ECTS Grading System

The grading system is a key issue in the academic recognition process for students participating in international mobility programmes. Grading scales vary according to host countries and institutions which increases the difficulty and complexity levels of the equivalence process.

Therefore, having in mind the different grading systems in Europe, a grading scale was developed in the fromework of ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) to make the comparison between different national scales easier and the assessment process more transparent.

The ECTS grading scale allows the qualitative assessment of students' performance in the subjects attended at the host institution.

At the first level, this grading system divides students into two separate groups: pass and fail; and afterwards, those obtaining passing grades are divided into five subgroups. An ECTS grade is allocated to each subgroup.

The ECTS grade aims at providing additional information regarding the student's achievements in a specific subject. It is based on the rank of a student in a given assessment that is how he/she performed relative to other students in the same class (or in a significant group of students).

ECTS grade does not intend to replace the local grade but to provide qualitative information about the student's academic performance. Therefore, it consists of a relative grade that can be presented as following:

Inbound students in the framework of a mobility programme take home 'the institutional' numeric grade obtained as well as a letter code, which is the interpretation that grade according to the ECTS grading scale (for further information see Education and exam regulations). Transcript of records of inbound exchange students do not mention any qualitative appreciation.