Academic grading in Belgium


is organised on the level of the three communities.

French Community of Belgium

Higher education

In the French Community of Belgium, the approximate following grade scale applies to university and college students:
GradeAverage grade Used scale
Plus grande distinction Excellent 17,50 – 20
Grande distinction Very Good 15,50 – 17,50
Distinction Good 13,50 – 15,50
Satisfaction Sufficient 12 – 13,50
Réussite Sufficient 10 – 12
AjournéFailure < 10

Grades for each course in the French Community's higher education system are noted on 20, with pass set at 10.
The grades on 20 and the percentages in brackets vary from one university/college to another and can even be different for different faculties within the same institution. Moreover, they are updated each year according to the proportion of students in each grade the preceding year, in the said faculty.
Academic grading does noes occur at the end of each year anymore, but rather at the level of the entire degree.
Each university decides whether doctoral theses get grades or not.

Secondary education

Secondary school grades are delivered in percentages, with pass at 50%. While most secondary schools have suppressed honours and ranking of pupils, some still use them, like the Athénée Robert Catteau in Brussels, which uses a roughly equivalent system to universities, at the end of each year:
In Flanders each university has a different grading system. At UGent the following grading system applies to higher education: