UvA gives diploma inspite of insufficient marks

Students of the Humanities faculty of the University of Amsterdam can compensate fives with sevens so they can pass their first year. The only requirement is the students have a minimal average of 6.  

In the first semester of their study, students must obtain an average of 6 but are allowed to compensate their fives with sevens, says the Volkskrant. From the second semester on this is no longer possible, then only satisfactory grades will suffice. Not all students are happy with this, the student party Ons Kritisch Alternatief says it is a ‘huge deflation of their diploma’. They want students to pass all their subjects before given a diploma, without the possibility of compensating with higher grades.

Dean Frank van der Vree says this policy has nothing to do with earning more money or making students graduate faster. “The new policy is meant for students to become more active and committed.”