International GPA Conversion: Translating Foreign Grades to the U.S. 4.0 Scale

International applicants and students moving to the U.S. need their grades on a 4.0 scale for almost every American application. The conversion is rarely one-to-one — different countries use different scales, different cutoffs for 'first class,' and very different grading distributions.

United Kingdom

UK degrees use classification: First Class (70%+), Upper Second / 2:1 (60–69%), Lower Second / 2:2 (50–59%), Third (40–49%). Rough U.S. equivalents: First ≈ 3.7–4.0, 2:1 ≈ 3.3–3.6, 2:2 ≈ 2.7–3.2.

India

Most Indian universities use percentages or CGPA on a 10.0 scale. WES uses ~60–70% = B / 3.0; 75–85% = A− / 3.5–3.7; 85%+ = A / 3.7–4.0. CGPA on 10: divide by 2.5 for a rough U.S. GPA (CGPA 8.0 ≈ 3.2).

Australia

Australian universities use High Distinction (85%+), Distinction (75–84%), Credit (65–74%), Pass (50–64%). Rough equivalents: HD ≈ 4.0, D ≈ 3.5, Credit ≈ 3.0, Pass ≈ 2.0.

European Union (ECTS)

ECTS uses A–F letter grades or country-specific scales. A ≈ 4.0, B ≈ 3.5, C ≈ 3.0, D ≈ 2.5, E ≈ 2.0, F ≈ 0. Many EU countries also use a 1–6 or 1–10 scale; convert via the official ECTS conversion table.

China

China uses percentage grades. 90%+ ≈ 4.0, 80–89% ≈ 3.5, 70–79% ≈ 3.0, 60–69% ≈ 2.0, below 60% = fail. Tsinghua and other top schools have their own internal scales; use WES if applying to U.S. programs.

Official credential evaluations

U.S. graduate programs typically require a third-party evaluation from WES, ECE, or a similar service for any non-U.S. degree. Their conversion is the only one that counts officially. Use unofficial conversions only for personal planning and undergraduate applications.

Sanity-check with the calculator

After converting each course's grade, enter the courses with credit hours into the GPA calculator to get a single number. Round to two decimals and present that number alongside the original transcript — most U.S. institutions want to see both.