PhD Application - Transcript Converter

Because grading systems vary significantly across countries and institutions, we ask all applicants whose university’s grading scale differs from the standard German grading scale to convert their academic grades — both Bachelor’s and Master’s — into the German grading scale. This allows us to assess all applicants on a comparable basis and to determine whether minimum admission requirements, such as a final grade of 2.0 or better for Master’s programs, are met.

The majority of German universities use a scale from 1-5 to assess students’ academic performance, with 1,0 being the best and 5,0 being the worst grade, and with 4,0 or above being a passing grade. These five levels are refined with intermediate grades which differ in the decimal place.

< 1,00 exceptional (not given in all departments)
1,00 – 1,50 very good (sehr gut)
1,51 – 2,50 good (gut)
2,51 – 3,50 satisfactory (befriedigend)
3,51 – 4,00 sufficient (ausreichend)
> 4,00 deficient (mangelhaft)

Please use the so-called “Modified Bavarian Formula” to convert your grades to the German system. In order to do so, you need to know three key components of your local grading system:

Maximum grade: The highest achievable grade (e.g., 100%, 10, or 4.0).
Minimum passing grade: The lowest grade required to pass a course (e.g., 40%, 4, or 1.0).
Your obtained grades: Your actual grades in each subject.

The formula to convert your grades to the German system is:

x = German (converted) grade,
Nmax = maximum grade in foreign country's grading system,
Nmin = minimum passing grade in foreign grading system and
Nd = obtained foreign grade (to be converted into German grade).

Nmax = 10
Nmin = 5 (failed would be with grade 4)
Nd = 8

x = ((10 - 8)/(10-5)) x 3+1= ⅖ x 3+1 = 2.2

If the grading system of your university uses letter grades, you can assign a number to each letter grade in ascending order starting with 1 being assigned to the maximum grade.

If your grading system uses A+, A, B, C, D, and E (fail), you can assign numbers the following way:
A+ = 1
A = 2,
B = 3,
C = 4,
D = 5
E (fail) = 6

Nmax = A+ = 1
Nmin = D = 5
Nd = C = 4

x = ((1-4)/(1-5)) x 3 + 1 = ¾ x 3 + 1 = 3.25

In the application portal, for each degree (Bachelor's and Master's) whose grading scale differs from the standard German scale, you'll need to:

(a) enter a single converted overall/final grade,
If your university states a single official overall/final grade on your certificate or transcript, convert that number using the grade converter below — simply enter your university's maximum grade, minimum passing grade, and your stated overall grade.

If no official overall grade is stated anywhere (common for degrees in progress, where Transcript-of-Records-only documents just list course, grade, and weights such as ECTS), use the converter to convert each course grade individually and then compute an (ECTS-)weighted average of those converted grades yourself (see the John Smith example below). Enter that computed figure as the "Overall converted grade" in the application form.

(b) create and upload a converted transcript of records as a supporting document (in PDF format), with every course grade converted (see John Smith Example below).

If a university's grading scale already matches the standard German grading scale, nothing needs converting — in the converted-grade field simply enter the original overall grade again.

A grade converter is provided below to help you estimate your final grade using the modified Bavarian formula. This tool is intended as an orientation aid. If your university provides an official final weighted grade, that grade can be entered directly into the converter.
As part of your application, please upload a table in PDF format based on the John Smith example below.