Complicated grade conversion is limiting student mobility

Learning mobility offers students a unique opportunity to gain international experience, broaden their knowledge and enhance both their intercultural skills and personal growth. Yet, one of the most persistent challenges in making learning mobility a truly seamless experience is the complexity of grade conversion.

For students moving between higher education institutions across Europe, the process of converting grades earned abroad into a comparable format at their sending institution can be frustrating. Likewise, for higher education institutions, the process can be cumbersome, resulting in extra workloads, wasted time and delays.

There are several obstacles to a smooth grade conversion process, resulting in negative impacts on students’ academic experiences, the reputation of higher education institutions and the overall perception of learning mobility. Ultimately, an inefficient grade conversion risks undermining the broader internationalisation goals of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

While grade conversion is critical for recognising learning periods abroad, progress remains slow, partly due to the high level of bureaucracy and imprecise guidelines stemming from the absence of robust system-level recognition practices.

The European Commission has taken steps to address this, with the 2018 council recommendation promoting the automatic recognition of qualifications and learning outcomes. However, as of 2023, only a few countries, such as Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, have made substantial progress, boasting recognition rates above 90%.

Others, like Bulgaria and Hungary, continue to struggle with recognition rates below 70%, illustrating the uneven implementation of quality assurance measures.

Grading diversity

The diversity in grading systems across the EHEA is one of the most significant hurdles to achieving automatic recognition. This variation is evident because countries adopt vastly different grading scales, ranging from numerical systems, such as Portugal’s 0-20 scale, to the letter grades used in the UK.

Furthermore, grading practices can differ significantly within individual countries. For instance, Slovenia and Latvia use both pass/fail and graded systems depending on the institution. Germany has a decentralised approach which allows multiple systems to coexist, making it difficult to standardise conversion processes.

These discrepancies complicate efforts to ensure fair and transparent assessment of academic performance and qualifications across the European region. Such a heterogeneous landscape poses a persistent challenge for institutions attempting to standardise grade conversion.

Moreover, the complexity of existing tools designed to support the conversion process, such as the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) grading scale, inhibits its use by higher education institutions, hampering their ability to recognise academic achievements from abroad.

Trust between institutions is essential for the success of any grade conversion system. However, variations in grading cultures and practices can erode this trust, particularly when it comes to ensuring the quality and comparability of academic standards.

Contrasting educational beliefs contribute to cultural differences in grading practices, as a grade considered ‘excellent’ in one country might be deemed ‘average’ in another, further complicating the picture. Moreover, grade inflation, for instance, has been a growing concern in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where the percentage of students receiving top honours degrees has nearly doubled in recent years.

This has raised questions about the reliability of grading practices, which, in turn, affects the credibility of higher education institutions involved in international partnerships and student mobility schemes.

Consequences for students

Inefficient grade conversion has far-reaching consequences for students as many institutions fail to provide students with transparent guidelines, leaving them confused about how their grades will be converted when they return from studying abroad.

Frequently students report frustration and dissatisfaction with the recognition process as they consider that the grades they earned abroad were not accurately converted or recognised. For some, this has led to additional stress and concerns about the potential negative impact on their academic records.

In extreme cases, students are required to complete extra assignments or exams upon returning to their sending institutions, which can delay their academic progress, resulting in financial loss. These unsuccessful experiences discourage them from participating in future mobility programmes and foster a sense of suspicion about the value of the learning mobility experience.

The lack of clear communication among sending and receiving institutions regarding the grade conversion process is another major issue, making the procedure inefficient and time-consuming. Host institutions often do not have clear grading guidelines and, when they do, they are not easily accessible to home institutions. Consequently, a considerable amount of additional administrative time and effort is needed from both sides to assess each case individually.

Efforts to improve the system

Despite these challenges, progress has been made. The European Grade Conversion System (Egracons) – a freely accessible and user-friendly web-based application for grade conversion, open to all higher education institutions in Europe and beyond – is an important tool that has helped improve consistency in grade conversion across many institutions.

Despite its advantages, adoption remains uneven, with some universities continuing to rely on outdated or non-standardised conversion tables.

More widespread use of Egracons, coupled with the ECTS grading scale, could enhance the fairness and transparency of the conversion process, ensuring that students’ academic achievements are more accurately reflected, regardless of where they study.

The European Commission has also made strides in promoting automatic recognition, particularly through initiatives like the Diploma Supplement (DS), which enhances the comparability of academic qualifications.

Alongside the ECTS, the DS aims to provide a common framework for recognising learning outcomes across Europe. Yet even these tools face challenges in implementation, as varying interpretations and practices persist across institutions and national systems.

Policy recommendations

To address these issues, some key actions are recommended. First, sending and receiving institutions must strengthen their cooperation and work towards developing clearer, more accessible grade conversion tables and guidelines on their conversion process.

By adopting common frameworks like the ECTS grading scale and tools like Egracons, higher education institutions can ensure that grades earned abroad are fairly and consistently recognised.

Institutions should also enhance transparency by holding information sessions for students to alleviate uncertainty and help them make informed decisions about their mobility experiences.

Additionally, Erasmus+ national agencies should play a greater role in promoting awareness and providing resources to facilitate grade conversion. Workshops, webinars and guidebooks on the subject could help bridge the gap between policy and practice, ensuring that both students and institutions are better equipped to navigate the complexities of the recognition process.

Ultimately, improving grade conversion practices is not just about simplifying bureaucracy – it is about fostering greater equity and transparency in higher education, ensuring that learning mobility remains a key pillar of the EHEA, benefiting students, universities and society at large.

Joyce Aguiar is a researcher at Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES), Portugal. Her major research interests lie in the area of higher education policies, international student mobility and equity in higher education. Thais França is a researcher at Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte). Her major interests are student mobility, social inequalities and decolonial practices. Joyce and Thais are active members of the COST action: European Network on International Student Mobility (ENIS). This blog is based on a recent report that examines the challenges surrounding grade conversion in European higher education.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.