Grading systems
Secondary education grades
Schools in secondary education use the grades 1 to 6, where 2 is the lowest passing grade. Often they only give a description and not a grade.
| Grade | Description | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | celujący | excellent |
| 5 | bardzo dobry | very good |
| 4 | dobry | good |
| 3 | dostateczny | sufficient |
| 2 | dopuszczający or mierny | acceptable or moderate |
| 1 | niedostateczny | insufficient |
Maturity exam grades
The grades of the maturity exam have their own system: the results vary from 0 to 100%. Students have to achieve a minimum of 30% in all subjects in order to pass.
Higher education grades
The higher education institutions may choose which grading system to use. Usually, the institutions use the grades 2 to 5, where 3 is the lowest passing grade. Sometimes they make a subdivision:
- 2, 3, 3½, 4, 4½ and 5; or
- 2, 3, 3+, 4, 4+ and 5.
| Grade | Description | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | bardzo dobry | very good |
| 4+ or 4½ | dobry plus or plus dobry or ponad dobry | good plus or plus good or above good |
| 4 | dobry | good |
| 3+ or 3½ | dosc dobry of plus dostateczny of dostateczny plus | fairly good or sufficient plus |
| 3 | dostateczny | sufficient |
| 2 | niedostateczny | insufficient |
| - | zaliczono | pass |
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
Polish higher education institutions use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for their study programmes. The system is based on 60 credits per academic year. The standard requirements are:
- 180 or 210 credits for a bachelor’s programme;
- 90 or 120 credits for a master’s programme.
Exception:
- 270 to 360 credits for long-cycle programmes.
You can find more information on ECTS in the European Commission's ECTS Users’ Guide.