New degree certificate presented by Rector Magnificus Elmer Sterken

On Thursday 3 October, Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen, Elmer Sterken, presented the very first degree certificate with a new-style Diploma Supplement. The Diploma Supplement includes what is referred to as an ‘ECTS grading table’, which shows how the student has performed in comparison with other students who have completed the same programme over the past three years. Sterken has been presenting this diploma to Anitra van der Kraan, who has passed the Master’s degree programme in Humanitarian Action.

Grading table

The grading table will be particularly useful to students taking internationally oriented programmes such as Humanitarian Action, an international double degree Master’s programme. The Dutch grading system (a scale of 1 to 10) is not recognized in every country, which makes the marks difficult to interpret for the purposes of international follow-on degree programmes or by prospective employers. Furthermore, an 8 in one programme is not necessarily worth the same as an 8 in another programme.

The grading table provides statistical information about the marks allocated within a degree programme over the previous three years. It explains the value of a mark and gives an indication of the student’s performance in comparison with his/her own or previous cohorts. The grading table is available for every Bachelor’s and Master’s programme at the University of Groningen and is printed on the Diploma Supplement awarded to every student graduating from the University of Groningen.

Diploma Supplement

The grading table is part of the Diploma Supplement. This supplement to the diploma provides an independent assessment of the nature, level, context, content and status of the programme concerned. The Diploma Supplement enhances international transparency and recognition of Dutch degree certificates.  

More information

- Information on Grading Table and Diploma Supplement

- Regine van Groningen