Finnish grading system
In Finland, university grades run from 5 (best) to 0, and 1 is the lowest pass. School grades: 4 to 10, lowest pass 5. Matriculation examination grades: L to I, lowest pass A.
Example · Credit-weighted average of 3 courses
Between 4 and 5
kiitettävä (very good) or erinomainen (excellent): your institution’s rule on rounding decides which grade goes on your record. 1 is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits.
Wikipedia’s US table gives letters, not points, so it cannot average these grades: check them one at a time.
University grades: 0 to 5
Courses at Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences.
| Grade | On the transcript | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | erinomainen | excellent | Pass |
| 4 | kiitettävä | very good | Pass |
| 3 | hyvä | good | Pass |
| 2 | tyydyttävä | satisfactory | Pass |
| 1 | välttävä | pass | Pass |
| 0 | hylätty | fail | Fail |
School grades: 4 to 10
Comprehensive school and upper secondary school (lukio) courses and certificates.
| Grade | On the transcript | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | erinomainen | excellent | Pass |
| 9 | kiitettävä | very good | Pass |
| 8 | hyvä | good | Pass |
| 7 | tyydyttävä | satisfactory | Pass |
| 6 | kohtalainen | fair | Pass |
| 5 | välttävä | passable | Pass |
| 4 | hylätty | fail | Fail |
Matriculation examination grades: L to I
The national matriculation examination at the end of upper secondary school. The grades are set on a curve: about the top 5% of candidates receive L.
| Grade | On the transcript | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | laudatur | outstanding | Pass |
| E | eximia cum laude approbatur | excellent | Pass |
| M | magna cum laude approbatur | very good | Pass |
| C | cum laude approbatur | good | Pass |
| B | lubenter approbatur | satisfactory | Pass |
| A | approbatur | pass | Pass |
| I | improbatur | fail | Fail |
Finnish grades in US terms
Wikipedia’s table reads the university grades on the US scale as below. It is one convention, not a rule: each US university, or the credential evaluation service it names, makes its own conversion, so the school you apply to decides what your grades are worth. Wikipedia takes this column from a grade conversion guide of RWTH Aachen University.
| Finnish grade | US letter |
|---|---|
| 5 | A |
| 4 | B+ |
| 3 | B− |
| 2 | C− |
| 1 | D |
| 0 | F |
What to know about grades in Finland
- Finnish universities grade strictly: an average above 4.0 is rare, and many students fail an exam or pass it with a 1.
- Passing a university exam usually takes about half of the maximum points.
- Before autumn 2005 universities used a scale from 0 to 3, which still appears on older certificates.
- Single school exams can use half and quarter grades such as 9½ or 10−, but final grades are whole numbers.
- Master's theses are graded either 0 to 5 or with the Latin grades of the matriculation examination.
Sources: Wikipedia, Academic grading in Finland; Wikipedia, Grading systems by country (Finland).