The examination results and the grading system - HiOA - Student

Examination results and grading system

Examination results and grading system

Grades and grading system applicable at OsloMet.
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When will I receive my examination grade?

You will get your grade 15 working days after the examination date in Studentweb. If the deadline falls on a public holiday, it will be extended until the next working day.

The announcement of grades for Master’s Theses is six weeks after the submission date.

  • Credit system and grading

    The academic year normally runs from mid-August to mid-June and last for 10 months. Courses are measured in study points ("studiepoeng"), considered equivalent to the European Credit Transfer System standard (ECTS credits). The full-time workload for one academic year is 1500-1800 hours of study (60 "studiepoeng"). 

    The Norwegian grading system consists of two grading scales: one scale with the grades pass or fail and one graded scale from A to E for pass and F for fail. The graded scale has the following qualitative descriptions:

    • A - Excellent. An excellent performance, clearly outstanding. The candidate demonstrates excellent judgement and a high degree of independent thinking.
    • B - Very good. A very good performance. The candidate demonstrates sound judgement and a very good degree of independent thinking.
    • C - Good. A good performance in most areas. The candidate demonstrates a reasonable degree of judgement and independent thinking in the most important areas.
    • D - Satisfactory. A satisfactory performance, but with significant shortcomings. The candidate demonstrates a limited degree of judgement and independent thinking.
    • E - Sufficient. A performance that meets the minimum criteria, but no more. The candidate demonstrates a very limited degree of judgement and independent thinking.
    • F - Fail. A performance that does not meet the minimum academic criteria. The candidate demonstrates an absence of both judgement and independent thinking.

    Grade distribution

    The distribution of grades is shown by the percentage for courses using the graded scale A - F. Fail (F) is not included in the distribution. All results from the last five years are included in the calculation. The distribution is also shown for courses that have been active for less than five years. There has to be at least 10 approved results during the period.

  • The "Pass/Fail" scale

    In this scale, there are only two grades:

    • Pass: The student meets or exceeds the minimum criteria set out in the curriculum or course description.
    • Fail: The student does not meet the minimum criteria set out in the curriculum or course description.

    The above are the Norwegian grading scales, which are employed by all Norwegian institutions of higher education.

    The letter grade scale follows the ECTS letter grade scale, but is applied in accordance with nationally established grading criteria. Each grade has a qualitative description. The scale is is a criterion-referenced assessment rather than a norm-referenced assessment. This means the grading scale assesses if students have achieved specific skills/understood certain concepts rather than ranking student performances against each other.

    The use of the grading scale is monitored by a national group appointed by the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions. The distribution of grades is evaluated in accordance with the ECTS grading scale.

    In the “Pass/Fail” scale, all students who pass are awarded the same grade, whether they only just satisfy the minimum or they exceed it.