Hello everyone! Just started your university life in Spain and finding everything new and exciting? But when you get your first report card at the end of the semester, seeing a bunch of words like Sobresaliente or Notable instead of specific numbers can be a bit confusing, right? Don’t worry, today we’re going to break down how the Spanish university grading system works, so you can instantly understand your academic performance!
A Detailed Guide to Spanish University Grade Levels
Spanish universities generally use a 10-point scale, but on the final transcript, professors prefer to use qualitative grades. The system is actually quite simple, with the core idea being to divide the 0 to 10 scale into several tiers. In short, a score of 5 is a pass, and anything below 5 is a fail. The table below makes it crystal clear:
| Score Range | Spanish Grade | Abbr. | English Meaning |
|---|
| 10 | Matrícula de Honor | MH | Distinction with Honors |
| 9.0 - 10.0 | Sobresaliente | SB | Excellent |
| 7.0 - 8.9 | Notable | NT | Very Good |
| 5.0 - 6.9 | Aprobado | AP | Pass |
| 0 - 4.9 | Suspenso | SS | Fail |
What Does Each Grade Mean?
We won’t dwell on Aprobado (Pass) and Notable (Very Good), as most students’ grades fall into these two ranges. The key one is Sobresaliente (Excellent), which means your score is 9 or above—an outstanding achievement and definitely an A-student performance! But the most coveted grade of all is the Matrícula de Honor (MH)! This isn’t easy to get. Similar to the competition reflected in Spanish university admission scores, the MH is typically awarded only to the top-ranking student in a course. Receiving an MH is not only the highest honor, but many universities will also reward you with a tuition fee waiver for a course with the same number of credits in the following academic year! Feeling motivated yet?
What we least want to see is Suspenso (Fail). Failing a course means you’ll have to take a resit exam or, even worse, retake the entire course the following year. It costs not only extra time and effort but will hit your wallet too. So, to meet the standard grades for studying at a Spanish university, you need to study hard. Definitely don’t fail!
Your final GPA is calculated as a weighted average of the grade for each course and its corresponding credits. Therefore, courses with higher credit values will have a greater impact on your overall grade—this is a key part of your academic record, just as aspects like IELTS scores for Spanish universities are for admissions. We hope this quick guide was helpful! We also welcome any top students to share their experience of getting an MH!
