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UK Grades and US GPA

If you studied in the UK and are applying to a US college, or the other way around, you will soon look for a table that turns one system into the other. There isn't an official one. This guide explains why, what the UK grades actually are, and how admissions offices handle the gap.

Why a simple conversion doesn't work

A US GPA is an average of course grades across years, weighted by credit hours. UK school results work differently: you get a separate grade for each subject, mostly from exams at the end of the course, and no overall average is calculated. A UK bachelor's degree is summed up in one overall class, such as a first or an upper second, not a GPA. Turning UK results into a GPA means deciding how a single exam grade compares with a year of coursework, and different universities answer that differently. A number from an unofficial converter is one website's opinion, not a figure an admissions office will use.

That is also why this calculator does not offer a UK conversion. It works with US letter grades and credit hours only.

The UK grades in brief

  • GCSEs. In England they are graded 9 (highest) to 1, with 4 counted as a pass. Wales and Northern Ireland use letters from A* to G (Northern Ireland also has a C*). For comparison, a 4 is treated as a C, a 7 as an A, and an 8 as roughly an A*. Work below the lowest grade is "U" (unclassified).
  • A levels, the main post-16 qualification. Graded A*, A, B, C, D and E, with U below E. The A* was added in 2010.
  • Degrees. A UK bachelor's degree is awarded with an overall class, such as a first or a second.

Scotland has its own school qualifications and grades, so the GCSE and A level lines above apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If you are applying to a US university with UK results

For graduate applicants, the Fulbright Commission's EducationUSA advice says a US university may handle UK results in one of three ways:

  1. It already knows what UK degree classes mean, often for particular UK universities, and reads your results directly.
  2. It converts your results with its own internal formula.
  3. It asks you to use a paid credential evaluation service. If the university does not name one, Fulbright points to members of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

So the first step is to read each university's international admissions page, or ask the office, which of the three it uses. Do not put a self-converted GPA on an application unless the university asks for one.

If you are applying to a UK university with US grades

Some UK universities list their entry requirements in UCAS Tariff points, a scale for comparing UK qualifications. The Tariff tables do not include international qualifications, with the exception of the Irish Leaving Certificate (the IB Diploma is included because it is regulated in the UK). A university that lists its entry requirements in Tariff points may still accept your qualification; UCAS advises asking the university directly.

After an offer, the university asks for your transcript or certificate, and its own international qualification experts will usually advise whether your qualifications meet the entry requirements. If it does not know a qualification well enough, it may ask you for a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC. Your US GPA still matters here: use the calculator to check it against the figure on your transcript before you apply.

In short

  • There is no official UK-to-US grade conversion, and online converters are only estimates.
  • Each university decides how it reads foreign grades, so ask the university, not a converter.
  • Send your official results the way the university asks: a transcript, a credential evaluation or a Statement of Comparability.

This guide is general information based on the sources listed at the bottom of the page. The university you apply to decides how your grades are evaluated.

Sources