Grading system

Grading scales and grading methods at Lund University

Lund University uses five different grading scales. The relevant faculty board decides which grading scale applies to each course.

A degree or transcript may therefore include courses with different grading scales. All grades are criterion-referenced. This means that grades show how well the student meets the learning outcomes described in the course syllabus, not how the student performs in comparison with others.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Swedish universities do not calculate or use a Grade Point Average (GPA). Degrees do not include an overall or cumulative grade.

For this reason, Lund University does not provide official conversions to GPA or to other national grading systems.

Grading scales

Pass – Fail (Godkänd – Underkänd)

Mainly used at the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts and in some related study programmes, such as Social Work, Psychology, Architecture and Industrial Design. 

It is also often used in vocational and distance education.

Pass with distinction – Pass – Fail (Väl godkänd – Godkänd – Underkänd)

The traditional grading scale at Swedish universities and still the most common at the Faculties of Science, Social Science and Humanities and Theology. 

Pass with distinction – Pass with Credit – Pass – Fail (Med beröm godkänd – Icke utan beröm godkänd – Godkänd – Underkänd)

Used in the Master of Laws programme. Widely used by law faculties in Sweden. 

Five – Four – Three – Fail (Fem – Fyra – Tre – Underkänd)

Used for most programmes at the Faculty of Engineering (including Industrial Design) and at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS). Widely used by engineering faculties in Sweden. 

Excellent (A) – Very Good (B) – Good (C) – Satisfactory (D) – Sufficient (E) – Fail (U) (Utmärkt (A) – Mycket bra (B) – Bra (C) – Tillfredsställande (D) – Tillräckligt (E) – Otillräckligt (F))

Introduced at Lund University 2011. Dominant at the School of Economics and Management and common in Master's programmes at other faculties.

Student rights in relation to grading

Under certain circumstances, students have the right to request that a different examiner is appointed or that a grading decision is reconsidered. 

The right to request a different examiner

Students who have been examined twice in a course or a part of a course without obtaining a pass grade are entitled to have a different examiner appointed, unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Higher Education Ordinance 6:22). Students may contact their student union or the course/programme coordinator to request the appointment of an alternative examiner.

The right to request a review of a grading decision

Students cannot appeal against a decision on grading, but they may request that a grading decision is reconsidered. If an examiner finds that a decision on a grade is obviously wrong, because of new circumstances or for any other reason, they must change the decision if this can be done quickly and does not involve lowering the grade (Higher Education Ordinance 6:24).