Short answer: There is no official German-grade-to-percentage table. German universities convert into their 1.0 to 4.0 scale with the modified Bavarian formula, and the reverse depends on which scale you started from. On a 100-point scale with a 50% pass mark, a German 1.0 is 100%, 2.0 is about 83%, 3.0 is about 67% and 4.0 is 50%. The exam key used inside German universities is steeper: 1.0 starts at 95%, 2.0 at 80%, and 4.0 at 50%.

Search for "2.0 german grade to percentage" and you get five different answers. That is because two different questions hide behind the same words: what a German student needs on an exam to be given a 2.0, and what your own 75% turns into when a German university reads your transcript. This guide answers both, and tells you which one matters for your application.

The German scale, briefly

German grades run from 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (lowest pass). A 5.0 is a fail. Lower is better, which trips up everyone coming from a percentage or CGPA system. Individual exams are usually graded in fixed steps: 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, 2.7, 3.0, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0. Final degree grades are averages, so they land on any decimal, like 1.8 or 2.4.

The word grades that go with the numbers:

• 1.0 to 1.5: sehr gut (very good)
• 1.6 to 2.5: gut (good)
• 2.6 to 3.5: befriedigend (satisfactory)
• 3.6 to 4.0: ausreichend (sufficient, a pass)
• above 4.0: nicht bestanden (fail)

German grade to percentage (formula-based)

This is the table most people are looking for. It runs the modified Bavarian formula backwards on a 100-point scale where 50% is the pass mark, which is how most Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi transcripts are read. If your university's pass mark is 40%, the numbers shift down a little at the bottom of the table and stay the same at the top.

• 1.0 = 100%
• 1.3 = 95%
• 1.6 = 90%
• 1.7 = 88%
• 1.8 = 87%
• 2.0 = 83%
• 2.2 = 80%
• 2.3 = 78%
• 2.5 = 75%
• 2.7 = 72%
• 3.0 = 67%
• 3.3 = 62%
• 3.7 = 55%
• 4.0 = 50%

For any grade in between, the arithmetic is: percentage = 100 - (German grade - 1) x 16.7. A 2.4, for example, is 100 - 1.4 x 16.7 = 76.6%.

The exam key German universities use internally

If you are already studying in Germany and want to know what score gets you which grade on an exam, the answer is a Notenschlussel set by each faculty. The most common one is steeper than the formula above: you need 95% for a 1.0, not 100%.

• 95 to 100% = 1.0
• 90 to 94% = 1.3
• 85 to 89% = 1.7
• 80 to 84% = 2.0
• 75 to 79% = 2.3
• 70 to 74% = 2.7
• 65 to 69% = 3.0
• 60 to 64% = 3.3
• 55 to 59% = 3.7
• 50 to 54% = 4.0
• below 50% = 5.0

Some faculties start the 4.0 at 45%, a few engineering departments at 60%. Your module handbook or Prufungsordnung has the exact key. Do not use this table to read a foreign transcript; it describes German exams, not yours.

German grade to GPA (US 4.0 scale)

There is no formula here either, only conventions. Credential evaluators in the US mostly map by band: sehr gut (1.0 to 1.5) becomes an A, gut (1.6 to 2.5) a B, befriedigend (2.6 to 3.5) a C, and ausreichend (3.6 to 4.0) a D. The quick mental version many people use is GPA = 5 minus the German grade, so a 1.7 is roughly a 3.3 and a 2.3 roughly a 2.7. Treat that as a rule of thumb, not a document you can submit.

The direction that decides your application: your grade into German

When a German program says "minimum grade 2.5", the university will convert your transcript, not the other way round. The modified Bavarian formula is: German grade = 1 + 3 x (Nmax - your grade) / (Nmax - Nmin), where Nmax is the best possible grade on your scale and Nmin the lowest pass.

Worked examples on the two scales Pakistani students bring:

• CGPA 3.5 out of 4.0 (pass 2.0): 1 + 3 x 0.5 / 2 = 1.75
• CGPA 3.0 out of 4.0: 1 + 3 x 1.0 / 2 = 2.5
• CGPA 2.5 out of 4.0: 1 + 3 x 1.5 / 2 = 3.25
• 85% (pass 50%): 1 + 3 x 15 / 50 = 1.9
• 75% (pass 50%): 1 + 3 x 25 / 50 = 2.5
• 65% (pass 50%): 1 + 3 x 35 / 50 = 3.1

So a "minimum 2.5" program wants roughly a 3.0 CGPA or a 75% average. The free German grade calculator does this for any scale without an account, and the Pakistani CGPA conversion guide goes into what universities do with the result.

Which number is the real one

The one on your evaluation. If a university uses Uni-Assist, the VPD states your converted German grade and that is the figure admissions will use. Universities that evaluate in-house apply the same formula but may pick a different Nmin for your country, which can move the result by a tenth or two. Every table on this page, including ours, is for planning your shortlist. None of them is a certificate.

Frequently asked questions