Switzerland vs Turkey 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 Turkey grading system work?

Most Turkish universities use a 4.0 GPA scale under YÖK (Higher Education Council) framework.

Do Switzerland and Turkey 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 Turkey

The doubled-letter system is the thing worth explaining on an application, because AA and BA look like typographical oddities rather than distinct grades to an admissions officer unfamiliar with them. On substance, the 4.0 GPA maps closely to the US scale, so a Turkish 3.2 needs little translation — but the accompanying percentage does, since Turkish percentage marking is stricter than American and a 75 is a good result rather than a modest one.

Will a grade from Switzerland get you into Turkey?

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

The pass marks differ — 4.0 in Switzerland against 2.00 in Turkey — 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 Turkey?

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, Turkey 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 Turkey 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.

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