GPA Calculator for Swiss Universities

Swiss universities use a 1–6 grade scale where 6 is excellent and 4 is the minimum pass mark — opposite to the German system. ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich both use this scale. Half-grades (4.5, 5.0, 5.5) are common.

The Swiss scale rewards exceptional performance with the rare 6.0; a 5.5 average is considered very strong, and 4.0–5.0 is solid passing. Marks below 4.0 fail.

Grading Systems Used in Switzerland

Swiss 1–6 scale (ETH Zurich, University of Zurich)

6 — Sehr gut / excellent (rare)
5.5 — Gut bis sehr gut / very good
5 — Gut / good
4.5 — Befriedigend bis gut / satisfactory to good
4 — Genügend / sufficient (minimum pass)
3.5 and below — Ungenügend / fail

Switzerland University GPA Calculators

2 calculators available for Switzerland universities. Each uses the official grading scale published by the institution.

Honours, Admissions & What the GPA Means

ETH master’s admission and research positions

ETH master’s: bachelor’s average ≥ 5.0 minimum; 5.5+ for competitive programmes. International applicants typically require “equivalent of a 5.5” on home transcripts.
ETH doctoral positions: master’s with average ≥ 5.5; published research record.
Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Programme (ESOP): top 10% of admitted students by master’s grade.

Frequently Asked Questions — Switzerland

Is the Swiss 1–6 scale the same as Germany?

No — they're inverted. In Germany, 1.0 is best and 5.0 is fail. In Switzerland, 6 is best and 1 is fail. The Swiss 4.0 is the minimum pass; the German 4.0 is also the minimum pass — but the meaning of the numbers either side is reversed.

How does Swiss 5.5 convert to US GPA?

Approximate mapping: 6 ≈ 4.0, 5.5 ≈ 3.7, 5 ≈ 3.3, 4.5 ≈ 3.0, 4 ≈ 2.7. A 5.5 Swiss average is generally treated as equivalent to a strong A− / 3.7 US GPA.

Don’t see your university?

Use the universal GPA calculator and customize the grading scale to match your institution’s.

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