Pakistan vs Switzerland Grading System

How does the Pakistan grading system work?

Pakistani universities use a 4.0 CGPA scale under HEC guidelines, closely mirroring US conventions.

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 Pakistan 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 Pakistan

Because the 4.0 CGPA maps almost directly onto the US scale, Pakistani grades need less translation than most — a 3.5 CGPA reads roughly as a US 3.5. The trap is the percentage system rather than the CGPA: Pakistani percentage marking is compressed like India's, so a 70% is a genuinely strong result rather than the mediocre one it would be in the US, and converting it as if it were a US percentage will undersell you sharply.

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 Pakistan 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.

Pakistani 4.0 CGPA maps near-directly to US GPA.

What goes wrong converting grades from Pakistan to Switzerland?

The pass marks differ — 2.00 in Pakistan against 4.0 in Switzerland — so the two scales have different usable ranges and the middle of one is not the middle of the other.

Mistakes specific to Pakistan grades

• Converting an older percentage transcript as though it were a US percentage. A Pakistani 70% is a strong Division I, not a C.
• Dividing a percentage by 25 to produce a CGPA. HEC's mapping is not linear and the result will be wrong.
• Leaving out the HEC attestation. Many foreign universities require your documents attested by HEC before they will assess them.

What should you do next, applying from Pakistan 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. Confirm which scale your transcript uses. Pakistan awards grades on more than one scale (CGPA (4.0), Percentage (0–100)), and the same number means different things on each. Pick the matching one in the converter before you trust the result.
3. 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.
4. Get your documents moving early. Most foreign universities and evaluators require HEC attestation of your degree and transcript — a verification step run by the Higher Education Commission itself, separate from anything your university does. Budget several weeks for it. WES also requires the transcript sent directly by your institution.
5. Read both systems in full. How Pakistan grading works · How Switzerland grading works

What do these grading terms mean?

CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average)

The same idea as a GPA but covering your whole degree rather than one term — the scale differs by country (India 10, Nigeria 5.0, Pakistan 4.0), so the number alone means nothing without its scale.

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.

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.

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.

WES

World Education Services, the most widely accepted credential evaluation company for the US and Canada — it converts your transcript into a US GPA that universities will accept.

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.

Frequently asked questions