What is the cutoff grade?
The cut-off grade is the university admission grade obtained by the last student to enter a degree at a specific university.
How is it calculated?
The cut-off grade is calculated by ordering from highest to lowest all the admission scores of students who have applied for a place in that university degree. With the number of places available, applications are accepted in that established grade order. the grade of the last admitted being the so-called cut-off grade.
We give an example of calculation for a certain race. There are 10 places and 12 candidates (unrealistic case, since normally 100 to 500 places are offered per year). We order their scores from highest to lowest and then "cut" to the candidate who occupies tenth place. That grade will be the cut-off mark for that year for that degree at that university.
You should not confuse the cut-off mark with the access mark! The cut-off grade is the grade necessary to access a university degree. The access grade is the grade that each student presents to apply for a certain degree. If your access grade does not equal or exceed the cut-off grade, you will not be able to study that degree at that university. If you want to know how to calculate it, click here
Characteristics of the cut notes
1. The cutoff note is GUIDANCE. It changes from year to year, so one year can be higher or lower. It does not usually vary much, but a few tenths. Of course, do not expect it to drop more than one point.
2. It is only valid for public universities. If you want to enter a private university you must check the access requirements for that specific degree.
3. It has no relation to the difficulty of the grade. High cut-off marks only explain a lot of demand from students, but it is more than possible that a university degree is easier than another with a lower cut-off mark.
4. There are studies that do not have a cut-off score. That is, they have a cut-off score of 5. They mean that these careers offer more places than those demanded and do not fill their quotas. This is especially interesting if you have appeared in the extraordinary call and there are no places in most of the grades, since they have been filled with the ordinary call.
Definitions about access to university
access note
The access grade is the result of weighting the high school grade (usually 60% of the grade) with the grades from the general phase presented in Selectivity (the remaining 40%). It is represented with a score out of 10 points. The minimum grade for each of the parts must be 4 points, with 5 being the minimum access grade that is considered for access to the university. This phase does not expire and is valid indefinitely.
Admission note
The admission grade is the result of adding the weightings of the specific subjects presented to the access grade. They can raise the grade up to 4 points, with 14 being the maximum grade. For this optional phase, exams with a grade equal to or greater than 5 are taken into account. This grade is multiplied by a weighting coefficient, which can be 0,1 or 0,2. Therefore, it is very important to know these coefficients in order to obtain the highest admission grade. This phase is valid for 2 years.
What is the cut-off mark for my university degree?
Before finishing, you may want to know the cut-off mark for the course and university you want to access. As we have already mentioned, they vary slightly from year to year, so you should be careful to be aware of these changes. Escuela PCE has the updated cut notes so that you can see in the current school year the grades that you have to have as a reference to know the difficulty of entering the desired grade.
32 comments on "What is the cut-off mark?"
If my son re-enrolls in math to raise his grade, will it count toward his first exam?
Yes, it's fine until you pass it with a higher grade.
Good morning, I wanted to ask a few questions. I have a son who wants to study medicine in Spain. He already has a nursing degree from Chile. My question is, can he enter via the PCE, and if the university allows him to validate some subjects?
Could you also tell me what tests he should take to achieve his goal?
I appreciate in advance any guidance on this matter.
Hi Kezia. The normal thing would be to take the PCE and then try to validate subjects, as you say. The tests that you would have to take would be the PCE and the subjects would depend on the destination university. If you tell us which university we could help you. Best regards.
Hello, I didn't do the ordinary evau because I had to retake Bach so now I have enrolled for July but I don't know what the cut-off mark is that I should pay attention to. I would like to know because I didn't show up at first, I'm showing up now.
Good evening, my son will just receive his high school degree in Caracas. Up to the 4th year of high school, his average is 18.54. Please I need guidance regarding the admission process and requirements that must be met for the University of A Coruña. for Degree in Data Science and Teaching O 9,880. He plans to start next year.
Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give me.
Hello Judnel. Please get in touch via info@escuelapce.com or via WhatsApp to discuss the procedure. All the best.
Hello my greetings
They are the mother of a teenager who finished high school this year in Cuba and was awarded a degree in Medicine. He finished high school with an index of 99.51 based on 100 and will have the possibility of taking the PCE tests. What would be your admission grade to enter universities in Spain. How can I access to request your registration or pre-registration. Hracias
Hello Yamila, we have written to you by email responding to your query.
All the best