Methodology for the Conversion of Grades

1. Introduction

Grades at ISEG follow the Portuguese grading scale for higher education (0–20
scale). When a student takes a course unit abroad, the grade needs to be
converted to our scale to appropriately recognize course credits in the
student’s transcript of records. This document describes the grade conversion
process.

The information written in the official foreign transcript of records is used in

the following order of preference:

1. A grade in a numerical scale, as detailed in section 2.

2. A grade in the ECTS scale, as detailed in section 3.
3. A grade in a qualitative scale, as detailed in section 4.

In general, we do not use ECTS grades when the transcript indicates a

quantitative grade. Nevertheless, the student has the option to choose between
numerical or ECTS grades, as discussed in section 2.3.

The conversion is aligned with the recommendations from Direção Geral do

Ensino Superior (DGES), Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher
Education and Regulamento de Creditação e Integração Curricular de
Experiências Profissionais e Formações Académicas do Instituto Superior de
Economia e Gestão, Diário da República n.º 175/2018, Série II de 2018-09-11,
Despacho n.º 8688/2018. Though these sources typically specify the
conversion of full degree final grades, we apply the same correspondence in
the conversion of individual course unit grades whenever possible.

2. Numerical scales

2.1 General rule

Whenever the grade in the foreign transcript follows a numerical scale, the
conversion is made in a proportional way.

If the grading scale is the same as in Portugal (0-20 points), the course unit final
grade remains as given in the Partner University. Ex: France and Belgium.

Let y be the grade at ISEG and x the grade obtained abroad. Define by xmax
the maximum grade in the scale of the foreign university and by xpass the
minimum passing grade. The grade at ISEG is then given by:

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 y – 10 = x – xpass
10 xmax − xpass

=> y = 10 + 10 × x – xpass
xmax − xpass

(1)

Example: In Radboud University, Netherlands, grades are on a 0–10 scale,

with a minimum passing grade of 6. Using formula (1), a grade of 8 is thus
converted to 15 at ISEG.

2.2 Exceptions and special cases

1. Each time grades are given in two different numerical scales, we apply
the scale with more resolution.

For example, in Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech

Republic, transcripts show grades both in a 1(excellent)–4(fail) and a 0–
100% scale. In this case, we use the 0–100 scale, with a minimum
passing grade of 60.

2. Inverted numerical: formula (1) still applies.

For example, in Technical University of Munich, the highest grade is 1

and the minimum passing grade is 4. A grade of 2 is thus converted to 17
at ISEG.

3. Some grades are given as numbers but have a qualitative understanding.

These cases are converted as described in section 4.1.
4. Some Schools in Italy also include a 30+ or 30 cum laude in their grading
scale. In those cases, a 30+ or 30 cum laude translates to a grade of 20
and 30 translates to 19.

2.3 Student’s options

Whenever the official transcript displays both a quantitative and an ECTS

grade for each course, the student may choose to have all grades converted
using the method of section 3. When the preference goes to the ECTS scale,
students should declare this when submitting the transcript to the
International Mobility Office. Please note that the same method will be applied
to all courses listed in the transcript, that is, students cannot choose to apply
one method to one course and another method to another course.

3. ECTS scale

If the foreign transcript does not show a numerical grade, but shows instead a

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grade in the ECTS scale, the following conversion will be applied.

ECTS grades are qualitative (A, B, ...), but are meant to position the student
relative to the overall distribution of grades. Forexample, an A grade implies that
the student is among the best 10% of students in a course. The
correspondence is in table 1.

Table 1: Conversion of ECTS grades

ECTS ISEG
Grade Interpretation % of students Grade
A Excellent, outstanding 10 19
B Very good, above average 25 17
C Good, with a number of errors 30 15
D Fair, but with shortcomings 25 13
E Pass 10 11
F Fail Fail

The ECTS scale has only five values for passing grades (A, B, C, D, E), while the
Portuguese scale has 11 values for passing grades (the integer numbers from
10 to 20). As a result, some grades at ISEG are never used in this conversion.

4. Other qualitative scales

For countries with grading scales that deviate from the previous rules, we
apply the conversion in one of the following sections.

4.1 Grades equivalent to ECTS

Many universities follow different grading scales, but with the same interpretation
as ECTS grades. Some of the scales are numerical, but the numbers actually denote a
qualitative grade. Table 2 shows the conversion procedure for universities in
different countries that have a direct correspondence with the ECTS grading scale.

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 Table 2: Grading scales equivalent to ECTS

ECTS Grade Austria Denmark Finland Hungary Poland ISEG

A 1 12 5 5 5.0 19
B 2 10 4 4 4.5 17
C 3 7 3 3 4.0 15
D 4 4 2 2 3.5 13
E 02 1 3.0 11
F Fail 00/−3 0 1 2.0 Fail

Some schools in Poland also include a 5! in their scale. In those cases, a 5! translates to a
grade of 20.

4.2 U.S. grades

Grades in the U.S. follow a qualitative scale with letter grades. Correspondingly as the grades
of the ECTS scale, the grades in the U.S. reveal the frequency of the grade over the population
of students. Students with 18, 19, and 20, for example, would on average have the grade A in
the U.S. as these grades correspond to the highest 10% grades in the distribution. As a result,
an A in the U.S. is converted to 19 at ISEG. The conversion from U.S. grades to grades at ISEG
is given in table 3.

Table 3: Conversion from U.S. grades

U.S. Grade Grade at ISEG
A 19
A− 18
B+ 17
B 16
B− 15
C+ 14
C 13
C− 12
D+ 11
D 10
D− 10
P Pass
F Fail

Some schools in the U.S. also include an A+ in their scale. In those cases, an A+
translates to a grade of 20.

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4.3 U.K. grades

The conversion from U.K. grades to grades at ISEG is in table 4.

Table 4: Conversion from U.K. grades

U.K. descriptor U.K. mark Grade at ISEG
First Class Honours 90-100 20
First Class Honours 75-89 19
First Class Honours 70-74 18
Second Class Honours, Upper Division 65-69 17
Second Class Honours, Upper Division 60-64 16
Second Class Honours, Lower Division 55-59 15
Second Class Honours, Lower Division 50-54 14
Third class 45-49 12
Third class 40-44 10
Fail 0-39 Fail

4.4 Other cases

The examples shown in this section may not cover the specificities of all countries
and universities. The International Mobility Office maintains a list of grade conversions
for all schools. If you have any questions about your destination school, please check
with us.

ISEG reserves the right to change this information or make amendments in the
conversion tables at any time and without prior notice. These amendments may
occur for several reasons like for instance, when there’s a change to the grading
practice or grading information provided by the partner University.

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