Written by ZufishanMS Environmental ScienceLast reviewed
The plus/minus grading scale
| Letter grade | Percentage | Grade points (4.0 scale) |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | 4.0 |
| A | 93–96 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69 | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66 | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62 | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
This is the table most US high schools and colleges publish. Some cap the scale at A rather than A+, and some leave out D−; either way the passing line is normally 60%.
The whole-letter (10-point) grading scale
| Letter grade | Percentage | Grade points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | 4.0 |
| B | 80–89 | 3.0 |
| C | 70–79 | 2.0 |
| D | 60–69 | 1.0 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
Each letter covers ten percentage points, which is why it is often called the 10-point scale. Because there is no A− or B+, the same transcript usually produces a slightly higher GPA here than on the plus/minus scale.
Weighted scales: where 5.0 comes from
A weighted scale adds a bonus for harder courses (commonly +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP, IB or dual enrolment), so an A in an AP course becomes 5.0 instead of 4.0. Districts set their own bonuses and some cap the result, so a 4.6 at one school is not comparable to a 4.6 at another. The weighted GPA calculator shows the weighted and unweighted figures side by side.
Pass, fail and the grades in between
| Grade | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A | Excellent; full credit, 4.0 points |
| B | Above average; the floor for many honors and major requirements |
| C | Average; usually the lowest grade that satisfies a prerequisite |
| D | Passing but weak; often not accepted in a major |
| F | Fail; no credit, 0 points, and it still counts in the GPA |
| P / NP | Pass or no pass; earns credit but carries no grade points |
| I | Incomplete; usually becomes an F if the work is not finished |
| W | Withdrawn; appears on the transcript but not in the GPA |
Grading scales outside the US
Other systems do not map onto the 4.0 scale cleanly, and the honest conversion always goes through the institution's own rule:
- India mostly uses a 10-point CGPA, and each university publishes its own percentage rule: CGPA × 10 at VIT and SRM, CGPA × 9.5 for CBSE Class 10. See CGPA to percentage (India).
- Pakistan uses a 4.0 CGPA with letter grades set per university; see the HEC table.
- Converting either into a US GPA is an approximation, not an official equivalence. Credential evaluators and admissions offices do their own conversion, and theirs is the one that counts.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every school uses 90 as the A line: read your syllabus first.
- Averaging letter grades instead of grade points weighted by credits.
- Comparing a weighted GPA with an unweighted one.
- Treating a converted foreign GPA as official.
The tables on this page are the widely used conventions in US schools and colleges, not a national standard: no authority sets one. Your institution's handbook decides your grades, and it overrides anything here.