Grades and study results

How do educational institutions assess study results in Ethiopia? And what documents do students receive when they have completed a study programme?

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Secondary education study results

The Educational Assessment and Examinations Services (EAES) scores each subject between 0 and 100 (subject mark):

  • A score of 50 or higher is a pass.
  • The scores of all subjects are added up and result in a total score.
  • On the diploma, the total score is mentioned behind ‘Total’.

Checking study results online

You can check the study results online via the website of the EAES. The website may not work (temporarily).

Secondary education documents

The following documents allow students to prove that they have completed Ethiopian secondary education:

Please note:

  • Only diplomas issued by the EAES/NEAEA are official. Students often receive a diploma and transcript from their secondary school as well. However, these documents are not sufficient for a credential evaluation.
  • Students always receive the diploma, even if they have not passed or if they have failed a number of exams. Therefore, you have to take a good look at the results of a student in order to determine the level of the diploma. We explain in which case we compare the (E)SSLE to a HAVO diploma under Ethiopian Secondary School Leaving Examination (ESSLE).

Higher education study results

Ethiopian higher education institutions assess study results by using the following grading system:

Letter Grade points) Classification Description
A+ 4 First class with great distinction Excellent
A 4 First class with great distinction Excellent
A- 3.75 First class with great distinction Excellent
B+ 3.5 First class with distinction Very good
B 3 First class with distinction Very good
B- 2.75 First class Good
C+ 2.5 Second class Good
C 2 Second class Satisfactory
C- 1.75 Lower class Unsatisfactory
D 1 Lower class Very poor
Fx 0 Lowest class Fail
F 0 Lowest class Fail

Higher education documents

For higher education, students must show all their diplomas and transcripts.

Please note: usually, students first receive a provisional diploma: a Temporary Certificate of Graduation. They can receive the diploma later, often after they have fully paid off their tuition fees. In Ethiopia, this is called: ‘discharge of cost-sharing duty’.

Ethiopian calendar

Ethiopia has its own calendar: the Ethiopian Calendar. It is 8 years behind the Gregorian Calendar, the calendar we use. Which calendar is used on documents, depends on the educational institution. They usually indicate it with an abbreviation on the diplomas or transcripts: E.C. stands for the Ethiopian Calendar, G.C. is our (Gregorian) calendar. If nothing is mentioned about it on the documents, the educational institution uses the Ethiopian Calendar.

If you want to convert a graduation date from the Ethiopian Calendar to the date according to our calendar, there are several websites on the internet that can convert the date for you (converters). You can find such a website by searching the internet for 'Ethiopian calendar converter', for example.