How a Chinese grade becomes a German one
None of the “85 means 2.1” tables online are binding, and the one APS publishes says so itself. Here is the method that actually sets your number, and the document that decides which values are used.
On this page
German conversion is set by a KMK resolution, not by a country table. Foreign grades are converted with the modified Bavarian formula, German grade = 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) / (Nmax − Nmin), where the KMK defines Nmax and Nmin as the upper and lower reference values from the ZAB’s evaluation proposals, held in the anabin database, and Nd is your average. The result is determined to one decimal place and is explicitly not rounded, so 2.875 is recorded as 2.8 rather than 2.9. APS, the German embassy’s academic evaluation office in Beijing, does publish a Chinese band table (100–90 → 1–1.5, 89–70 → 2–2.5, 69–64 → 3–3.5, 63–60 → 4), but states on the same page that it is indicative, can vary case by case, and is given without guarantee. uni-assist asks for your school’s grading system because that is what identifies which scale your transcript uses.
The method is public. The KMK resolution states the formula and defines every variable in it, so you can run your own number before anyone else does.
The table is not binding. APS marks its own band table as indicative, variable in individual cases, and given without guarantee, on the same page it prints it.
No grade proof costs you the worst band. The KMK states that qualifications documented only indirectly, without proof of grades, enter the calculation at the lowest passing grade.
Who it applies to
Applicants with a Chinese school or university transcript applying to a German university.
Key facts
Method
KMK formula
the modified Bavarian formula, not a country table [1]
Decimal handling
Not rounded
one decimal place, cut rather than rounded [1]
APS table status
No guarantee
APS states it is indicative and can vary [2]
Nmax and Nmin are the ZAB reference values in anabin. They are not yours to choose, and not your university’s.
Which situation is yours?
Find the row closest to you, then confirm the values that apply to your own qualification and submit the right document.
| Your situation | What the rule says | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| You want a rough idea first | APS publishes indicative bands: 100–90 → 1–1.5, 89–70 → 2–2.5, 69–64 → 3–3.5, 63–60 → 4 | Indicative [2] |
| You want the number that is actually used | Apply the KMK formula: 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) / (Nmax − Nmin), with Nmax and Nmin from the ZAB values in anabin | Use the formula [1][6] |
| Your transcript does not print a grading scale | uni-assist states it needs your school’s grading system and asks you to submit it if the certificate does not show it | Get the document [3][4] |
| Your result lands between two decimals | The grade is determined to one decimal place and is not rounded | Cut, not rounded [1] |
| You cannot prove your grades at all | Qualifications documented only indirectly, without grade proof, are counted at the lowest passing grade | Worst case [1] |
uni-assist states it calculates with the KMK values held in anabin and the modified Bavarian formula, and notes the passing mark and maximum grade it used on your scanned document so the university can see them. The converted grade can still be checked and adjusted against your documents, and the university makes the final decision.
Bottom line
Your German grade comes from the KMK’s modified Bavarian formula with the ZAB reference values held in anabin, given to one decimal place and not rounded. The APS band table is a sanity check and nothing more. [1][2]
The KMK resolution states the method and defines Nmax and Nmin as the ZAB reference values, while APS states that its own Chinese table is indicative, variable case by case, and without guarantee.
Look up the values for your qualification in anabin and run the formula, but submit your university’s official grading system with the application, because that is what identifies your scale.
Why no binding Chinese grade table exists
APS, the German embassy’s academic evaluation office in Beijing, does publish a Chinese conversion table, and it is the closest thing to an official Chinese reference: 100–90 gives 1–1.5, 89–70 gives 2–2.5, 69–64 gives 3–3.5, and 63–60 gives 4.
On the same page, APS puts the table in its place in its own words: it is meant to convey an impression, the conversion can vary in individual cases, and the information is therefore given without guarantee. The office that publishes the table does not treat it as the answer.
The binding rule sits elsewhere. The KMK resolution on setting the overall grade for foreign higher education entrance qualifications states that foreign grade values are converted with the modified Bavarian formula. A band table is a summary of that calculation, not a replacement for it. [2][1]
The formula, and whose two reference values it uses
The annex to the KMK resolution states it as X = 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) / (Nmax − Nmin), where X is the German grade sought and Nd is the foreign average.
Everything turns on the other two variables, and this is where most explanations go wrong. The KMK defines Nmax as the upper reference value according to the ZAB’s evaluation proposals and Nmin as the lower reference value from the same source. Those values live in anabin. They are not chosen by you, and not chosen by your university. The label “minimum passing grade at your university” on German self-service converters is a simplification for estimating, not the wording of the resolution.
uni-assist’s service catalogue confirms the same thing from the other side: it calculates with the KMK values held in anabin plus the modified Bavarian formula, and marks the passing mark and maximum grade it used on your scanned document. [1][5][6]
A worked example on the 100-point scale
Chinese university transcripts are commonly marked out of 100. The numbers below use Nmax = 100 and a lowest passing mark of 60, a pairing taken from the range of the APS table itself, which starts at 100 and whose lowest band ends at 60. This is a worked illustration of the cited formula, not a claim that anabin holds those two values for every Chinese qualification. Check your own in anabin.
On those values, 85 converts as 1 + 3 × (100 − 85) / (100 − 60) = 2.125, recorded as 2.1. A 90 gives 1.75, so 1.7. A 75 gives 2.875, so 2.8. That last step is not rounding: the KMK states the grade is cut at one decimal, which is worth a tenth of a grade at almost every value.
Put that beside the APS table and the two do not always agree. A 70 computes to 3.2 on these values, while the APS table places 70 in the 2–2.5 band. That gap is exactly why APS writes its own table off as being without guarantee, and why the thing to check is the formula with your anabin values rather than a table you memorised. [2][1]
The document that decides which scale applies
uni-assist’s China page is direct about it: in order to calculate your grade it needs your school’s grading system, and if that is not shown on your certificate you have to submit it as well. There is no fixed Chinese Nmin in that sentence, because what settles the calculation is which scale your transcript is on.
The certificates page is stricter still: it requires an official document on your university’s grading system, such as the examination regulations, issued or published by the university, and states that links to anabin or Wikipedia are not enough. Use anabin to understand your number; submit your university’s own document with the application. [3][4]
What happens if a grade cannot be proved
One clause in the KMK resolution is easy to miss and expensive: qualifications that can only be documented indirectly, without proof of grades, are included in the calculation at the lowest passing grade. A gap in your documents is not treated as neutral, it is treated as the worst band.
If you would rather not manage the formula, the grading-system document and the format uni-assist expects, that is the part we handle for you. [1]
Grade clear, route still open?
Knowing what your average becomes in the German system is half of it. The other half is which application route that qualification opens. Five questions and you have it.
- Five questions, roughly two minutes
- No account and no payment
- Your route and the documents it needs, by email
- An advisor takes over where your case is not clear-cut
Our fee includes uni-assist's handling fee, and your documents are checked before you pay anything.
The formula above is the KMK’s. The route here is our preliminary reading of it, not an official evaluation.
How can you apply to Germany?
About 2 minutes · No password required
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that 85 means 2.1?
Only as a rough guide. The number does follow from the formula with Nmax = 100 and a lowest passing mark of 60, but the KMK requires the ZAB reference values held in anabin, and APS marks its own table as being without guarantee.
Why is 2.875 recorded as 2.8 and not 2.9?
The KMK resolution states that the grade is determined to one decimal place and is not rounded. It is cut, not rounded up.
Is Nmin my own university’s pass mark?
The KMK wording is the lower reference value from the ZAB’s evaluation proposals, held in anabin. The phrase “minimum passing grade at your university” on German self-service converters is a simplification for estimating.
Can I just send uni-assist an anabin link?
No. uni-assist requires an official grading-system document issued or published by your university, such as the examination regulations, and states that links to anabin or Wikipedia are not enough.
Is the converted grade final?
No. It is checked and adjusted if necessary against your submitted documents, and the university makes the final decision on both the grade and admission.
How current is this information?
It rests on the KMK resolution in its 12 September 2013 version, the APS conversion table, and uni-assist’s China and certificates pages, checked on 27 August 2026.
Sources
- [1]KMK, resolution on setting the overall grade for foreign qualifications (12 September 2013) · Last reviewed:
- [2]APS Beijing, Notenumrechnung: the Chinese grade band table and the formula · Last reviewed:
- [3]uni-assist e.V., country information China · Last reviewed:
- [4]uni-assist e.V., educational certificates: the grading-system document required · Last reviewed:
- [5]uni-assist e.V., service catalogue: grade calculation uses the modified Bavarian formula and the anabin/KMK values · Last reviewed:
- [6]anabin (KMK/ZAB), the database holding the ZAB reference values · Last reviewed:
Not sure about your own documents?
Our fee includes uni-assist's handling fee, and your documents are checked before you pay anything.
Get my next stepUniversity ApplicationChecked 27 August 2026: the KMK resolution, the APS Beijing conversion table, and uni-assist’s China and certificates pages