Hello everyone, I am an American high school student looking to study International Relations at Gothenburg University. But I am confused if my grades are good enough to be admitted to the program.
– My unweighted GPA is about a 3.5/4.0, and according to the [official GPA conversion chart](https://www.antagning.se/sv/betyg-och-behorighet/utlandsk-gymnasieutbildning/sa-har-raknas-betygen-om/usa), this is equal to a 15.65/20 in Sweden. The direct mathematical translation should be about a 17.5 though. And a 4.0/4.0 is only a 19/20 instead of 20/20. Are American scores valued less than Swedish scores for some reason?
– I found the [admission data](https://www.uhr.se/studier-och-antagning/antagningsstatistik/detaljsida/?utbildningId=12286D45379E0B4FB8D0FA5AD054C273) for this program, and from what I could tell, it says that the minimum GPA score required to be admitted in 2022 is 21.68. But this makes no sense to me since I have read everywhere that the maximum GPA score in Sweden is 20. Where do the extra points come from? Can I get them as an international student?
– If the maximum GPA score an American can get is 19/20 in Sweden, than how is it possible to compete with Swedish students who have above 19? Is the admission and ranking process different for international students somehow?
I must be missing something here, because obviously it shouldn’t be impossible to be admitted. So if someone can explain what I’m not understanding, or simply if a 3.5 GPA is enough to be admitted to this program, i would be very appreciative. Thank you very much for reading.
4 comments
The way to get a score higher than 20 in Sweden is to do certain courses, but I have no idea how an international student is supposed to get them
Try looking for programs that are less popular. Check international relations in other unis for example.
The acceptance rate is like 3-5% and you essentially need perfect grades to get in. Swedish high school students can get extra credits for completing some optional coursework worth about 1,5 points. I’d say 15.65/20 is average. High-achievers can “quite easy” get better grades.
Looking at the earlier scores it also says that people have gotten in on 1.10 and 0.95 HP wich means hägskoleprov or collegetest. The “högskoleprov” is a test based on knowledge in swedish, math and english if I remember correctly. 1.10 is not awfully high. My best was 1.25 out of 2.00 total while my GPA was 20.16 with meritpoints. If there is an alternative to that for international people it might be worth looking into.