Switzerland vs Thailand Grading System

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.

How does the Thailand grading system work?

Thai universities use a 4.0 GPA scale aligned with US conventions.

Do Switzerland and Thailand 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 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.

What a good grade means in Thailand

The 4.0 scale converts cleanly, so Thai transcripts need little translation — the substance is in the honours conditions rather than the number. First-class honours in Thailand normally requires not only a high GPAX but completion within the standard duration and no repeated subjects, which makes it a stronger signal than the average alone conveys. State the honours designation, because an admissions office abroad will read the GPAX at face value and miss the rest.

Will a grade from Switzerland get you into Thailand?

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

Swiss 6 → 4.0 GPA. 5.5 → approximately 3.7. ETH/EPFL credentials carry significant prestige.

What goes wrong converting grades from Switzerland to Thailand?

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

Mistakes specific to Switzerland grades

• Assuming Swiss grades run the same way as German ones. In Switzerland 6 is best and 1 is worst — the reverse of Germany's 1-to-5 scale.
• Converting proportionally to a percentage. With a usable range of only 4 to 6, proportional conversion badly distorts what a mark means.
• Treating 5.5 and 6.0 as the same. They are roughly an A− and an A, and on a two-point range that gap is significant.

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

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, Thailand 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 Switzerland grading works · How Thailand 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.

Credits / credit hours

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

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.

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.

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.

Frequently asked questions