Studying at ULB

Translation into ECTS grades

The ECTS grading scale was developed as a spin-off product of the ECTS student mobility pilot scheme in the late 1980’s - early 1990’s. Examination and assessment results are usually expressed in grades. However, many different grading systems co-exist in Europe. The ECTS grading scale has thus been developed in order to help institutions translate the grades awarded to exchange students. ECTS provides information on the student’s academic performance additional to that provided by the institution’s grades. It does not replace the local grade. It just explains the student’s performance by comparing his/her results to that of his/her peers.

It should be noted that only percentages of passing students are considered, and that higher education institutions make their own decisions on how to apply the ECTS grading scale to their own system.