ECTS and German university grades

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) was developed by the European Commission to ensure a common method of academic accreditation for international study. The ECTS allows academic achievement to be measured, compared and transferred between universities.

Students can achieve 60 ECTS credits in the academic year and usually study 30 credits per semester. Please note that no special courses are held for the sake of ECTS credits but that all courses are regular courses of the participating institutions and are attended by regular students according to the normal regulations. Credits are only awarded if the course has been completed and all course achievements and examinations have been passed in accordance with the examination regulations.

If you have completed the programme agreed upon by your home university and your host university, the credits achieved shall be transferred. You can then return to your degree programme at your home university without having lost time or credits. Credits are transferred via the transcript of records and students are awarded grades according to the ECTS grade scale and the local grade scale.

German university grades

Grades at FAU are generally graded as follows; however the grades awarded for a specific degree programme may differ in the examination regulations for a specific degree programme:

Grade	Text	Explanation
1	Sehr gut (excellent)	an outstanding achievement
2	Gut (good)	an achievement that exceeds the average requirements considerably
3	Befriedigend (satisfactory)	an achievement that fulfils average requirements
4	Ausreichend (sufficient)	an achievement that fulfils the requirements despite flaws
5	Nicht ausreichend (unsatisfactory)	an achievement that does not fulfil requirements due to major flaws

The examination regulations can specify whether the grades can be increased or decreased by 0.3 to indicate varying performance.

Grade	Text	Declaration
1.0	sehr gut (excellent)	pass
1.3	Sehr gut (very good) –	pass
1.7	Gut (good) +	pass
2.0	gut (good)	pass
2.3	Gut (good) –	pass
2.7	Befriedigend (satisfactory) +	pass
3.0	Befriedigend (satisfactory)	pass
3.3	Befriedigend (satisfactory) –	pass
3.7	Ausreichend (sufficient) +	pass
4.0	Ausreichend (sufficient)	pass
4.3	Nicht ausreichend (unsatisfactory)	Nicht bestanden (fail)
4.7	Nicht ausreichend (unsatisfactory)	Nicht bestanden (fail)
5	Nicht ausreichend (unsatisfactory)	Nicht bestanden (fail)

Some modules only require regular attendance rather than an examination. These are awarded the grade ‘TN = Teilnahme’ which means the student has participated in the module and passed. If you do not complete an examination required by a module, credits cannot be awarded, despite regular attendance.

Below is a rough guide to how German grades correspond to grades awarded by universities in the USA:

(1.0) – outstanding, rarely achieved (A+)
(1.3) – very good (A)
(1.7 to 2.3) – good, seen as a relatively good result (A- to B)
(2.7 to 3.3) – satisfactory (B- to C)
(3.7 to 4.0) – sufficient (D)
(5.0) – fail, no certificate issued (F)

Below is a rough guide to how points awarded in law and related subjects correspond to grades:

Points	0	1–3	4–6	7–9	10–12	13–15	16–18
German designation	ungenügend: eine völlig unbrauchbare Leistung	mangelhaft: eine an erheblichen Mängeln leidende, im ganzen nicht mehr brauchbare Leistung	ausreichend: eine Leistung, die trotz ihrer Mängel durchschnittlichen Anforderungen noch entspricht	befriedigend: eine Leistung, die in jeder Hinsicht durchschnittlichen Anforderungen entspricht	vollbefriedigend: eine über den durchschnittlichen Anforderungen liegende Leistung	gut: eine erheblich über den durchschnittlichen Anforderungen liegende Leistung	sehr gut: eine besonders hervorragende Leistung
English equivalent	fail	fail	satisfactory	good	very good	excellent	excellent
French equivalent	insuffisant	insuffisant	passable	satisfaisant	très satisfaisant	bien	très bien