The Netherlands grades out of 10 with a pass at 6, and it grades harshly: 9s and 10s are almost never awarded, so the realistic ceiling is an 8. This converter gives you three estimates 鈥?a culture-based band map, a Nuffic-framed scale, and the linear shortcut 鈥?because reading a Dutch 7 as 70% is the standard applicant error.
A Dutch 7 is roughly a 3.0鈥?.3 US GPA 鈥?solid standing, not a 70%.
Most US master's programmes want a 3.0 or better; selective ones look for 3.5+, which is roughly a Dutch 7.5鈥?.0. The exact figure depends on the evaluator's course-by-course read, so treat it as a band, not a verdict.
The Dutch scale runs 1 to 10 with 10 as 'excellent', but it is used differently from scales with the same shape. A 10 is reserved for near-perfection, 9s are exceptional, and the grades that students actually earn cluster between 6 and 8. A Dutch 8 is a genuinely strong result 鈥?an '8.0+ average' is the threshold many universities use for cum laude.
Ruim voldoende (7) and goed (8) are the strong, common grades. Voldoende (6) is a pass. Zes-en-halve (6.5) sits between. A 9 is rare; a 10 is almost never given.
On a typical US letter scale 70% is a C (2.0). Mapping a Dutch 7 to 70% therefore understates the same work because Dutch professors are told not to hand out high numbers freely.
This is the crux: the US system rewards grade inflation, the Dutch system deliberately resists it. A Dutch 7 means 'comfortably meets the standard' 鈥?not 'barely passed'. That is why culture-based bands are a more honest conversion than a straight proportion, and why evaluators read the transcript, the institution, and the grading culture together.
And if your transcript carries ECTS as well, grades aren't the only thing that needs translating 鈥?convert your European credits to US credits in the same pass.
Maps Dutch grades to US bands with the grading culture built in. This is the most honest read for planning: a Dutch 8, the practical ceiling, lands around a 3.7鈥?.0 US GPA.
Framed on Nuffic's official 1鈥?0 descriptions 鈥?excellent, very good, good, satisfactory 鈥?and mapped by meaning rather than by number. Same spirit as bands, with the Dutch authority behind the scale.
Grade 脳 0.4. Simple and widely seen, but it treats the scales as proportional, which they are not. It consistently understates Dutch grades 鈥?treat it as a floor, not an estimate.
Report what your transcript says first. Most US programmes either take it as-is or require a professional evaluation. If you convert anywhere, state the method alongside the number 鈥?a Dutch 7 is not a US 2.8 just because 脳0.4 says so.
| Dutch grade | Descriptor (Dutch) | Meaning | Typical US GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Uitmuntend | Excellent 鈥?almost never awarded | 4.0 |
| 9 | Zeer goed | Very good 鈥?exceptional | 4.0 |
| 8 | Goed | Good 鈥?the realistic ceiling, cum laude territory | 3.7 |
| 7.5 | Ruim voldoende | Comfortably above satisfactory | 3.3 |
| 7 | Ruim voldoende | Solid, respectable 鈥?the most common strong grade | 3.0 |
| 6.5 | Voldoende | Satisfactory to good | 2.7 |
| 6 | Voldoende | Satisfactory 鈥?minimum pass | 2.3 |
| 5.5 | Bijna voldoende | Barely insufficient 鈥?compensation or resit usually required | 2.0 |
| < 5.5 | Onvoldoende | Fail 鈥?resit required | < 2.0 |
'Typical' is doing real work here: evaluators vary by institution, subject mix and grading culture. Treat these as planning ranges, not guaranteed outputs.
Figures last verified August 2026 路 Band tables are reconstructions of common practice, not official WES output; WES results are course-by-course and institution-specific