Free tool
German Grade Converter
100 and 50 are the defaults uni-assist uses when a transcript doesn't state otherwise. If your university publishes its own maximum or pass mark, use those instead — the formula only works off the scale's real bounds.
1 + 3 × (100 − 75) / (100 − 50) = 2.50
Quick answers
What is 70% in the German grading system?
A 70% score converts to a 2.8 German grade: 1 + 3 × (100 − 70) / (100 − 50) = 2.80, rounded to 2.8. That's "Befriedigend" (satisfactory), and lands around a 3.0 US GPA on the approximation table below. 100 and 50 are uni-assist's default maximum and pass mark — use your transcript's own numbers if they differ.
What is a 3.5 GPA in the German system?
A 3.5 GPA on the US 4.0 scale is a 1.8 German grade: 1 + 3 × (4 − 3.5) / (4 − 2) = 1.75. That's "Gut" (good) — most German master's programmes admit comfortably in this range. The formula assumes 2.0 as the passing GPA floor, which is what most US transcripts treat as the minimum for a degree to be conferred.
What is an 8.5 CGPA in the German system?
Against the default 10/4 bounds, an 8.5 CGPA is a 1.8 German grade — "Gut." But if your university's topper scored 9.2 and your evaluation uses that as Nmax instead of 10, the same 8.5 works out to 1.4 — still "Sehr gut," but a visibly different number. Check whether your uni-assist evaluation or target university states a topper's CGPA before assuming 10 is Nmax.
What is a 2.3 German grade in US GPA?
A 2.3 German grade ("Gut," good) is approximately a 3.3 US GPA on the common approximation table. This is a published rule of thumb, not a formula either side officially endorses — a US school or evaluator that needs your German grade converted will usually apply the Modified Bavarian Formula to their own scale, not read this table.
Reference
Percentage to German grade (Nmax 100 / Nmin 50)
The uni-assist defaults. If your university states a different maximum or pass mark, use the calculator above with your own numbers instead of this table.
| Percentage | German grade | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | 1.0 | Sehr gut |
| 95% | 1.3 | Sehr gut |
| 90% | 1.6 | Gut |
| 85% | 1.9 | Gut |
| 80% | 2.2 | Gut |
| 75% | 2.5 | Gut |
| 70% | 2.8 | Befriedigend |
| 65% | 3.1 | Befriedigend |
| 60% | 3.4 | Befriedigend |
| 55% | 3.7 | Ausreichend |
| 50% | 4.0 | Ausreichend |
US 4.0 GPA to German grade (Nmax 4.0 / Nmin 2.0)
4.0 and 2.0 are fixed here — the US 4.0 scale's own best and passing grades don't vary by institution the way a percentage or CGPA scale can.
| US GPA | German grade | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 4.00 | 1.0 | Sehr gut |
| 3.75 | 1.4 | Sehr gut |
| 3.50 | 1.8 | Gut |
| 3.25 | 2.1 | Gut |
| 3.00 | 2.5 | Gut |
| 2.75 | 2.9 | Befriedigend |
| 2.50 | 3.3 | Befriedigend |
| 2.25 | 3.6 | Ausreichend |
| 2.00 | 4.0 | Ausreichend |
10-point CGPA to German grade (Nmax 10 / Nmin 4)
The default assumes a flat 10 as the ceiling. If your university's evaluation uses the topper's CGPA instead — common under relative grading — swap it in above; a lower Nmax pulls every result toward a better (lower) German grade.
| CGPA (10) | German grade | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | 1.0 | Sehr gut |
| 9.5 | 1.3 | Sehr gut |
| 9.0 | 1.5 | Sehr gut |
| 8.5 | 1.8 | Gut |
| 8.0 | 2.0 | Gut |
| 7.5 | 2.3 | Gut |
| 7.0 | 2.5 | Gut |
| 6.5 | 2.8 | Befriedigend |
| 6.0 | 3.0 | Befriedigend |
| 5.5 | 3.3 | Befriedigend |
| 5.0 | 3.5 | Befriedigend |
| 4.5 | 3.8 | Ausreichend |
| 4.0 | 4.0 | Ausreichend |
German grade to US GPA (common approximation)
A published rule of thumb, not a formula either side officially applies — a US school converting a German transcript typically runs the Modified Bavarian Formula against its own scale instead of reading this table.
| German grade | US GPA | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0–1.5 | 4.0 | Sehr gut |
| 1.6–2.0 | 3.7 | Gut |
| 2.1–2.5 | 3.3 | Gut |
| 2.6–3.0 | 3.0 | Befriedigend |
| 3.1–3.5 | 2.7 | Befriedigend |
| 3.6–4.0 | 2.0 | Ausreichend |
How the Modified Bavarian Formula works
germanGrade = 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) / (Nmax − Nmin)
Nd = the grade being converted
Nmax = the best possible (or highest achieved) grade on that scale
Nmin = the minimum passing grade on that scale
The result always lands on 1.0 when Nd equals Nmax, and 4.0 exactly at Nmin — anything below Nmin pushes the German grade past 4.0, which reads as a fail. The formula is linear, so the same ratio applies at every point on the scale, and there's no rounding curve or distinction bonus built in.
uni-assist and German universities apply this formula to your transcript's own official maximum and minimum, which is why Nmax and Nmin are separate inputs here rather than fixed constants — the "same" percentage or CGPA can convert to a different German grade depending on what your institution states as its ceiling and pass mark.
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