Converting UK Grade to US GPA?

[Bombaygunner]

I did my undergrad in the UK. I was wondering if there's a standard grade converter to get my US GPA equivalent? 

 

Going by various sources from a web search, I estimate my score of 66% (considered a 'high' 2:1, because those who got 68% and above were given 1st class) comes to roughly 3.6 in the US GPA system. Does this sound about right?

 

Do American universities also average out your scores for specific subject areas? For instance, I studied Business and International Relations. Would a prospective Economics Program admissions team take my Econ course scores and change them to a GPA? 

 

Thoughts appreciated!

[maelia8]

I don't know about a standard grad converter, but I can tell you that American universities frequently ask for your "major GPA," that is, the grade point average of all of the courses that you took only in your major. Generally your major GPA will be higher than your overall GPA, since it's the average of courses that you are ostensibly most interested in/best at.

[Gvh]

I did my undergrad in the UK. I was wondering if there's a standard grade converter to get my US GPA equivalent? 

 

Going by various sources from a web search, I estimate my score of 66% (considered a 'high' 2:1, because those who got 68% and above were given 1st class) comes to roughly 3.6 in the US GPA system. Does this sound about right?

 

Do American universities also average out your scores for specific subject areas? For instance, I studied Business and International Relations. Would a prospective Economics Program admissions team take my Econ course scores and change them to a GPA? 

 

Thoughts appreciated!

 

 

I had to send my grades to a professional "grade translator" (i.e. money mill) called World Education Services or WES when I applied to master's in the US. The way it worked that anything between a 65 and 69 was given an A-, 70 or above an A. 59 to 64 B+ and so on. You can then translate the letter grades into GPA.

 

I had a 71% UK and got a GPA of 3.78. Hope this helps! 

Edited May 28, 2014 by Gvh

[Gvh]

Here is the WES link: 

 

http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp

 

I was a bit off, but you get the picture

[TakeruK]

At some schools, they don't even want you to convert your international GPA and will do it themselves (they will probably calibrate your scores with others who have applied from your country in the past too)

[victorydance]

70 or above an A? That sounds really low.

[Gvh]

70 or above an A? That sounds really low.

 

 

It's just a completely different system to the US one. Nobody ever gets 80s or 90s. For instance, a 75 is what some of my old professors would have considered at a "publishable standard", if that helps. 

[TakeruK]

70 or above an A? That sounds really low.

 

Many countries have very different grading systems. In most Science faculties in Canada, 80% is A- but in many US places, 80% is a B grade. In addition, whereas there are standardized %-to-letter-grade conversion across the degree program in most Canadian schools, I find that the conversion varies a lot between course to course or professor to professor at US schools. I've seen a syllabus that lists A+ at 97% while in Canada, almost all science programs will award A+ to 90% and upwards.

[Bombaygunner]

70 or above an A? That sounds really low.

Try getting above 70% (known as a 1st) in subjects that require essays/coursework It's not easy. People who average above 70 across their undergrad are seriously bright and hardworking. In quant subjects, getting above 70 isn't hard since if you know your stuff, no one can take the marks away from you. But in essay exam courses, it's tough. I heard an urban legend that if you score above 80% they publish your essay in the university journal.

[Gvh]

Try getting above 70% (known as a 1st) in subjects that require essays/coursework It's not easy. People who average above 70 across their undergrad are seriously bright and hardworking. In quant subjects, getting above 70 isn't hard since if you know your stuff, no one can take the marks away from you. But in essay exam courses, it's tough. I heard an urban legend that if you score above 80% they publish your essay in the university journal.

 

 

This. One of my friends who did her undergrad with me got an 81% on an essay (pretty much unheard of) and had her essay published. 

Edited May 29, 2014 by Gvh

[Bombaygunner]

Found this scale on foreigncredits.com

 

Scale                     Description                                                      Division U.S. Grade

70 - 100               First Class Honors                                            A

65 - 69.99            Second Class Honours     Upper Division        A-

60 - 64.99            Second Class Honours     Upper Division        B+

50 - 59.99            Second Class Honours     Lower Division        B

45 - 49.99            Third class                                                       C+

40 - 44.99            Pass                                                                  C

0 - 39.99              Fail                                                                    F

Edited March 15, 2015 by Bombaygunner

[dagkoc]

Could you now convert these us grades to us %?