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German grade to GPA converter

Convert a German grade (1.0 to 5.0) to a US GPA and letter grade, or a US GPA to a German grade with the modified Bavarian formula used by German universities. With a full conversion table.

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1.0 is the best grade, 4.0 the lowest pass.

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US GPA2.7
Letter gradeB−
German grade2.3

German grade to GPA conversion table

show
German gradeUS letterUS GPAMeaning
1.0A4.0very good (sehr gut)
1.3A−3.7
1.7B+3.3
2.0B3.0good (gut)
2.3B−2.7
2.7C+2.3
3.0C2.0satisfactory (befriedigend)
3.3C−1.7
3.7D+1.3
4.0D1.0sufficient (ausreichend)
5.0F0.0failed (nicht ausreichend)

Goethe University Frankfurt conversion table; it is “a general guideline and is not legally binding”. Not every university uses all intermediate grades.

German grades run the other way from US ones: 1.0 is the best and 4.0 the lowest pass, and anything worse is a fail. To compare them with a US GPA on the 4.0 scale, German universities use the modified Bavarian formula, agreed by the Kultusministerkonferenz (the conference of education ministers) in 2013, which turns a grade from any scale into a German one.

How it is converted

  • Modified Bavarian formula: German grade = 1 + 3 × (best grade − your grade) ÷ (best grade − lowest pass).
  • For the US scale the best grade is 4.0 and the lowest pass is 1.0 (D), so the formula becomes German grade = 5 − GPA, and in the other direction GPA = 5 − German grade.
  • This matches the conversion table published by Goethe University Frankfurt step by step: 1.0 = A (4.0), 2.0 = B (3.0), 3.0 = C (2.0), 4.0 = D (1.0).

Example

A German 2.3 is 5 − 2.3 = 2.7 on the US scale, a B−. The other way, a US GPA of 3.3 (B+) is 1 + 3 × (4.0 − 3.3) ÷ 3 = 1.7 in Germany. To work out a GPA from several US courses first, use the GPA calculator.

Not every institution agrees

The formula is official for converting foreign grades into German ones. In the other direction there is no single rule: the University of Washington Graduate School, for example, reads German grades of 1.0 to 2.5 as an A. Universities may also round the result differently. For an application, the receiving university decides.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 4.0 GPA in German grades?

A 1.0, the best German grade (sehr gut, very good).

What is a 2.0 GPA in Germany?

A 3.0, which is befriedigend (satisfactory). By the modified Bavarian formula: 1 + 3 × (4.0 − 2.0) ÷ 3 = 3.0.

What is a 3.0 GPA in Germany?

A 2.0, which is gut (good).

Is 2.7 a bad grade in Germany?

No. 2.7 is a pass, between gut (2.0) and befriedigend (3.0). On the US scale it is about 2.3, a C+.

Sources

  1. TUM: Umrechnung ausländischer Noten mit der modifizierten Bayerischen Formel (2020)
  2. Heidelberg University: Modified Bavarian formula (KMK resolution of 12 September 2013)
  3. Goethe University Frankfurt: Grade conversion table for grades from the US grading system
  4. University of Washington Graduate School: Computing grade point averages for international applicants

By Calcelate Team. Formula from the sources above.

  1. 2026-10-06 · Formula and texts checked