Quick answer. There is no single official conversion. Most US universities accept the simple proportion: GPA = (CGPA / 10) × 4. If your target school publishes its own table, use that one. When applying through Common App or a centralized service, submit your CGPA on its original 10-point scale.
The five common formulas
Indian universities use a 10-point CGPA. Each formula below converts to the US 4.0 scale, and each shows up somewhere in the application ecosystem.
1. Simple proportion
GPA_4.0 = (CGPA / 10) × 4
A 9.0 CGPA becomes 3.6 GPA. US universities default to this when no other guidance is given. Use it as the disclosed conversion when a 4.0 number is required.
2. Subtract-then-multiply (Indian convention)
Percentage = (CGPA - 0.5) × 10
Anna University and several state universities print this formula on their own transcripts to convert CGPA to percentage. The result is a percentage, not a 4.0-scale GPA. If your target US school asks for a percentage, this is the answer it expects.
3. WES table (World Education Services)
WES does not publish a single formula. It maps CGPA bands to US letter grades:
| CGPA range | WES US grade | GPA |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0 - 10.0 | A | 4.0 |
| 6.5 - 7.9 | B | 3.0 |
| 5.5 - 6.4 | C | 2.0 |
| 4.0 - 5.4 | D | 1.0 |
| below 4.0 | F | 0.0 |
Graduate schools that require a WES credential evaluation see this. The actual WES evaluation works course-by-course, not by CGPA bucket. Treat the table as rough orientation.
4. ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) table
ECE uses a similar but more granular table. Evaluations run course-by-course. Check ECE's grading scale guide for the specifics.
5. Per-university formula
Target universities publish their own conversion tables. One common mapping: a 7.0 CGPA to 3.0 GPA, an 8.0 to 3.5, a 9.0 to 3.9. Check your target school's international admissions page first. Their formula overrides every general rule.
Which formula to use
For the application itself:
- If the application asks for your CGPA as recorded by your university, enter it on the 10-point scale and explain the scale in a note. Do not convert.
- If the application requires a 4.0-scale GPA and offers no guidance, use the simple proportion: (CGPA / 10) × 4. State the formula you used in any free-text field.
- If your target school publishes its own conversion table, use that one and disclose which.
- If you are paying for a WES or ECE evaluation, use the evaluator's result. That is the number the admissions committee will see.
What admissions committees look at
US admissions committees do not compare numbers in isolation. They read your transcript, weigh program rigor, factor in your university's reputation, and check class rank when available. A 7.5 CGPA from IIT-Bombay reads stronger than the simple-proportion 3.0 GPA suggests.
About the calculator above
Enter each course's credits and CGPA on the 10-point scale. The calculator reports your weighted-average CGPA and the simple-proportion 4.0 equivalent in the warnings panel. Free saves locally. Pay $19 once for cloud sync and an unwatermarked PDF conversion certificate.