Kenya vs Switzerland Grading System

How does the Kenya grading system work?

Kenyan universities follow the British classification system under Commission for University Education (CUE) oversight.

How does the Switzerland grading system work?

Swiss universities use a 1–6 scale where 6 is the best grade and 4 is minimum pass. Higher numbers are better — opposite direction from Germany.

⚠️ Swiss scale uses 1–6 where 6 is BEST — opposite direction from Germany. Do not confuse the two.

Do Kenya and Switzerland mark to the same standard?

No — and it is the difference in marking culture, not the arithmetic, that makes a direct comparison mislead. Here is how each country actually uses its own scale.

What a good grade means in Kenya

Kenyan marking is genuinely strict at the top: a First Class requires 70% and is uncommon, with realistic top aggregates sitting in the low-to-mid 80s rather than the 90s. Because the bands match the British ones, a Kenyan 2:1 reads directly as a UK 2:1 — which is the standard entry requirement for taught master's across the UK and Ireland, so a Kenyan graduate with an Upper Second is in a stronger position abroad than the raw percentage suggests to an American reader.

What a good grade means in Switzerland

The narrow 4-to-6 usable range is what makes Swiss marking hard to read from outside: only two points separate a bare pass from the maximum, so a 5.0 is a solid result rather than the mediocre "83%" it becomes if converted proportionally. Our own data previously treated everything from 5.5 upward as a top grade, which over-credited a 5.5 by a full band until it was corrected — the published scale distinguishes 5.5 as an A− from 5.75 and above as an A, and that distinction matters on a scale this compressed.

Will a grade from Kenya get you into Switzerland?

We do not yet hold published entry requirements for Switzerland, so we do not compare your grade against a bar we cannot cite. The conversion above still tells you how your result reads in Switzerland terms.

First Class (70%+) → approximately 3.7–4.0 GPA.

What goes wrong converting grades from Kenya to Switzerland?

Kenya rarely awards near the top of its own scale, so a result that looks modest in Kenya terms converts higher than a direct comparison suggests.

Mistakes specific to Kenya grades

• Comparing a Kenyan percentage to a US one. A 68% is a strong Upper Second here and would be read as a poor result on a US transcript.
• Leaving the classification off the application. First Class and Upper Second are the terms UK and Commonwealth admissions actually respond to.
• Underestimating transcript lead times. Kenyan universities can be slow to dispatch, and evaluators require documents sent directly by the institution.

What should you do next, applying from Kenya to Switzerland?

1. Check the course, not the country. Entry requirements are set per programme and revised every cycle. We hold no published national bar for this destination, so the course page is the only figure that binds.
2. Check whether an evaluation is even required. Unlike the US and Canada, Switzerland universities commonly assess foreign transcripts in-house. Confirm on the course page before paying for a report you may not need.
3. Get your documents moving early. Universities normally require your transcript sent directly by your institution rather than as a copy from you, which takes longer than most applicants expect.
4. Read both systems in full. How Kenya grading works · How Switzerland grading works

What do these grading terms mean?

Percentage scale

A 0–100 marking scale — but the numbers are not comparable across countries: 70% is an outstanding result in the UK and a modest one in India.

Degree classification

A named band your final result falls into — First Class, 2:1, Distinction — used across the UK, Ireland, Nigeria, India and much of the Commonwealth instead of a single number.

First Class Honours

The top degree classification, awarded to a small minority of graduates — usually 70%+ in the UK and Ireland, or a CGPA of 4.50+ on Nigeria's 5.0 scale.

2:1 (Upper Second Class)

The second-highest degree class, and the grade most UK and Irish master's courses ask for — usually 60–69%.

Transcript

The official document from your university listing every subject you took and the grade you got — not the same as your degree certificate, and universities abroad want both.

Credential evaluation

A paid report from an approved company that restates your foreign qualification in local terms, which many US and Canadian universities require before they will assess you.

Frequently asked questions