What EQF level is a master's degree under the Bologna Process?

A master's degree in the Bologna Process is placed at EQF (European Qualifications Framework) Level 7. Level 7 is characterised by highly specialised knowledge with critical awareness of frontier issues, integration of knowledge across complex problems, and the ability to contribute to professional knowledge and practice. A typical master's programme awards 90–120 ECTS credits (usually 2 academic years). The Diploma Supplement for a master's degree must state EQF Level 7 and summarise the learning outcomes at that level.

How is a PhD degree graded under the Bologna Process?

PhD degrees (EQF Level 8) are not typically graded through coursework alone, the primary evaluation is the doctoral thesis examined through a public defence (viva voce). The defence outcome varies by national convention: in Germany, grades Sehr Gut/Gut/Befriedigend/Ausreichend are used; in the Netherlands, Cum Laude is awarded for exceptional dissertations; in France, the jury deliberates on Tres Honorable avec Felicitations. ECTS grading applies to structured coursework components of the PhD but not to the dissertation itself. The Diploma Supplement at EQF Level 8 describes the research contribution rather than listing module grades.

What is the Diploma Supplement and when is it issued?

The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document issued alongside the degree certificate to all graduates of Bologna-compliant institutions, automatically and free of charge. It provides a standardised description of the qualification in eight sections, including personal information, qualification details, level (EQF), contents and results, professional function, additional information, institutional certification, and a description of the national higher education system. For postgraduate graduates, the DS is the primary instrument for international recognition under the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

How does OpenEduCat support Bologna postgraduate grading?

OpenEduCat supports ECTS norm-referenced grade distribution at the module level for postgraduate cohorts. EQF Level 7 (master's) and Level 8 (PhD) programmes are configured separately with appropriate assessment models, coursework for master's, coursework and dissertation defence for PhD. The Diploma Supplement is generated automatically from the student record at graduation with all eight DS sections populated. Cross-border grade conversion matrices map local grades to ECTS for recognition decisions.

Gradebook, Bologna Process

Bologna Postgraduate Grading

Under the Bologna Process, master's degrees sit at EQF Level 7 and doctoral degrees at EQF Level 8. The ECTS grading table applies to postgraduate coursework using the same norm-referenced A–E distribution (A = top 10%, B = next 25%, C = next 30%, D = next 25%, E = lowest 10%) as undergraduate programmes. The Diploma Supplement for postgraduate awards must reference the EQF level and include the ECTS grade distribution table. Doctoral thesis defence outcomes are reported through national conventions rather than ECTS grades. OpenEduCat supports ECTS distribution calculation, EQF-level programme configuration, and automatic Diploma Supplement generation for postgraduate institutions across 49 Bologna signatory states.

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ECTS Grade Table: Postgraduate Level

Norm-referenced ECTS grades at EQF Level 7 (master's) and EQF Level 8 (PhD coursework). Distribution percentages apply to the cohort of passing students only.

ECTS Grade	Label	Cohort Distribution	EQF Levels	Notes
A	Excellent	Top 10%	EQF 7 / 8	Outstanding performance. ECTS A is awarded to the top 10% of successful students in a cohort. At postgraduate level this signals exceptional mastery for PhD applications and academic career entry.
B	Very Good	Next 25%	EQF 7 / 8	Above average performance. ECTS B is awarded to the next 25% of successful students (cumulative 35% from top). Sufficient for most competitive postgraduate scholarship applications within the EHEA.
C	Good	Next 30%	EQF 7 / 8	Average performance meeting all requirements well. ECTS C spans the next 30% (cumulative 65% from top). The majority of passing students fall in the B–C band at most European postgraduate institutions.
D	Satisfactory	Next 25%	EQF 7 / 8	Passing performance meeting minimum requirements. ECTS D covers the next 25% (cumulative 90% from top). Sufficient to complete the programme but may limit access to competitive research positions.
E	Sufficient	Lowest 10%	EQF 7 / 8	Minimum passing performance. ECTS E is awarded to the lowest 10% of passing students. The distinction between D and E exists to inform recipients and employers about relative cohort performance.
FX	Fail (with resit)	Fail	N/A	Fail, some work required. FX indicates the student has marginally failed and may be eligible for a resit or resubmission. Not all Bologna member institutions implement FX separately.
F	Fail (repeat)	Fail	N/A	Fail, considerable work required. F indicates a significant fail requiring the module or year to be repeated. At PhD level, a failed thesis defence is typically reported as F by the doctoral committee.

Source: European Commission ECTS Users Guide 2015 and European Qualifications Framework (EQF). ECTS grades are norm-referenced to the cohort of successful (passing) students. Dissertation defence outcomes at EQF Level 8 follow national conventions.

Bologna Postgraduate Programme Types

Master's (EQF 7), doctoral (EQF 8), ECTS norm-referenced distribution, and the Diploma Supplement, each with distinct cross-border implications.

Master's Programmes (EQF Level 7)

Bologna Process / EQF

Master's degrees in the Bologna Process are placed at EQF Level 7. A typical master's programme is 90–120 ECTS credits (typically 2 years). ECTS grades are applied at the module level and the overall qualification grade may be an average, a weighted average, or a committee-determined final classification depending on the national system. In Germany, the Gesamtnote (overall grade) uses a 1.0–4.0 scale (1.0 = best); in France, mention (Passable, Assez Bien, Bien, Tres Bien, Felicitations) is used. The Diploma Supplement includes the ECTS grade table for the qualification level to enable cross-border comparison.

Doctoral Programmes (EQF Level 8)

Bologna Process / EQF

Doctoral degrees (PhD, DrSc, DEng) sit at EQF Level 8, the highest level of the European Qualifications Framework. Doctoral programmes do not typically use ECTS credit grading for the dissertation itself, since doctoral work is evaluated through examination (viva voce, public defence) rather than coursework marks. However, coursework components of structured PhD programmes are ECTS-graded. The doctoral thesis defence outcome is reported nationally (e.g., Austria uses Sehr Gut/Gut/Befriedigend/Geniigend; Netherlands uses Cum Laude/Bene Merito/Merito). The Diploma Supplement for PhD must reference EQF Level 8 and describe the research contribution.

ECTS Grading Table and Norm-Referenced Distribution

European Commission / ECTS Users Guide

The ECTS grading table is norm-referenced, grades A through E are assigned based on statistical rank within the cohort of successful students (those who passed). Grade A goes to the top 10%, B to the next 25%, C to the next 30%, D to the next 25%, and E to the lowest 10%. This means the ECTS grade carries information about relative cohort performance rather than absolute marks. Institutions are required to publish their national grade-to-ECTS conversion tables in the Diploma Supplement and course catalogue so that receiving institutions can accurately interpret transferred grades.

Diploma Supplement at Postgraduate Level

European Commission / Council of Europe / UNESCO

The Diploma Supplement (DS) is issued automatically and free of charge to all graduates at European Bologna-compliant institutions. At postgraduate level, the DS includes: programme title and EQF level (7 for master's, 8 for PhD), ECTS credits awarded, access requirements (qualifying bachelor or master's degree), language of instruction, learning outcomes and professional status, and the ECTS grading table for the qualification level. Bologna signatory states (49 countries as of 2024) have committed to issuing the DS and recognising degrees awarded under the same framework via the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

How OpenEduCat Manages Bologna Postgraduate Grading

ECTS norm-referenced distribution, EQF level programme setup, automatic Diploma Supplement generation, and cross-border grade conversion, all pre-configured for Bologna-compliant institutions.

ECTS grading at postgraduate level with norm-referenced distribution

Postgraduate ECTS grades are norm-referenced, requiring cohort-wide distribution calculations at the end of each module. OpenEduCat computes the ECTS grade for each student based on their rank among the cohort of passing students. The system flags cohorts where the distribution deviates significantly from the expected A/B/C/D/E percentages, alerting the quality assurance office to review the assessment before grade publication.

EQF Level 7 and Level 8 programme configuration

Master's and doctoral programmes are configured separately at EQF Level 7 and Level 8 respectively. OpenEduCat supports the distinct assessment models for each: coursework grading for master's programmes, structured PhD coursework grading, and Pass/Fail dissertation defence recording for doctoral programmes. EQF level is printed on all official academic documents to satisfy Diploma Supplement requirements.

Diploma Supplement generation for postgraduate awards

The Diploma Supplement is generated automatically from the student academic record at the point of graduation. For postgraduate students, the DS includes EQF level (7 or 8), ECTS credits, programme learning outcomes, ECTS grading table for the cohort, and the Lisbon Recognition Convention statement. Sections 1–8 of the DS follow the European Commission standard template, with institution-specific information in Section 6.

Cross-border recognition and automatic grade conversion

Students transferring between Bologna member state institutions need their postgraduate grades converted to the receiving institution's national scale. OpenEduCat maintains a configurable national grade conversion matrix that maps the originating institution's local grade to the ECTS grade and then to the receiving institution's scale. This reduces manual conversion errors and ensures transcript equivalency is documented for recognition decisions.

Understanding Bologna Postgraduate Grading

The Bologna Process, now encompassing 49 signatory states through the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), restructured European higher education into three cycles: bachelor (EQF Level 6), master's (EQF Level 7), and doctoral (EQF Level 8). This three-cycle structure, combined with the ECTS credit system and the Diploma Supplement, provides the infrastructure for cross-border recognition of postgraduate qualifications across signatory states.

The ECTS grading table at postgraduate level functions identically to the undergraduate level, A = top 10%, B = next 25%, C = next 30%, D = next 25%, E = lowest 10% of passing students. The key distinction at postgraduate level is that the cohorts are typically smaller, making norm-referenced distribution more sensitive to individual outlier performance. A single student who scores significantly higher than the cohort may compress the B and C bands for others. Institutions should review the computed ECTS distribution before publishing module grades to ensure it reflects genuine performance differentiation.

Lisbon Recognition Convention and PG Degree Recognition

The Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997) commits Bologna signatory states to recognise qualifications from other signatory states unless substantial differences can be demonstrated. For postgraduate qualifications, this means that a master's degree from a French institution should be recognised for admission to a doctoral programme in Germany, Norway, or Turkey without requiring a full re-evaluation of the programme content. The Diploma Supplement is the primary instrument that enables recognition offices to assess a postgraduate qualification quickly and consistently across the EHEA.

Related Bologna Process Gradebook Pages

Bologna Process Hub Bologna Undergraduate Grading Bologna Transcripts Bologna Reattempt

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Bologna postgraduate ECTS grading, EQF levels, and the Diploma Supplement.

The ECTS grading table for postgraduate programmes uses the same A–E scale as undergraduate programmes, but applied to the cohort of successful master's or doctoral students. Grade A is awarded to the top 10% of passing students, B to the next 25%, C to the next 30%, D to the next 25%, and E to the lowest 10%. The distribution is based on all students who pass the module or programme, students who fail (FX or F) are excluded from the distribution calculation.

Automate Bologna-compliant postgraduate grading

ECTS norm-referenced distribution, EQF Level 7/8 programme configuration, automatic Diploma Supplement generation, and cross-border grade conversion, pre-configured for Bologna-compliant postgraduate institutions.

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