Austrian grading system
In Austria, grades run from 1 (best) to 5, and 4 is the lowest pass.
Example · Weighted average of 3 courses
Between 1 and 2
Gut (good) or Sehr gut (very good): your school’s or university’s rules decide which grade goes on your record. 4 is the lowest pass.
3 courses, weights adding up to 15.
Grades: 1 (best) to 5
Schools, the Matura and universities across Austria. Grades are whole numbers; an average is worked out only for overall results such as a distinction.
| Grade | On the transcript | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sehr gut | very good | Pass |
| 2 | Gut | good | Pass |
| 3 | Befriedigend | satisfactory | Pass |
| 4 | Genügend | sufficient | Pass |
| 5 | Nicht genügend | fail | Fail |
Austrian grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Austrian grades: we found no table for them on Wikipedia or from an official source, and we do not make one up. A US university reads a foreign transcript itself or through the credential evaluation service it names, and its conversion is the one that counts.
Send your grades as they are, with the scale above. When a form asks for your average, give it on your own scale and say which scale it is: the converter’s average does exactly that, weighted by credits when you enter them.
What to know about grades in Austria
- Grade 5 (Nicht genügend) is the only failing grade; 4 (Genügend) is enough to pass a course.
- Austrian universities have no formal definition of the grades, so each instructor announces in advance how a course is graded.
- An overall result can be awarded mit ausgezeichnetem Erfolg (with distinction) for an average of 1.5 or better with no grade below 3.
- Graduates who earn distinction in the Matura and in every degree up to the doctorate, within the regular study time, can receive the doctorate sub auspiciis, Austria's highest academic honour.
- A cumulative grade point average is not normally used in Austria.
Sources: Wikipedia, Academic grading in Austria; Wikipedia, Grading systems by country (Austria).