The Dutch scale
Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for international education, describes the scale like this. 6 is the minimum pass, a 5.5 is sometimes enough in higher education, and grades 1 to 3 are almost never given.
| 10 | Excellent |
| 9 | Very good |
| 8 | Good |
| 7 | Very satisfactory |
| 6 | Satisfactory |
| 5 | Almost satisfactory |
| 4 | Unsatisfactory |
For UK applications
Cambridge treats a Dutch bachelor's average of 7.5 as a 2:1, 7.75 as a high 2:1 and 8 as a First.
For the US
Because 9 and 10 are so rare, Dutch averages read low when simply scaled to 4.0. US evaluators convert course by course, so report the Dutch average with its scale rather than a scaled number.
Questions
Is a 7 good in the Netherlands?
Yes. 7 is “very satisfactory” and a typical solid average. Averages of 8 and above are uncommon.
Sources
- Nuffic, grading systems in the Netherlands: www.nuffic.nl/en/education-systems/the-netherlands/grading-systems (checked 2026-11-06)
- University of Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions, International qualifications: www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/international-qualifications (checked 2026-11-06)
- KMK, agreement on the overall grade of foreign university entrance qualifications (12 September 2013), modified Bavarian formula: www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/ZAB/Hochschulzugang_Beschluesse_der_KMK/GesNot05.pdf (checked 2026-11-06)