Italian Grades 30/30 and 110 e Lode for Grad School
Italian exam marks out of 30 and the voto di laurea out of 110 answer different questions: which to report where, and what Bristol and Fulbright ask.
Italian Grades 30/30 and 110 e Lode for Grad School
Italian graduates carry two numbers: the exam average out of 30 and the final mark (voto di laurea) out of 110. They answer different questions. Fulbright Italy's form says its GPA field must be calculated "sulla media dei voti degli esami e non sul voto di laurea". Bristol's entry rule quotes the final mark: 104/110 or above for taught master's.
So the question "what is 110 e lode in GPA?" is the wrong one. Neither number is a GPA, and the forms you fill in will ask for one or the other, or both. Our recommendation: report both numbers, each labeled with its scale, and convert only where a form tells you exactly how. The rest of this page shows which number goes where, and the one sentence your statement of purpose needs.
The Fulbright Italy, Bristol, Berkeley and Bocconi pages quoted below were checked on October 31, 2026. The Fulbright Italy self-placed award for 2027–28 closes on Monday, November 30, 2026, at 23:59, per its call page.
Two numbers, two jobs
| Number | Scale | What it measures | Who asks for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam average (media dei voti) | 18 to 30, with lode | Your exams, averaged | GPA fields, e.g. Fulbright Italy's form |
| Final mark (voto di laurea) | out of 110 | The degree's final result, which can include thesis points | Entry lines, e.g. Bristol's 104/110 |
The pass range in the table comes from Bocconi's academic system page, which says: "A mark of between 18 and 30 out of thirty is considered satisfactory." That is one university's statement; read your own transcript's legend for the range it uses.
The Fulbright Italy application form shows the split directly. In the IIE instructions for Italian applicants (A.A. 2027/28), the GPA field reads "Enter your final cumulative Grade Point Average, as noted on your transcripts or diploma". The Italian note under it says: "Il calcolo dovrà essere effettuato sulla media dei voti degli esami e non sul voto di laurea." For the next field, the highest possible GPA, the note says: "Informazione non rilevante per la candidatura. Scrivere 4.0."
That is a funder converting for its own form, with its own instruction. It points applicants to an online converter for this one field. It is not a rule for university applications.
Why the two numbers differ: one university's formula
The two numbers are not the same measure on two scales. Bocconi's 2025–26 guide for its two-year master's programs shows why. Its final mark starts from the exam average "converted into a mark out of 110", then adds "0 to 8 points (out of 110)" for a research thesis and its defense, and 1 point for graduating within the first two sessions, with a combined cap of 8. The board can award lode only with a "graduation grade of at least 111". In that GPA, "a mark of 30 "cum laude" is expressed as 31".
Our arithmetic, assuming a straight proportional conversion (the guide does not show the formula): an exam average of 27/30 becomes 99/110, so even the full 8 points end at 107/110. To reach the 111 that makes lode possible, the converted average must be at least 103, which is an exam average of about 28.1/30.
So the final mark mixes your exams with your thesis, and the exam average leaves the thesis out. That is the reason to report both. This is Bocconi's rule for its own master's degrees; other Italian universities set their own, so read your university's regulations.
What destination universities state
| University | What its page says | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol (UK) | Taught master's: "Diploma di Laurea with high grades (104/110 or above)". Research programmes: Laurea Specialistica and second-level master or specialization diplomas | Your final mark out of 110 |
| UC Berkeley (US) | "Degree names and grades should be transcribed, not converted, into English words or the U.S. grades of A-F." | Grades as printed, translated, not converted |
| Fulbright Italy form (IIE instructions) | GPA from "la media dei voti degli esami"; maximum "Scrivere 4.0" | The commission's method, on this form only |
Bristol's line raises a question the page does not answer: if you hold a laurea triennale and a laurea magistrale, which final mark does the 104/110 rule read? The page says "Diploma di Laurea" and does not specify. Ask, especially if your triennale is below 104 and your magistrale is above it.
US schools differ on GPA fields. The foreign grades conversion guide covers what Stanford, Berkeley and others ask you to type, and what to do when a form only accepts a 4.0 number.
Our view: on any application with a GPA box and a scale box, enter your exam average and 30. Put the final mark in the degree or honors field if there is one, and on your CV either way.
The countercase: if a program publishes its own conversion method, as the Fulbright commission does, follow it on that form. Then keep the original numbers on your CV and transcript, so the reader can see both.
How to write it on forms and the CV
On the CV, give each degree its own line with both numbers labeled:
Laurea magistrale in Economia (two-year second-cycle degree, with thesis), 2025. Exam average 28.4/30; final mark 110/110 e lode.
Three rules for the CV line:
- Label each number. "Exam average" and "final mark" are plain English. Do not write a bare "28.4" or "110L".
- Keep "e lode" in Italian, with "cum laude" if you want an English gloss. It is the distinction your Diploma Supplement records.
- List the triennale separately if you hold one. Two degrees, two lines, two pairs of numbers.
The Diploma Supplement backs up both numbers. The IIE instructions say its structure "deve includere l'elenco completo degli esami sostenuti/corsi frequentati e il voto finale relativo all'ottenimento del titolo". Upload it where a school asks for records, and see the guide to writing the degree on a CV for the title itself.
The SOP sentence
Your statement of purpose does not need to explain the Italian scale. The transcript does that. Use one clause at most, and only when the numbers help your case.
Constructed example: a weak triennale and a strong magistrale
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Marco Bellini finished a laurea triennale with 98/110 and a laurea magistrale with 110/110 e lode, and applies to US master's programs in data science.
The weak version:
My grades are equivalent to a 3.9 GPA, and I graduated cum laude, which places me in the top 1% of my university.
The revised version:
My final-year results are the better guide to my preparation: in the laurea magistrale I averaged 29.1/30 across eight quantitative courses and graduated 110/110 e lode, after a weaker triennale (98/110).
Why the revision works: the weak version invents a GPA and a "top 1%" claim that no document supports. The revised version uses only numbers on the transcripts, names the more recent degree, and admits the weaker one before the reader finds it. If the gap needs more than a clause, the guide on explaining strict grading or an unknown university shows how to give context without excuses. All names and numbers in this example are invented.
Lode and cum laude: what not to claim
- Do not convert lode into a number above 4.0. No form on this page asks you to.
- Do not claim a rank. "Top 1%" or "top of my class" needs a document from your university that says so.
- Do not assume how your university counts lode in its own average. Bocconi's page says: "A 30 "cum laude" is awarded the value of 31." That is Bocconi's rule for Bocconi's average. Your university may print a different average, or none.
- Do not drop the lode. It is on your diploma. Write it.
Questions about Italian grades
Is 110 e lode a 4.0 GPA?
No document on this page says so. The voto di laurea is a final degree mark out of 110, not a grade-point average. Report it as 110/110 e lode.
Which number goes in a GPA field?
Where the form gives instructions, follow them. Fulbright Italy's form uses the exam average, not the voto di laurea. Where a form has a scale field, enter the exam average and 30.
Is 104/110 enough for a UK master's?
At Bristol, "104/110 or above" is the published line for taught master's entry. Other UK universities publish their own lines; check each course page.
Does Bocconi calculate GPA differently?
Its own GPA counts a 30 e lode as 31, and its master's final mark adds up to 8 thesis and timing points to the converted average. That is Bocconi's internal method. Other universities' transcripts may show a different average.
What writing sample does Fulbright Italy want?
Either a thesis summary of at most ten pages, or an essay of two to five pages, per the IIE instructions. The Fulbright Italy study/research objective guide covers the essays.
Get a free review of your statement of purpose
Get a free Quick Review of your statement of purpose against GradPilot's general MS statement of purpose rubric. It reads for specific academic goals, program fit and evidence of preparation, so a grade clause sits in the right place. Applying to doctoral programs? Use the general PhD statement of purpose rubric, or start from the master's SOP review page.
More guides for Italian and European applicants:
- Laurea, Diplom, Specialist: master's level or not?: how Bristol and UCLA classify Italian degrees.
- Spanish grades and matrícula de honor: the same question for Spain's 0 to 10 scale.
- All graduate school essay guides.
Sources
Retrieved October 31, 2026. University pages state no cycle year.
- Commissione Fulbright, Fulbright Self-Placed in All Disciplines (academic year 2027–28): deadline.
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program, IIE Instructions for Italian applicants (A.A. 2027/28), linked from the call page: GPA and maximum-GPA fields, Diploma Supplement, writing sample.
- University of Bristol, Italy country page: 104/110 line and research-programme qualifications.
- UC Berkeley Graduate Division, Admission Requirements: grades transcribed, not converted.
- Università Bocconi, Guides to the University 2025–2026, Master of Science and Master of Arts Programs, 10.6 Graduation (academic year 2025–26): final-mark formula, thesis points, lode at 111, 30 cum laude as 31.
- Università Bocconi, Italian and Bocconi Academic System: pass range and lode valued at 31.
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