Five Countries Where You Can Get In With Average School Grades

Your GPA isn’t the final verdict for studying abroad. In some countries you can offset it with entrance exams and interviews, in others with extra subject tests or a smart choice of university. Here are five systems where lower grades aren’t a dealbreaker for admission.

Hungary: Entrance Exams and Interviews

Hungary has no single nationwide passing score — each university sets its own requirements. Some programs require not just a school diploma but also entrance exams or interviews.

For example, the University of Debrecen’s IT programs require a diploma plus a math exam. That means if your school grades are average but you’ve prepared well in your core subject, you have a way to prove your knowledge to the university.

English requirements also depend on the program. Some tracks require B2 level, but official certificates like TOEFL aren’t always mandatory — you can confirm your English during the admission interview. Hungary offers a wide range of English-taught programs in business, economics, engineering, and IT.

Funding is available through the state Hungaricum scholarship, which Russian students can also receive. It can fully cover tuition and additionally pay for housing and health insurance.

Spain: Strengthening Your Application With Extra Exams

In Spain, school grades matter but aren’t final. International applicants can take extra subject exams that raise their overall competitive score.

If your diploma shows average grades but you want to study economics, you can intensively prepare for the relevant subjects and use the exam results to strengthen your application. It’s important to choose a program realistically, though. For medicine and other highly competitive fields, requirements will be significantly higher. For less competitive fields and other universities, the passing score can be noticeably lower.

The key point: don’t just pick a country — check the requirements of several universities at once and figure out where your final score would actually get you in.

China: Choosing a University by Level and the Academic Exam

China’s main advantage is its huge number of universities with varying requirements. Each institution sets its own rules for school grades, language, and application components. That’s why it’s critical here to match your university list to your own level.

Starting with the 2026–27 cycle, international undergraduate applicants face a mandatory academic exam. This means admission isn’t based on school grades alone — you can prepare for the exam, confirm your language skills, and choose a university whose requirements match your level.

The gap between universities is genuinely huge. There are extremely competitive institutions, but also plenty of solid public universities with more realistic requirements for foreigners. A few low grades in your diploma are a reason to choose your universities more carefully — not a reason to give up on China.

You can study in Chinese or English. Funding here is strong: the Chinese government scholarship can cover tuition, housing, health insurance, and includes monthly stipends.

Italy: Entrance Tests and Regional Support

In Italy, requirements vary a lot by university and program. In many fields, applicants take entrance tests in addition to submitting documents. These tests check the knowledge needed for the chosen specialty and are used for admission to economics, engineering, and science programs.

The university evaluates not just school grades but also entrance test results. This makes it possible to offset an average diploma with solid test preparation.

Italy is especially attractive for its financial support. Regional programs exist here, often grouped under the name DSU. The amount of aid depends on a family’s financial situation and can include cash payments, meals, and dormitory housing. An excellent diploma isn’t required to receive this kind of support.

Austria: Matching Your Education to Program Requirements

Austria has no single nationwide passing average for all universities. Each institution checks your educational background, the requirements of the chosen program, your language skills, and may require additional entrance exams if needed.

For example, the Vienna University of Technology requires Russian graduates to submit a school diploma and Unified State Exam (EGE) results. A few low grades in your diploma don’t by themselves determine whether you’ll get in. It’s far more important to figure out whether your education matches the specific program’s requirements and what additional conditions you need to meet.

The university may require additional exams. Some programs have their own independent admission selection. If you’re lacking in language skills or certain knowledge, some universities offer preparatory programs after which you can fulfill the missing requirements.

Public education is relatively cheap: for non-EU students, the standard fee at public universities is 752 euros per semester plus a mandatory student union fee, totaling roughly 1,500 euros per academic year.

Bottom Line: Choosing the Right Admission System

If you have some low grades in your diploma, that’s not a reason to automatically give up on studying abroad. What matters is choosing a country and system where you have ways to show the university something beyond your GPA.

In Hungary, that’s entrance exams and interviews. In Spain, it’s extra subject exams that boost your competitive score. In China, it’s the academic exam, language skills, and a smart choice of universities. In Italy, it’s entrance tests and specific program requirements. In Austria, it’s matching your education to the university’s requirements, language skills, and exams if needed.

The goal isn’t to find a country where grades don’t matter at all — it’s to find a system where you have other ways to strengthen your application.