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GPA Scales Compared: 4.0, 5.0, 10.0, and 100-Point

By Taylor Annanders, M.Ed.

Quick answer. US colleges use the 4.0 plus-minus scale (A=4.0, F=0.0). US high schools sometimes use a 5.0 weighted scale that adds +1.0 for AP/IB. India uses a 10.0 CGPA. Many countries report percentages. There is no single canonical formula to convert between scales — different US universities accept different methods.

Skip the math. Scale comparison calculator shows every conversion side by side.

The four scales at a glance

| Scale | Where used | Max | Pass threshold | |---|---|---|---| | 4.0 plus-minus | US colleges, AMCAS, LSAC | 4.0 (or 4.3 at a few schools) | 1.0 (D-) or 2.0 (C, for major credit) | | 5.0 weighted | US high schools with AP/IB | 5.0 | 1.0 (D) | | 10.0 CGPA | Indian universities | 10.0 | varies (5.0 typical) | | Percentage | UK, EU, China, Latin America, Middle East | 100% | 50% or 60% typical |

Scale 1 — US 4.0 plus-minus (the default)

Standard mapping at most US colleges:

| Letter | Points | Approx percentage | |---|---|---| | A+ / A | 4.0 | 93-100% | | A- | 3.7 | 90-92% | | B+ | 3.3 | 87-89% | | B | 3.0 | 83-86% | | B- | 2.7 | 80-82% | | C+ | 2.3 | 77-79% | | C | 2.0 | 73-76% | | C- | 1.7 | 70-72% | | D+ | 1.3 | 67-69% | | D | 1.0 | 63-66% | | D- | 0.7 | 60-62% | | F | 0.0 | below 60% |

Variants:

The 4.0 plus-minus scale is what AMCAS, LSAC, AACOMAS, and most undergrad-to-grad applications expect. See our how to calculate GPA guide for the full formula.

Scale 2 — US 5.0 weighted (high school AP/IB)

Used only in US high schools. Adds bonuses based on course difficulty:

There are many variants — some districts cap at 4.5, some go to 6.0, some don't weight honors at all. See our weighted vs unweighted guide for the patterns.

Important: the weighted 5.0 scale never appears in college. Once you graduate high school, your college transcript uses the 4.0 scale regardless of how many AP courses you took.

Scale 3 — Indian 10.0 CGPA

India's primary university scale. Each course is graded 0-10. The CGPA is the credit-weighted average across all courses.

CBSE secondary education uses a 10-point grading system but the formula and grade boundaries differ from the university CGPA. Don't conflate them.

Conversion to US 4.0: there is no canonical formula. Five common approaches:

  1. Simple proportion: GPA = (CGPA / 10) × 4.0. A 7.5 CGPA → 3.0 GPA.
  2. Subtract-then-scale: GPA = (CGPA − 0.5) × 10 / 25. A 7.5 CGPA → 2.8 GPA.
  3. WES (World Education Services) iGPA: maps Indian percentages (computed from CGPA) to US letter grades.
  4. University-specific table: many US universities publish their own conversion table.
  5. No conversion: submit the original CGPA and let the US admissions office convert.

See our CGPA-to-GPA guide for which formula each US institution actually accepts.

Scale 4 — Percentage (international standard)

Many countries report grades as percentages. The same percentage means different things in different countries:

| Country | Passing % | Typical "A equivalent" | |---|---|---| | UK | 40% | 70%+ (First Class Honours) | | Germany | 50% (1.0-4.0 inverted scale) | 1.0-1.5 | | China | 60% | 90%+ | | France | 10/20 (50%) | 16-20/20 | | Spain | 5/10 (50%) | 9-10/10 | | Brazil | 7/10 (70%) | 9-10/10 | | Saudi Arabia | 60% | 90%+ (out of 5.0 scale at some unis) | | Egypt | 50% | 85%+ |

A 75% in the UK is a strong First. A 75% in China is a B. A 75% in Brazil is a Borderline B. You cannot apply a single percentage-to-GPA formula globally.

WES iGPA and ECE are the two most common credential evaluation services US admissions offices use to convert international transcripts. Both publish methodologies. Most US universities accept WES or ECE evaluations.

For details on the most common conversions, see our percentage to GPA guide.

Cross-scale conversion tables

These are approximate. Always check with the institution you're applying to.

4.0 ↔ percentage (US standard)

| 4.0 GPA | US % | UK % | Indian % | |---|---|---|---| | 4.0 | 93-100 | 70+ | 80-100 | | 3.7 | 90-92 | 65-69 | 75-79 | | 3.5 | 87-89 | 60-64 | 70-74 | | 3.0 | 83-86 | 55-59 | 65-69 | | 2.7 | 80-82 | 50-54 | 60-64 | | 2.0 | 73-76 | 40-49 | 55-59 | | 1.0 | 63-66 | 35-39 | 50-54 |

4.0 ↔ 10.0 (CGPA)

Using the simple-proportion method (most common):

| 4.0 | CGPA | |---|---| | 4.0 | 10.0 | | 3.7 | 9.25 | | 3.5 | 8.75 | | 3.0 | 7.5 | | 2.7 | 6.75 | | 2.0 | 5.0 | | 1.0 | 2.5 |

4.0 ↔ 5.0 weighted

The weighted GPA doesn't have a clean inverse — it depends on which courses earned bonuses. Roughly:

Use our unweighted GPA calculator and weighted GPA calculator to convert both ways from your raw course list.

When to convert vs when to submit native

The default advice across credential evaluators: submit your transcript in its native scale and let the receiving institution convert. They have the institutional context to do it correctly. A self-converted GPA is often worse than the raw number because:

  1. The receiving school may use a different conversion formula than you used.
  2. Discrepancies between your stated GPA and their internal recalculation raise flags.
  3. Some applications explicitly say "do not convert."

The exception is when a US application asks for a single 4.0-scale number and won't accept anything else. Then use the simple proportion or the percentage table above, and note which method you used.

Common questions

What's the maximum possible GPA?

Which scale do graduate schools use?

US graduate schools almost universally use the 4.0 plus-minus scale. Even programs based in other countries report international applicants' GPAs on the 4.0 scale for comparison.

How do I convert my AMCAS GPA to a 100-point scale?

AMCAS reports your GPA on the 4.0 scale only. For licensing or other applications that need a percentage equivalent, multiply by 25 (so 3.8 GPA = 95%). This is approximate and not used by AAMC itself.

What's a passing GPA?

In US colleges, a 2.0 cumulative GPA is the typical minimum to remain in good standing and graduate. Individual courses usually need a C (2.0) for major credit. Pass/fail courses use the school's defined threshold.

Why do different schools give different GPAs from the same grades?

Different plus-minus mappings, different repeat policies, different excluded courses. Even on the 4.0 scale, schools don't agree on what a B+ is worth — most use 3.3, a few use 3.5.

Sources

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