The Dutch grading system, used from elementary through university education, is the 1 to 10 scale given in the following table, in which 10 is the highest grade, 6 is the minimum pass, and 1 is the lowest grade. The final result will be rounded off to a whole grade (4,5 or higher is a 5; 5,5 or higher is a 6, etc.).
The grading system in the Netherlands may not be the same as what you are used to. Don’t expect to get the highest grade as it is rarely given. An 8 is a very good grade and only excellent students achieve a grade higher than 8.
Another important aspect of the Dutch grading system, that differs from systems in the US and the UK for example, is that it is a so-called 'absolute grading system'. This means that an individual's grade is sole.ly based on the test score of that individual, not on how the student did relative to other individuals who took the same test. In other words: if you get 60% of the answers in a test correct, you will get a 6 (or less, depending on the cutting score / cut-off line). Regardless of what other students scored on the same test, even if 60% is the highest score.
In so-called 'relative grading systems', which sometimes apply in the US and the UK, an individual is graded relative to others who took the same test. In such a system, if a 60% score on a test is the highest score achieved you will get the highest grade.
On a regular basis, these differences in grading systems and grading cultures in the world, lead to confusion and concerns among students. Students worry about the conversion of the grades they received in The Netherlands to the grading system in their own country, thinking that if they didn't get 10s here, they won't be able to keep up their grade point average of A's at home. This is not true however. The Dutch 10 is not necessarily the only grade that translates into an A; the translation or conversion depends on the grade distribution in the countries involved.
Grade distribution has to do with the number of times a grade is awarded on a large scale (within a study program, a faculty or even a university for the past 3-5 years), translated into a frequency percentage. To convert a grade in one system to its equivalent in another system, one then compares the percentile range of the grade.
Based on the table, an institution abroad can determine the national equivalent of the Inholland grade.
The frequencies in column 3 are based on the final grades that have been awarded within Inholland in the past 4 years (2020 – 2023). Columns 3 and 4 do not contain frequencies for insufficient grades, because the transcript of results never contains insufficient grades. ‘Frequency’ stands for the relative number of times a grade is awarded within Inholland (all programmes). For example, a 10 is hardly ever awarded (only 1,7% of the time) and a 7 is the most commonly awarded grade (41,8% of the time).
The cumulative frequency in the fourth column can be used to determine which category the person to whom the grade was awarded belongs to. This column is the most important in the conversion of grades received abroad. For instance, a foreign grade that falls into the foreign institute’s or country’s 32,4 – 72,8 cumulative category, is converted into a 7 at Inholland.
It is important that your home university knows about the grading system and culture in The Netherlands and about the true meaning of the grades. That's why Inholland sends the grade distribution table to all partner universities. It is also incorporated in every diploma supplement and is printed on your grade transcript.
| Dutch final grade | Qualitative value | Frequency at Inholland | Cumulative frequency |
| 10 | Excellent | 1,7% | 0 - 1,7 |
| 9 | Very good | 9% | 1,8 - 10,7 |
| 8 | Good | 22% | 10,8 - 32,7 |
| 7 | Satisfactory | 41,8% | 32,8 - 74,5 |
| 6 | Sufficient | 25,4% | 74,6- 100 |
| 5 - 1 | Fail | - |