bestået

Bestået is a term used in Danish and Norwegian educational contexts to indicate that a student has passed an examination, course, or assessment. It is a status rather than a numeric grade and commonly appears on transcripts and diplomas. The word is the past participle of the verb bestå (to pass or to consist of) in Danish, and its Norwegian cognate bestått carries the same meaning.

In Denmark, bestået may be used for courses or exams where the outcome is pass/fail rather than a numeric grade. Some programs still report numeric grades according to the 7-point or 12-point scales, but others simply record Bestået or Ikke bestået. On a diploma or official transcript, Bestået confirms that the student met the minimum requirements.

In Norway, bestått functions similarly. Higher education institutions may use graded assessments or record a pass/fail result as Bestått, particularly for courses where a final numeric grade is not required. In some cases, a course may be marked Bestått but also list a separate numeric result; in others, only Bestått is shown.

Etymology and usage: Bestået derives from bestå, meaning to pass; the term is standard in Nordic education to signal eligibility to progress to the next level without indicating the exact grade. It is comparable to Swedish Godkänd.

See also: pass/fail grading, Nordic education systems, academic transcripts.