Academic grading in Italy explained

See also: University training credit.

There are two grading systems used in Italy:

To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according to the following table:

Scuola primaria, scuola secondaria di primo e secondo grado

In Italian primary and secondary school a 10-point scale is used, 6 being the minimum grade for passing. Traditionally in the most prestigious high schools (Liceo Classico, Liceo Scientifico, Liceo Linguistico and Liceo delle Scienze Umane), grades vary within a limited range, between 2 and 8, often with each professor applying his/her own custom. When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, instead of using the full 1–10 scale (which would have made their scale not comparable with that of other professors) they would often insert a plethora of symbols and decimals: the range between 5 and 6 would then be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5½ and 6−. Sufficiency starts at 6. The "+" symbol stands for "+0.25" (5+=5.25) and the "-" symbol stands for "-0.25" (6-=5.75). Some professors, however, also use symbols such as 5++, 5/6 and 6--, which have no precise value. There has been a push in recent years to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale. A grade below 6 is considered insufficient, while a grade below 4 is considered to be extremely insufficient.

In high school, if a student, at the end of the year, reports an insufficient grade average in a certain subject (5 or below), he or she has to take a reparatory exam in September, before school begins; if the result of the reparatory exam is again not sufficient, the student cannot pass to the next year and will have to repeat it. A student who, at the end of the year, has more than 3 insufficient subjected will not pass to following class and will have to repeat the year. This is anyway subject to the judgment of professors, who can evaluate what to do according to the case.

ECTS grading Scale
ECTS Grade% of successful studentsCorresponding Italian grades
A-A+95%-100%9,5-10
A-90%-95%9-9,5
B+80%-90%8-9
C60%-80%6-8
E50%-60%5-6
F-Fx0%-50%1-5

University

For ordinary exams, universities in Italy use a 30-point scale that can be divided into failing (0 to 17) and passing (18 to 30 cum laude) grades. For final assessment of the entire degree, a 110-point scale is used, which is divided into two as well, with 66 being the minimum for a degree to be awarded. The 110-point scale incorporates scores both on course exams and for the final thesis. For outstanding results, lode, "praise" or "cum laude," is added to the maximum grade. 30L means 30 cum laude in Latin, 30 con lode in Italian, and 30 with honors in English.[1] [2] [3] Some Universities in Italy used a 100-point scale instead of 110.

The table is purely indicative: there are significant differences between different universities and above all between bachelor's and master's degrees. The grades received by master's degree students are statistically higher than those received by bachelor's degrees.

Italian grades with corresponding ECTS and United States grading
Italian gradesECTS GradeECTS Definition% of successful studentsU.S. GradeU.S. Definition
26-30, 30 con LodeAExcellent5%
  • 30, 30 con Lode: A+
  • 28-29: A
  • 26-27: A−
Excellent
21-25BVery Good10%
  • 24-25: B+
  • 22-23: B
  • 21: B-
Good
19-21CGood20%
  • 21: C+
  • 20: C
  • 19: C-
Satisfactory
18DSatisfactory40%DPassing
14-17FxFailE or FFail
0-13F

Italian grade conversion tables for Erasmus

Belgium

Italy
Belgium
30 cum laudeover 16
3015-16
2914
2813
2712
2611,5
25
2411
23
2210,5
21
20
19
1810

Denmark

Italy
Denmark
30 cum laude12
30
2911,9-10
28
27
269,9-7
25
24
236,9-4
22
21
203,9-2
19
18

Finland

Italy
Finland
30 cum laude90-100 or 5
30
2980-89 or 4
28
27
2670-79  or 3
25
24
2360-69 or 2
22
21
2050-59 or 1
19
18

France

Italy
France
30 cum laudeover 16
3015-16
2914
2813
2712
2611,5
25
2411
23
2210,5
21
20
19
1810

Germany

Italy
Germany
30 cum laude< 1.0
301.0
291.3
281.5
271.7
262.0
252.3
242.5
232.7
223.0
213.3
203.5
193.7
184.0

Hungary

Italy
Hungary
305
29
28
27
264
25
24
23
223
21
20
192
18
18>1

Ireland

Italy
Ireland
30 cum laudeA
30
29B+
28B
27B-
26C+
25C
24C-
23D+
22D
21
20D-
19
18

Romania

Italy
Romania
30 cum laude10
309
29
288
27
267
25
246
23
22
215
20
19
18

The Netherlands

Italy
The Netherlands
30 cum laude10+
309.3-10
29
28
278.3-9
26
25
246-8
23
22
21
20
19
18

Portugal

Italy
Portugal
30 cum laude19-20
3017-18
2914-16
28
27
2612-13
25
24
2310-11
22
21
20
19
18

Spain

Italy
Spain
30 cum laudeMatricula de honor10
30Sobre saliente9
29
28Notable8-7
27
26
25
24
23Aprobado6-5
22
21
20
19
18

United Kingdom

Italy
United Kingdom
30 cum laudeA
30
29B1
28B2
27B3
26C1
25C2
24C3
23D1
22D2
21
20D3
19
18

See also

References

  1. https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/032415/what-difference-between-magnum-cum-laude-and-summa-cum-laude.asp
  2. https://www.scholaro.com/db/Countries/Italy/Grading-System
  3. https://corsi.unibo.it/2cycle/InternationalCooperation/exams-and-grading-system