How to Convert Nepal Grades to German Grades (NC)
German grades run the opposite way to Nepali ones. 1.0 is the best mark, 4.0 is the lowest pass, and anything above 4.0 is a fail. When you apply with Nepali certificates, a university or uni-assist puts your result on that scale, and in programmes with more applicants than places that number can decide the outcome. You can work it out yourself before you apply, with one formula and the right two reference values.
The formula
The conversion uses the modified Bavarian formula, laid down by the Standing Conference of education ministers (KMK) in its agreement on overall grades for foreign entrance certificates of 15 March 1991, as amended on 12 September 2013:
German grade = 1 + 3 x (Nmax - Nd) / (Nmax - Nmin)
- Nmax is the best possible grade in the Nepali system
- Nmin is the lowest passing grade
- Nd is your own grade
The result is taken to one decimal place and is not rounded. A 2.29 stays 2.2.
The agreement deals with school-leaving certificates. TU Darmstadt and the University of Hamburg both offer online converters built on the same formula, and both describe the result as orientation rather than a binding decision. For a master's application, check whether the programme states its own method; if it does not, this formula is the best estimate you can make yourself.
The Nepali values anabin lists
Nmax and Nmin come from anabin, the KMK database on foreign qualifications. Its country chapters for Nepal give these grading scales:
| Certificate | Best grade (Nmax) | Lowest pass (Nmin) |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary school, grade point system (introduced from about 2016) | A+ = 4.0 | C = 2.0 |
| Secondary school, percentage system (until 2015, at some schools until 2017) | 100% | 35% |
| Kathmandu University | A = 4 | C = 2 |
| Purbanchal University | A = 4 | D = 1 |
| Pokhara University, bachelor's | A = 4.0 | D = 1.0, listed as the minimum for credit |
| Pokhara University, master's | A = 4.0 | C = 2.0, listed as the minimum for credit |
| Other universities, percentage scale | 100% | 33% |
Two cautions. For Pokhara University anabin describes D (bachelor's) and C (master's) as the minimum for credit rather than marking a lowest pass, so confirm with the university which value it applies. And Tribhuvan University has no entry of its own, so a TU percentage falls under "other universities". If your TU transcript uses a grade point scale instead, ask the university or uni-assist which values they will use.
Worked examples
- NEB Class XII, GPA 3.2: 1 + 3 x (4.0 - 3.2) / (4.0 - 2.0) = 2.2
- NEB Class XII, GPA 3.6: 1 + 3 x 0.4 / 2.0 = 1.6
- Older +2 percentage, 72%: 1 + 3 x 28 / 65 = 2.29, so 2.2
- Kathmandu University, CGPA 3.4: 1 + 3 x 0.6 / 2 = 1.9
- Purbanchal University, CGPA 3.0: 1 + 3 x 1.0 / 3 = 2.0
- Percentage-graded bachelor's, 65%: 1 + 3 x 35 / 67 = 2.56, so 2.5
Watch how much the lowest pass mark moves the answer. The same 65 percent would give 2.6 if the passing line were 35 percent instead of 33.
Who does the official conversion
The number you calculate is for your own shortlisting. If you apply through uni-assist, its preliminary review documentation (VPD) states how uni-assist rates your grade within the German system, and our uni-assist guide walks through the process. Universities that take direct applications do the conversion themselves.
Where a certificate shows only subject marks and no overall grade, the KMK agreement says the overall grade is the average of the subject marks, using any weighting printed on the certificate.
What an NC is
NC stands for numerus clausus: a programme with more applicants than places. The NC figures you see online are not minimum grades fixed in advance. As Saxony's official study portal explains, an NC is the grade of the last person admitted in an earlier round, and it changes every round with the number and strength of applicants.
Non-EU applicants can end up in a separate pool. Freie Universitaet Berlin sets aside 8 percent of places in its restricted programmes for non-EU and stateless applicants and selects them on their average grade alone. In that pool your converted grade is effectively your whole application.
On the Studienkolleg route, two grades are averaged
A Nepali Class XII certificate on its own leads to a Studienkolleg, which ends in the Feststellungspruefung exam, rather than straight into a bachelor's; our Studienkolleg guide covers that route. For grades this matters because the KMK agreement then sets your overall grade as the average of your converted school grade and your Feststellungspruefung grade. A 2.2 from Nepal and a 1.8 in the exam make 2.0, so a strong exam result can lift a weak school record.
How German grades, credits and exams work once you are enrolled is explained in our post on the German academic system. If you would like us to run the numbers on your actual transcripts, our free profile evaluation does exactly that.
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