University Grading Scales Explained: GPA, Percentage, Letter Grades & More

The most common scale in the US and Canada. Letter grades map to numbers: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and so on down to F = 0.0. Some universities use a 4.3 scale where A+ = 4.3.

Who uses it: Most US universities, many Canadian universities (UofT, McGill, UBC).

Some universities skip letter grades entirely and work in percentages from 0–100%. Your average is the weighted mean of all course percentages. Common in parts of Canada (notably Québec CÉGEP system), India, Australia, and many developing countries.

Key difference: There's no "GPA" number — your average is your percentage.

The ECTS uses a letter scale (A through F) but maps differently than North American letters. An A in ECTS means top 10% of students. It's relative, not absolute.

ECTS credits represent workload (1 credit ≈ 25–30 hours of study). A typical semester is 30 ECTS credits.

• UK: First Class (70%+), 2:1 (60–69%), 2:2 (50–59%), Third (40–49%)
• France: 0–20 scale (10 is passing, 14+ is "bien", 16+ is "très bien")
• Germany: 1.0–5.0 (inverted — 1.0 is the best)
• Japan: S/A/B/C/F with GPA 4.0 or 100-point system

GradeCompass.ai automatically adapts to your university's grading system. Whether you're on a 4.0 GPA, 4.3 GPA, percentage-based, or European scale, the dashboard shows grades in your format.

Find your university's exact grading scale on our university directory.