What is the passing grade in the Netherlands?

5.5 is the universal passing mark on the Dutch 1–10 scale (grades are typically rounded so a 5.5 rounds up from 5.45). Below 5.5 is a fail, and grades of 9 or 10 are exceptionally rare.

Why are Dutch grades so low on average?

Dutch markers reserve 9 and 10 for near-perfect work, so a 7 (ruim voldoende) is a good grade and an 8 is very good. A naive 'multiply by 10 for a percentage' badly understates a Dutch transcript.

How does a Dutch 8 convert to US GPA?

An 8.0 (very good) typically maps to roughly a 3.7–4.0 US GPA. Because Dutch scoring is strict, equivalent US grades are higher than the raw number suggests.

How is the average weighted?

Your average is weighted by ECTS credits: average = Σ(grade × credits) / Σ(credits). A grade in a 15-ECTS thesis counts more than the same grade in a 5-ECTS elective.

What ECTS grade corresponds to my mark?

ECTS grades depend on cohort rank, but this tool gives an approximate band. An 8.5+ is roughly ECTS A, a 7–8 is B–C, and a bare 5.5 pass is around D–E.

Dutch Grade Converter (1–10 Scale)

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Convert Dutch 1–10 grades to a weighted average, US GPA, and ECTS

Dutch universities grade on a 1 to 10 scale where 5.5 is the pass mark and grades of 9 or 10 are almost never awarded. Because top marks are so rare, a Dutch transcript looks deceptively low to outsiders, and “multiply by 10 for a percentage” misrepresents it. This tool computes your ECTS-credit-weighted average and maps it onto a US 4.0 GPA and ECTS band using standard admissions equivalences.

How it works

Your weighted average across all courses is:

Average = Σ(grade × ECTS credits) / Σ(ECTS credits)

That Dutch average is then mapped onto the US 4.0 scale with bands that reflect strict Dutch marking — for example, an 8.0 (goed, very good) corresponds to about a 3.7–4.0 US GPA, not the 80% a naive scaling would imply. The tool also reports an approximate ECTS grade.

For example, two courses — an 8 worth 15 ECTS and a 6 worth 5 ECTS — give (8×15 + 6×5)/(15+5) = (120 + 30)/20 = 7.5 (ruim voldoende), roughly a 3.3 US GPA.

Tips and notes

Always weight by ECTS credits, since Dutch programmes mix large theses with small electives.
5.5 is the passing line; many institutions round to one decimal, so a 5.45 may round up to a pass.
A Dutch 9 or 10 is genuinely outstanding and reliably maps to a US 4.0 and a UK First.
ECTS letter grades officially depend on cohort rank; the band shown here is a numeric approximation.