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→Grade conversion

Convert German grades to US

From German (1.0–5.0) to US (0–4.0 GPA). Instant, free, calculated in your browser.

German students applying to US graduate schools translate their 1.0–5.0 Note into a 4.0 GPA — and the inverted scale (lower is better) trips up most calculators.

3.30
Normalized (0–1)0.82

How the German → US conversion works

Every MyCollab conversion runs through a single 0–1 normalized score so the math stays consistent across all nine systems.

German marks are inverted (1.0 is the best, 5.0 is fail). MyCollab maps them with (5.0 − note) ÷ 4.0, so 1.0 maps to 1.0 and 5.0 to 0.0.

To express the normalized score on the US 4.0 GPA scale, MyCollab multiplies by 4.0 and reports two decimals.

Worked example: a 1.7 on the German (1.0–5.0) scale normalizes to 0.82. On the US (0–4.0 GPA) scale, 0.82 corresponds to 3.30 (A− / Magna Cum Laude).

Worked example

1.7 (German)  →  3.30 (US)

Normalized score: 0.82 · A− / Magna Cum Laude

Common questions

Is this conversion accepted by US universities?+
MyCollab's conversion follows the same normalized-score approach used by services like WES, ECCTIS (UK NARIC), and Uni-Assist. Individual universities make their own final decisions, but a MyCollab conversion gives you a defensible reference point when you discuss your transcript with admissions or with a credential evaluator. Always check the target university's published admissions guidance for any institution-specific adjustments.
Do graduate programmes use a different US scale?+
Some graduate programmes apply stricter thresholds: for example, US graduate schools often expect a normalized score above 0.75 (≈ B+ / 3.3), and German master's programmes often want a 2.5 or better. MyCollab gives you the underlying conversion; programme-specific thresholds are on each university's admissions page. The /sop-checklist tool surfaces typical thresholds per country.
What about pass/fail or untranslated courses?+
Pass/fail courses on a German transcript usually do not carry a numeric grade and therefore do not participate in the GPA conversion. Most credential evaluators exclude them from the GPA calculation but still list them on the official transcript. Leave them out of the MyCollab calculator unless your target programme has a published rule for converting them.
How is the German-to-US conversion calculated?+
MyCollab normalizes the German grade onto a 0–1 scale (1.0 (best) to 5.0 (fail); 4.0 is the minimum pass), then projects that score onto the US scale (0.0–4.0 GPA with 1.0 to pass). The result is always grounded in the official published ranges — no opaque weighting, no proprietary curves. The math is explained in plain language above and exposed in the /my-grades tool.

See also

Reverse conversionUS → GermanRelated conversionGerman → DutchRelated conversionGerman → ECTSRelated conversionGerman → Italian
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