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How does the US 4.0 GPA system work for my grades?

22 Oct 2026 · Answered by Shairal Pathak · 2 min read
Quick Answer verified

In the US, marks are usually converted to a letter grade and then to the 4.0 scale, where an A is typically 4.00. The final GPA is a weighted average based on credit hours. Percentage bands vary by university, so check your own university's grading scale.

Shairal Pathak
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US universities mostly use the 4.0 GPA system. Your marks are first turned into a letter grade, and that letter grade is then converted into grade points on the 4.0 scale. The percentage bands below are one scale, and other tables map the same percentages to different letters.

Letter Grade to GPA Table

Letter gradeGrade pointsPercentage
A4.0094.0 to 100
A-3.6790.0 to 93.99
B+3.3387.0 to 89.99
B3.0083.0 to 86.99
B-2.6780.0 to 82.99
C+2.3377.0 to 79.99
C2.0073 to 76
C-1.6770.0 to 72.99
D+1.3367.0 to 69.99
D1.0063.0 to 66.99
D-0.6760.0 to 62.99
F0.00Not given

GPA Types and Calculation

  • Class GPA is the GPA for one particular class.
  • SGPA is calculated for one semester and may be converted into a yearly GPA.
  • CGPA is the cumulative GPA, and you may need to convert SGPA to CGPA in some cases.
  • The final GPA is a weighted average, where the weight is the number of semester hours, not a plain average of scores.

My Advice

Use the table as a guide, not a rule. Percentage bands differ between universities, so check the grading scale your university publishes and confirm how your target university wants grades reported.

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