The German Grading System
When you fill out your application or matriculation paperwork at a German university, you will likely notice that the grade section seems to be set up for people with absolutely abysmal GPA's, with the highest grade listed being a flat 1.0. After getting over your initial confusion, you likely had to put your grades through a conversion chart, only to (hopefully!) find out that the number was closer to 1 than that 4.0 we strive for in the U.S. system. What gives?
The German grading system is currently set out of 5 points (you can safely ignore any charts or conversion tables that are out of the old 6 point system). The highest grade is a 1.0, with intervals ranging from 1.0 to 1.3 to 1.7, then 2.0 and so on. A 4.0 is considered the lowest passing score, with no further intervals between 4.0 and 5 (a flat failing score). The point system is typically assessed as followed:
- Very Good
- Good
- Satisfactory
- Sufficient
- Insufficient
In general, as how in the U.S. letter grading system A-C should account for the majority of grades issued, 1-3 points are where the majority of people typically score. It's tempting to think of the points as converting to the direct letter grades, but the actual conversion is more nuanced, with a 2.5 score often being understood as a U.S. C, not a 3.
As far as what the grade conversion means for you as a student abroad or taking part of a complete German degree, obviously, aim for the 1. When you are filling out your paperwork, make sure to use the conversion table provided by your particular university if they provide one, and if they give the option for you to provide your U.S. grades as is, do so. If not, look for a conversion chart that accounts for the number of credits that each of your previous courses were worth, and compute your full GPA from scratch, rather than convert just the final GPA to the German point value. Doing so allows you to make sure that the correct weighting is accounted for your given courses; without it, you'll find that your converted score is lower than it should likely be, and that the percentile weighting your home institution applies to your grades will be lost.
One point of good news though about the German grading system: If you fail an exam completely (5.0), you have as much as two opportunities to retake the exam, and replace your failing score. ...This is usually not helpful for students studying abroad, but worth bearing in mind!