The Dutch grading system: how we grade
This is what your grades at AUAS mean - consistent with education throughout the Netherlands.
The same grading is used all through the Netherlands education system - from school to the end of university. Grades are awarded on a scale from 1 to 10.
5.5 is considered a pass. 10 is for outstanding, brilliant work. Here's how each grade relates to different levels of work.
Official Dutch grading scheme
| 10 | Excellent |
| 9 | Very good |
| 8 | Good |
| 7 | More than satisfactory |
| 6 | Satisfactory |
| 5 | Almost satisfactory |
| 4 | Unsatisfactory |
| 3 | Very unsatisfactory |
| 2 | Poor |
| 1 | Very poor |
Transferring your grades within the EU and abroad (ECTS)
Each module that you study at AUAS is worth a certain number of ECTS credits. ECTS stands for 'European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System', and was developed by the European Commission to promote student mobility.
All our courses are recognised by ECTS. This makes them interchangeable with other courses around Europe so it's easier for you to transfer universities or go on exchanges. As an established system, ECTS are also understood and recognised by universities around the world.
How ECTS works and our scores
The ECTS is based on the complete workload for the average student, including lecture attendance, practical work, personal study time and exam revisions. In the ECTS, one credit represents 25-30 hours of work, and the standard workload for one year is 60 credits. The AUAS offers four-year Bachelor's programmes (240 ECTS) as well as Master's programmes (60 or 90 ECTS).
The ECTS is based on the complete workload for the average student, including lecture attendance, practical work, personal study time and exam revisions. In the ECTS, one credit represents 25-30 hours of work, and the standard workload for one year is 60 credits.
Courses at AUAS receive the following ECTS scores:
- Four-year Bachelor's programmes - 240 ECTS
- Two-Master's programmes - 60 or 90 ECTS
These ECTS scores are noted on each course study page.
You can find more about ECTS in the EU study guide.
ECTS Grading Table
Different study programmes award grades in various ways. To make these grades more transparent, the ECTS Grading Table has been introduced. This makes it easier for transferring and exchange students to convert their grades more easily, as well as provide for greater grade consistency across Europe.
The grading table divides students into proportions who attain a particular grade and compares them with the average of the previous three years. The table below shows how these distributions are calculated.
| AUAS grades | Total number awarded in reference group | Grading percentages* |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 11,486 | 1% |
| 9 | 70,849 | 6% |
| 8 | 272,213 | 23% |
| 7 | 459,434 | 40% |
| 6 | 353,276 | 30% |
| Total | 1,167,258 | 100% |