How the grading system in USA is Different from that of the Netherlands?

The grading system in USA is distinguished by its antiquity, as American universities began to emerge in the seventeenth century and Harvard University is the first American university and the dean of universities in America

The United States of America is the most famous place for higher education, where about 16% of international students study in the world, and the number of international students studying in American universities is about 75,000.

As for the grading system in Netherlands or the Dutch grading system is basically on a scale from one to ten, but getting ten is pretty impossible and it may reserve for the Gods!

Keep reading this blog to learn more about it and the UniApp team may hope to help you choose to study in USA or study in Netherlands.

An Overview of the Education in USA

Although the United States of America is characterized by the high cost of studying in it. However, the quality and distinction of the study made it the number-one choice for a large number of students spread all over the world.

The founding of this university dates back to the year 1636, when the Massachusetts colony established it, and in the year 1693, the College of William and Mary was established, and the establishment of these universities was for religious purposes.

followed by the emergence of institutes and universities in a number of American regions. The curriculum at that time was very small and taught liberal arts such as Greek and Latin history, geometry, geography, and ethics.

American universities continued to develop over the coming years and eras. Education has improved to the point where there are now about 4,500 schools all over the United States of America.

The Differences between Grading Systems Worldwide

Grading systems around the world aren’t the same. Every country has its own grading system, especially in the US and Europe.

The UK also has a grading system that’s distinguished from the entire Europe, despite some similarities. The Netherlands, for its part, has a grading system that differs from that in the US.

Essentially, there’s one major difference between the two systems: The Dutch grading system is linear compared to the curved system used in the United States.

So let’s have a look at both systems in the coming lines to see how they compare and how can you as an international student can convert from the Dutch to the American system and vice versa.

What is the Grading system in USA?

The types of educational institutions in the United States of America are different and varied, and below we will take a look at the most prominent types of educational institutions in the United States of America to learn about the grading system in the USA:

1) Community colleges:

Community colleges in the United States of America provide assistance degrees. as well as provide students with professional certificates, and a number of bachelor’s degrees.

2) Vocational schools:

Vocational schools in American universities focus on developing. and developing human talent in a number of professions that do not require a degree but rather need training and development.

3) College of Graduate Studies in the United States of America:

These colleges are known as Graduate Schools in other countries. and these colleges have a link with universities that provide them with a bachelor’s degree. and these schools provide bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

4) Religious institutes:

These minerals are used to teach religion, where ministers, members, and clergymen study various topics that are associated with religion.

The academic system in American universities?

The Grading system in USA may vary depending on the university and the major in which the student is studying. But there are a lot of commonalities between the academic system in American universities.

All students, including international students, must be familiar with this system. This is so that they can avoid making mistakes that may lead to losing their opportunities to complete their education.

In American universities, the student obtains his grades. which are determined by his success or failure through the mid-year test and the end-of-year test. as the Grading system in USA consists of only two semesters.

During the year the student may be asked to do study assignments and some projects.

Such as research seminars or short articles or conducting tests in laboratories if the branches in which the student studies are scientific branches. Through these works, the student secures a set of grades, which helps him to pass the final exam.

As for cheating, American universities are strict in dealing with this issue, so students should. International students especially know the Grading system in USA, which the university considers a basic system, especially while writing research seminars and scientific projects.

Most American universities use the Turrentine program to catch cases of cheating. The penalty for cheating is severe, as the student may fail in the material in which he cheated which may lead to the student’s expulsion from the university.

Grading system in USA in universities

The grading system in American universities is one of the good and distinguished systems. Even many world countries have followed this system, to have this system as the global system for the distribution of degrees.

The grading system in US universities is alphanumeric. The letter (A) is the highest degree, and the number (4) is the highest number. The letter (D) is a symbol of the lowest degree, while the letter (F) indicates that there is no degree at all.

How to calculate the Grading system in USA?

The mark of the first article, which is 1, is multiplied by the full mark, which is five, and the result is five. The second sign, 3.5, is multiplied by five, and the result is 17.5.

After that, the product of the first mark, which is five, is added to the product of the second mark, which is 17.5, so that the sum is 22.5.

And then this total is divided by 10 to get the student to get an average of 2.25. Thus, we see that the lower degree is reduced from the value of the higher degree.

As for the method of calculating grades in American universities. The student must be aware that the lower grade reduces the value of the higher grade.

The numerical grade is used to calculate grades at US universities, and this division is known as the GAP score. Where the number obtained by the student is multiplied by the full mark. It is five, if the student gets 1 in one subject and 3.5 in another.

The method of distributing degrees in universities in the United States of America

The distribution of grades in universities in the United States of America according to the Grading system in USA is as follows:

• Grade (A) = 4.0 to 3.9.
• Score (A -) = 3.8 to 3.5.
• Then the degree (B +) = 3.4 to 3.2.
• Score (B) = 3.1 to 2.0.
• Grade (B -) = 2.8 to 2.5.
• Then the degree (C +) = 2.4 to 2.2.
• Score (C) = 2.1 to 1.9.
• Degree (C -) = 1.8 to 1.5.
• Then the degree (D +) = 1.4 to 1.2.
• Score (D) = 1.1 to 0.9.
• The degree (D-) = 0.8 to 0.7, and this degree is the lowest degree obtained by a student in universities in the United States of America.
• Then the degree (F) = 0.0 means there is no degree.

Read more: The 13 Weirdest grading systems around the world

Grading System in USA Vs. Netherlands

If you want to study in the Netherlands, they have a pretty strange grading system there. The grading system in Netherlands follows a 1 to 10 scale, with 1 as the worst and 10 being the best one you can score.

Grades can also follow a percentage system with 1 being a score of 1 to 5%, 2 being a score of 5 to 15%, 3 being a score of 15 to 25%, and so on until 10 is considered a score of 95 to 100% correct.

The grading system in the Netherlands has 6 as the passing grade, with 5 being a failed score.

Explain the American grading system, please!

The letter grading system in American colleges and universities is based on a 4.0 scale from A to F, with the equivalent of each letter being:

• A = 4
• B = 3
• C = 2
• D = 1
• F = 0

An A is the highest grade you can receive in this US university grading system, and depending on the school, A is either equal to 4 or a multiple of 4. (e.g. 8 or 16).

D is not a passing grade in the higher education system, so it cannot be transferred to another institution. If you received a D on an exam, you can retake it to get a passing grade.

A grade point average is assigned to all of the grades you receive in one year for all of your exams (GPA). This is primarily a calculation of your grades divided by the number of exams taken, which ranges from 0 to 4.

For example, if most of your grades were Bs, your GPA would be between 3.0 and 3.2. The final grade for a class/course is not solely determined by the final exam.

The final grade is also determined by class participation and attendance, weekly quizzes/tests, assignments/study projects, midterm exam, and final exams.

According to that system, every element is assigned a percentage (between 10% and 40%), and the total number is converted into a letter grade ranging from A to F.

Exams typically have a pass rate of 40-50 percent. As such, if the majority of your grades are in the 80-100 percentile, you can consider yourself a “good” student.

What about the grading system in the Netherlands?

There are many reasons why international students choose to study in the Netherlands, from the cultural diversity of international students to the many English degree courses.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Netherlands is a beautiful country with many scenic attractions and natural Wonders. Read on to find out why you should study in the Netherlands, and how much it would cost you to do so.

If you are an EU or EEA student, you will pay €2,168 per year as tuition fees at public Dutch universities.

If you are from outside of the EU, you can expect to pay from 6,000 to 15,000 euros annually for undergraduate degrees and from 8,000 to 20,000 euros annually for postgraduate degrees.

In the Netherlands, traditional grading scales range from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest grade and 10 being the highest. The university determines the minimum passing grade, which can range between 4 and 6.

Grades are usually rounded off on final lists (above 0,5 is rounded up and below 0,5 is rounded down). So a 5.5 becomes a grade 6, which equals a pass, whereas a 4.5 becomes a grade 4, which usually means a fail.

Exam and other coursework grades are not usually rounded off. For instance, a grade 4 and a grade 9 equal 13 in total. When you divide this by 2, you get 6.5, which is a pass.

What about failing and excellence grades in the Netherlands?

Failing grades 1–3 are rarely given, and the same is true for grades 9–10. A 10 is only given in cases of perfection, which is rare in exams and papers.

However, for multiple-choice and yes/no questions, it is possible to receive a 9 or a 10. In the Netherlands, the most common good grades in higher education are 6 and 7.

How does the GPA conversion work?

According to the Bologna system, most European institutions, including Dutch universities, use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

When institutions convert credits from ECTS to GPA or vice versa, they do so according to their own system. It may not be as transparent as universities in Europe that use the same ECTS standard, but admission officers will convert either the ECTS credits or the GPA and determine whether you are qualified for an exchange program or degree.

Overall, 5 ECTS credits are equivalent to 2.5 American credits, resulting in a roughly 2:1 ratio. The main distinction between ECTS and US credits is that the former is more concerned with student workload, whereas credits in the US also consider the number of study hours students are required to spend outside of class.

This can include extracurricular activities, which are not as common in European universities.

Like us or different?

Several countries employ grading systems that resemble those used in the Netherlands. The 1-100 system is one example. However, comparing a 90-100 grade in such a system to a 10 in the Dutch system, or an 80-90 with a 9, and so on, would be inaccurate.

In China, for example, an 80 is not considered a good grade because most grades in higher education are between 80 and 100.

However, in the Netherlands, an 8 is a very good grade because most grades are between 6 and 8; only exceptional students achieve a grade higher than 8.

Read more: How universities grade students: Here’s a look at the famous grading systems

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there are many strange grading systems worldwide, from the ones by country to the other abnormal grading systems like the Balanced Grading System and the seven contracts grading system.

But in this blog, we’ve mentioned the grading system in USA and the grading system in Netherlands.

If you want to study in a country, you should try to find out what grading scales they use in the country before traveling so you can understand how well you are doing before you go.

This can help you avoid a whole lot of confusion! If you still don’t know which study destination you want to pick for your degree, Uniapp can help you figure it out.