Mexico vs Sweden Grading System

How does the Mexico grading system work?

Mexican universities use a 0–10 scale where 6 is the minimum pass mark. UNAM and most public universities use this system.

⚠️ Mexican pass mark is 6/10, not 5/10.

How does the Sweden grading system work?

Swedish universities use a three-tier system: U (Fail), G (Pass), VG (Pass with distinction). Many transcripts show only descriptors with no numerical grade, limiting conversion precision.

⚠️ Many Swedish transcripts show only Pass/Fail or U/G/VG — no numerical grade. Conversion precision is limited.

Do Mexico and Sweden 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 Mexico

The 0–10 scale is used more fully in Mexico than in Brazil or the Netherlands — averages of 8 and 9 are common at good universities — which means it converts less badly than other ten-point systems but also that a high promedio is less distinguishing than it looks. The signal worth highlighting abroad is mención honorífica, since it reflects a judgement on the thesis by a committee rather than an arithmetic average, and it is not something a foreign admissions office will infer from the number.

What a good grade means in Sweden

This is the one country on the site where we openly say the conversion is an approximation rather than a measurement, and the reason is structural rather than a gap in our research: there is no common scale to convert from. A Swedish applicant is generally better served presenting their transcript as it is, with the ECTS letters where they exist, than converting it into a percentage or GPA that implies a precision the original never had. Admissions offices across Europe read Swedish transcripts routinely and are used to this.

Will a grade from Mexico get you into Sweden?

Sweden has no single national grading scale — universities variously use A–F, G/VG/MVG, or plain pass/fail, and many courses award no numeric grade at all. There is no common scale on which an entry requirement could be stated, and Swedish master's selection weighs completed credits and course match more heavily than a grade average.

Muy bien (9–9.9) → approximately 3.5 GPA. Bien (8–8.9) → approximately 3.0 GPA.

What goes wrong converting grades from Mexico to Sweden?

The pass marks differ — 6.0 in Mexico against 50 in Sweden — so the two scales have different usable ranges and the middle of one is not the middle of the other.

Mistakes specific to Mexico grades

• Assuming a promedio of 8 is exceptional. Mexican averages sit higher than in many ten-point systems, so 8 is good rather than outstanding.
• Overlooking the postgraduate pass mark. Many Mexican master's programmes require an 8 average, above the undergraduate threshold.
• Leaving out mención honorífica where you hold it — it is a committee distinction that the average alone does not convey.

What should you do next, applying from Mexico to Sweden?

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, Sweden 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 Mexico grading works · How Sweden 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.

GPA (Grade Point Average)

The US way of expressing an overall grade, on a 0–4.0 scale where 4.0 is the top — so a 4.0 is roughly what a 90–100% or a First Class would be elsewhere.

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.

Credits / credit hours

A measure of how much a subject counts toward your degree — bigger subjects carry more credits and pull your average further.

Frequently asked questions