Swedish Grades: A-F, Meritvarde and University Admission

What a Swedish report card actually says, how grades become the points that decide upper-secondary and university places, how foreign grades are converted, and which children will be graded on the new 1–10 scale.

When you need this

Your child brings home a Swedish report card and you’re not sure whether a D is good news. Your teenager is choosing upper-secondary programmes and everyone talks about antagningspoäng (last year’s cut-off score). You moved mid-way through school and wonder how the old report cards count. Or you’re applying to a Swedish university with a foreign diploma and want to know how it will be ranked. And somewhere you read that Sweden is abolishing the F.

The A–F scale

Swedish pupils are graded by their own teachers against national grading criteria, not on a curve. Grades are set at the end of every term from year 6 of compulsory school (grundskola).

The trap for newcomers: E is not “excellent”. It is the lowest pass. A pupil who meets most, but not all, of the E criteria gets an F. If absence leaves the teacher nothing to assess, no grade is set at all and the subject shows blank.

Meritvärde: how grades decide upper secondary

At 15 or 16, the final grades from compulsory school (slutbetyg) turn into a single number, the meritvärde (merit value). Upper secondary (gymnasium) is voluntary, but popular programmes have more applicants than places, and places are ranked by this number.

The calculation is set in the upper-secondary ordinance:

1. Take the 16 best grades in the final report.
2. Convert each one: A 20, B 17.5, C 15, D 12.5, E 10, F 0.
3. Add them up. The maximum is 320.
4. If the pupil studied a modern language as their language choice, that grade can be added as a 17th. The maximum becomes 340.

A pupil with C in every subject, including the language, ends up at 255. Only the 16 best count, so one weak subject outside the top 16 costs nothing.

Eligibility comes before points

Merit value only ranks pupils who are eligible. Under the rules that apply until the 2031 admission round:

Warning: an F in English, maths or Swedish blocks every national programme, whatever the total. The pupil starts on an introductory programme instead (see Swedish schools for newcomer families).

Timing

Applications open in the final year. If the pupil hasn’t finished compulsory school when applying, selection uses the autumn-term grades of that year, and the final admission decision should be made before 1 July. Each school owner runs its own admission office and publishes cut-off scores. Those are last year’s figures, not a promise: a pupil exactly at last year’s score can still miss out. Arts programmes may add an aptitude test.

Foreign grades and upper secondary

Families who arrive with foreign report cards have three protections in the law:

• Comparable knowledge counts as a pass. Knowledge gained outside Swedish compulsory school is treated as a pass grade in the matching subject.
• English can be waived for a pupil who, for special personal reasons, couldn’t study it for much of compulsory school and is judged able to cope.
• A free quota (fri kvot): schools set aside a limited number of places for applicants with special reasons or from schools whose grades can’t readily be compared with Swedish ones. The school owner decides how many.

Contact the municipality’s admission office early and ask about the free quota. Bring old report cards with a key to the grading scale, because any conversion needs the scale’s maximum and its pass mark. Choosing between municipal and independent schools is its own topic (see friskolor and school choice).

University admission: the 10–22.5 scale

At 18 or 19, upper-secondary grades become a jämförelsetal (comparison number) for bachelor’s admission:

1. Each grade gets the same values: F 0, E 10, D 12.5, C 15, B 17.5, A 20.
2. Each value is multiplied by the upper-secondary points that subject level carries.
3. The sum for a full programme is divided by 2,400 and given to two decimals, so the result runs from 10 to 20.
4. Up to 2.5 meritpoäng (merit points) are added for advanced levels: at most 1.5 for modern languages, 1.0 for English and 1.5 for maths.

That gives the merit rating of 10 to 22.5 that University Admissions in Sweden ranks applicants on. Since autumn 2025, upper secondary gives subject grades (ämnesbetyg) instead of course grades, but the divisor and the 22.5 ceiling are unchanged.

How places are shared

At least one third of places on every programme go by grades. The test is a genuine second route: results stay valid for eight years (see högskoleprovet). Master’s admission is different: each university sets its own merit rating, often based on previous credits, grades and documents.

Universities must waive an entry requirement when an applicant can manage the course without it, and may do so for other special reasons. Residents of Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Norway who are eligible for higher education there are eligible in Sweden too.

Foreign grades and university

The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) handles the conversion in two steps:

1. Your grade average is converted onto the Swedish 10–20 scale, either by a country table or by a formula based on your scale’s maximum and its pass mark.
2. A merit-point compensation is added, because foreign curricula can’t earn Swedish merit points. It runs from 0.5 for the lowest averages to 2.5 for the highest.

You then compete in grade group BI alongside Swedish applicants, not on a separate list. The assessment happens as part of your application; you can also ask UHR for an assessment in advance if you’re unsure whether a diploma qualifies. Every bachelor’s applicant must also document English at the level of the Swedish course English 6, native speakers included.

Good to know: UHR replaced its admission regulation (UHRFS 2013:1) with UHRFS 2024:7 for programmes starting after 30 June 2025. Older guides cite the old regulation and its section numbers.

Whether you pay tuition depends on citizenship, not grades (see tuition fees in Sweden). For life after admission, see exchange students in Sweden: the first two weeks.

The new 1–10 scale from autumn 2028

The F is going, but not overnight. Lag (2026:1243) is passed and in the statute book:

The new grade is a whole number from 1 to 10, 10 highest and 1 lowest, with no sharp pass line. It is not a renamed A–F, so don’t compare grades one-to-one. Two more changes follow:

• From autumn 2031, eligibility for upper secondary becomes a merit value of at least 4, combining grades with new national final tests (nationella slutprov).
• Upper-secondary diploma for 2028 entrants: an average of 4 or higher on at least 2,250 of the programme’s points, including a 4 on the diploma project.

The year numbers also change in 2028, when school becomes ten numbered years (see Swedish schools for newcomer families). The rollout is already a year later than the original inquiry proposed, and the digital national tests have been postponed.

Decided, not a proposal: the 1–10 scale is law (Lag 2026:1243) and starts in autumn 2028, not 2027 as some older guides say.

Practical information

FAQ

What do Swedish grades A to F mean?

A is the highest grade and E the lowest pass; F is a fail. To get E, a pupil must meet every criterion for E. C and A have their own criteria, while D means knowledge between E and C and B between C and A. Teachers set grades against national criteria at the end of each term from year 6.

How is the meritvärde for upper secondary calculated?

Take the 16 best grades in the final compulsory-school report and convert them: A 20, B 17.5, C 15, D 12.5, E 10, F 0. Add them up. A pupil who studied a modern language as a language choice can add that grade as a 17th, so the maximum is 340. Popular programmes admit the highest totals first.

What merit value do you need for gymnasium?

There is no national minimum today. You need pass grades in the required subjects: eight for vocational programmes, twelve for higher-education preparatory ones. Beyond that, the cut-off depends on how many apply. From autumn 2031 eligibility instead becomes a merit value of at least 4 on the new 1–10 scale, combining grades and national final tests.

How are foreign grades counted for Swedish upper secondary?

Knowledge gained outside Swedish compulsory school counts as a pass in the matching subject, and English can be waived in some cases. Schools also keep a free quota of places for applicants whose grades cannot readily be compared with Swedish ones. Contact the municipality’s admission office early and bring report cards with a grading-scale key.

How does a Swedish university rank applicants?

Bachelor’s applicants get a merit rating from 10 to 22.5: an average of upper-secondary grades, 10 to 20, plus up to 2.5 merit points for advanced English, maths and modern languages. At least one third of places go by grades and at least one third by högskoleprovet results. Master’s programmes set their own criteria.

How does UHR convert foreign grades?

UHR first converts your grade average onto the Swedish 10–20 scale using a country table or a formula based on the foreign scale’s maximum and pass mark. It then adds a merit-point compensation of 0.5 to 2.5, larger for higher averages, because foreign curricula cannot earn Swedish merit points. You compete in grade group I.

Is Sweden getting rid of the F grade?

Yes, gradually. From autumn 2028 pupils starting years 1–8 of compulsory school or their first upper-secondary year are graded on a 1–10 scale with no sharp pass line. Pupils already in the final years then finish on A–F. The first upper-secondary admission based on the new merit value is in autumn 2031.

Related guides

• Swedish schools for newcomer families — placement, school years and the 2028 renumbering
• Exchange students in Sweden: the first two weeks — what comes after the admission letter
• Studenten — the celebration when upper secondary ends
• Learning Swedish as a newcomer — the route to Swedish-taught programmes
• The personnummer explained — the number admission portals ask for

Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Skollag 2010:800, Gymnasieförordning 2010:2039, Högskoleförordning 1993:100, Skolförordning 2011:185), Regeringskansliet, Universitets- och högskolerådet (UHR), Skolverket and TV4 — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.