Swiss Grade to US GPA Calculator
Turn a Swiss grade, or your credit-weighted Notendurchschnitt / moyenne, into an approximate US 4.0 GPA. The Swiss scale runs upwards: 6 is the top mark and 4 is the lowest pass. That is the reverse of the German scale next door.
Swiss grade or average to US GPA
Good (bien)
Swiss grades run upwards: 6 is the best and 4.0 the lowest pass. US GPA is shown as grade − 2, the line through the values Michigan State, UW and NAIA publish (6 = 4.0, 5 = 3.0, 4 = 2.0). It is an estimate. No Swiss body publishes an official US conversion.
Conversions are approximate. For official applications, use a NACES evaluator such as WES.
Swiss grade, meaning and US GPA
Descriptors are EPFL’s. The third column is what the converter above shows. The last column is Michigan State University’s published table for University of Zurich grades, which rounds quarter grades up, so the two columns differ only on quarter grades.
| Swiss grade | Meaning (EPFL) | US GPA (grade − 2) | Michigan State table |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.00 | Excellent | 4.00 | 4.0 (A) |
| 5.75 | Excellent | 3.75 | 4.0 (A) |
| 5.50 | Très bien (very good) | 3.50 | 3.5 (A−) |
| 5.25 | Très bien (very good) | 3.25 | 3.5 (A−) |
| 5.00 | Bien (good) | 3.00 | 3.0 (B) |
| 4.75 | Bien (good) | 2.75 | 3.0 (B) |
| 4.50 | Satisfaisant (satisfactory) | 2.50 | 2.5 (B−) |
| 4.25 | Satisfaisant (satisfactory) | 2.25 | 2.5 (B−) |
| 4.00 | Passable: lowest pass | 2.00 | 2.0 (C) |
| Below 4.00 | Insuffisant: fail | 0.00 | 3.5 = 1.0 (D); 3.0 and below = 0.0 (F) |
Conversion formulas
- Credit-weighted average (Notendurchschnitt / moyenne / media): Average = Σ(grade × ECTS credits) ÷ Σ(ECTS credits), counting only courses with a numerical grade. EPFL’s study ordinance fixes each course grade to the quarter point and each average to the hundredth. Example: 5.5 in an 8-credit course, 4.75 in a 6-credit course and 5.25 in a 4-credit course give (44 + 28.5 + 21) ÷ 18 = 5.19. A 3-credit pass/fail seminar stays out of the sum.
- Swiss grade → US GPA (estimate): US GPA ≈ Swiss grade − 2 for passing grades (4.0–6.0). Below 4.0 is a fail and scores 0. The 5.19 average above becomes about 3.19. This is the straight line through the values US institutions publish (6 = 4.0, 5 = 3.0, 4 = 2.0), not an official Swiss formula.
Swiss universities share a scale but not the details
Every Swiss university puts the pass line at 4 and the top at 6. The details still differ. ETH Zurich grades from 6.0 to 1.0 in quarter steps. EPFL grades from 1.00 to 6.00 and records anything lower as NA. The University of Geneva’s scale starts at 0. The words attached to a grade differ too. EPFL calls a 5 bien (good) and keeps excellent for 5.75 and 6. Geneva puts a 5.00 in ECTS band B, “very good”, and counts everything from 5.25 upwards as “excellent”.
The rule that surprises applicants most is compensation. At ETH, and in an EPFL bloc, the courses in a block are averaged with their weights. If that average reaches 4.0, the block is passed and every credit in it is awarded, even with a 3.75 inside. An EPFL groupe allows no compensation. A transcript can therefore show credits beside a grade below 4. A US evaluator who converts course by course will still read that grade as a fail or a D.
Why the same transcript can come out as 3.19, 3.33 or 3.44
No Swiss authority publishes a formula for the US scale, so the number depends on who converts. Take three courses: 5.5 (8 ECTS), 4.75 (6 ECTS) and 5.25 (4 ECTS). The Swiss average is 5.19.
- Straight line (this page): 5.19 − 2 = 3.19.
- Michigan State’s table, course by course: 5.5 → 3.5, 4.75 → 3.0, 5.25 → 3.5, which averages to 3.33, because quarter grades round up.
- University of Washington bands: 5.5 → A (4.0), 4.75 and 5.25 → B (3.0), which averages to 3.44.
All three are defensible, and the gap is largest for students with many 5.5s and quarter grades. Quote your Swiss average and the scale (“5.19 on a 1–6 scale, 4.0 to pass”) wherever a form allows it. If a US programme asks for a WES or ECE evaluation, that report replaces any figure you work out yourself.
Matura grades follow different rules
The gymnasial Matura (Maturität, maturité gymnasiale) uses the same 1–6 range but only whole and half grades. A grade below 4 does not fail you on its own. You pass if twice the total shortfall below 4 is no greater than the total of points above 4, and if no more than four grades are below 4. A 3.5 therefore has to be offset by a full point elsewhere, for example a 5 in another subject. The cantons run assessment, and the federal and EDK Matura rules were re-issued in 2023, so check your own school’s regulations for the version that applies to your year.
For US undergraduate applications, the NAIA Eligibility Center converts each grade on the Matura certificate separately: 6 (sehr gut / très bien) = A, 5 (gut / bien) = B, 4 (genügend / suffisant) = C. The certificate carries no credits, so in practice each subject counts equally.
Where these figures come from
- ETH Zurich — degrees, credits and grading system (6.0 to 1.0 in quarter grades, pass at 4.0, weighted block averages)
- EPFL — Ordonnance sur le contrôle des études (RS 414.132.2), Art. 6 and 8: quarter-point grades, credit-weighted averages to the hundredth
- EPFL — Règlement général sur l’évaluation (meaning of each grade from 1 to 6)
- Université de Genève — Memento 0386, grading scale (0 to 6.00, pass at 4.00, ECTS letters)
- Michigan State University, Office for Education Abroad — University of Zurich grade conversion to the 4.0 scale
- University of Washington Graduate School — Computing grade point averages (Switzerland, 1–6 scale)
- NAIA Eligibility Center — Switzerland published standards (Matura grades to US grades)
- University of St. Gallen, Admissions — conversion of foreign grades into the Swiss scale
- Eurydice (European Commission) — assessment and pass rules for the gymnasial Matura
Swiss universities publish their own grading rules, but none of them publishes a conversion to the US scale. The US figures come from three US institutions that state one: Michigan State’s table for University of Zurich grades (half grades come out at exactly grade − 2), the University of Washington Graduate School (5.5–6 = A, 4.5–5.4 = B, 4–4.4 = C) and the NAIA Eligibility Center for Matura grades (6 = A, 5 = B, 4 = C). They agree at whole grades and differ at 5.5 and on quarter grades, so read any single number as an estimate. The St. Gallen table converts foreign grades into the Swiss scale and should not be read backwards.
Conversions are approximate by nature. For official admissions, use a NACES credential evaluator such as WES and confirm with your institution.
Switzerland conversion FAQ
What is a 5.5 Swiss grade in GPA?
About 3.5. Michigan State’s published table puts both 5.5 and 5.25 at 3.5 (A−). The University of Washington Graduate School places 5.5–6 in its A band, so some US readers will count a 5.5 as a 4.0.
What is a 5 in Switzerland in US GPA?
A 3.0, a B. Every US source we checked agrees on this one. In Switzerland a 5 is described as bien (good) at EPFL and falls in ECTS band B, “very good”, at the University of Geneva.
Is 4 a passing grade in Switzerland?
Yes. 4.0 is the lowest pass at ETH, EPFL, the University of Zurich and the University of Geneva, and in the Matura. In US terms a 4.0 is a C, or 2.0. Anything below 4 is insufficient, though a block or Matura average can sometimes make up for a single low grade.
How do I calculate my Swiss grade average?
Multiply each numerically graded course by its ECTS credits, add the results, and divide by the credits of those courses. Leave out pass/fail courses. For example, (5.5 × 8 + 4.75 × 6 + 5.25 × 4) ÷ 18 = 5.19. EPFL fixes averages to two decimals.
Is a Swiss 6 the same as a German 1.0?
Both are top marks, but the scales run in opposite directions. In Switzerland 6 is best and 4 is the lowest pass. In Germany 1.0 is best and 4.0 is the lowest pass. The St. Gallen admissions table treats a German 2.0 as a Swiss 5.0.
Why does my Swiss university convert grades differently?
Because it converts the other way: foreign grades into Swiss ones. St. Gallen’s admissions table counts a US 3.50 as a Swiss 5.0 and a US 1.70 as a 4.0. The University of Zurich converts exchange grades with a modified Bavarian formula rounded to the nearest half grade. Those tables decide how foreign grades count in Switzerland. For a US application, the US school’s own conversion is the one that counts.
Grade conversion for other countries
Converting a transcript from somewhere else? These pages use each country's own grading scale.