG and MVG mean?

The scale used before the 2011 reform: IG icke godkänd (fail), G godkänd (pass), VG väl godkänd (pass with distinction) and MVG mycket väl godkänd (excellent). They appear on transcripts issued up to 2011 and were replaced by the A to F scale, though the two do not map onto each other one for one.

Are B and D real grades in Sweden?

Yes, but they are defined differently from A, C and E. Those three have their own written criteria; B and D are awarded when a student meets all of the criteria for the grade below and most of those for the grade above. That is why their point values, 17.5 and 12.5, sit exactly halfway.