UK grades to GPA: how your degree converts

There is no official formula, but the equivalents in common use are consistent. A First Class degree is usually treated as roughly 3.7 to 4.0 on the US 4.0 scale, a 2:1 as 3.3 to 3.7, a 2:2 as 2.7 to 3.0 and a Third as 2.0 to 2.3. The university or employer receiving your application makes the final call, often through a credential evaluation service.

Converting UK grades to GPA matters most when a UK graduate applies to a US programme or employer, or when an international student needs to explain a UK result back home. A careless conversion can make a strong degree look ordinary.

UK grades to GPA: the common equivalents

Treat these as ranges, not exact figures. Evaluators such as World Education Services (WES) look at the percentage marks on your transcript, so a 2:1 averaging 68 is often converted closer to 3.7 than a 2:1 averaging 61. Our guide to the UK grading scale explains what each band requires in practice.

Why converting the percentage goes wrong

The most common mistake is converting the percentage directly. On a typical US scale, 68 percent is a weak grade, around a D plus. On the UK scale, 68 is a solid 2:1 and two marks short of a First. Put 68 into a converter built for US percentages and a strong result reads as a weak one.

The two systems are built differently. UK marking assesses the quality of an argument, and marks above 80 are uncommon, because the top of the scale is reserved for exceptional work. A scale where most good work lands between 60 and 75 cannot be mapped onto one where good work scores above 90 simply by keeping the number.

Convert master's grades to GPA

UK master's degrees are classified as Distinction, Merit or Pass, and the pass threshold is 50 rather than 40.

Doctoral programmes often look beyond the overall result at individual module marks and the dissertation mark. Where an application allows it, include them, particularly if your dissertation mark is higher than your average.

Convert GPA to UK grades

The same equivalents work in reverse for students coming to the UK, but do not rely on a general table for entry requirements. Each UK university publishes its own country equivalents, usually on an international entry requirements page, and the GPA it asks for in place of a 2:1 can differ between courses at the same institution. Use that page as the authority for your application.

Treat school grades separately

UK school qualifications use their own scales. A levels are graded from A* down to E, with U for ungraded, and GCSEs in England are graded with numbers from 9 down to 1, where 9 is the highest. Neither converts to a GPA in the way a degree does.

US universities usually assess school results through a credential evaluation or their own published guidance for UK applicants. Once you hold a degree, your classification will matter far more to a graduate admissions team than your A levels.

Present UK grades on a US application

Follow the application's instructions exactly. If a form asks for a GPA and gives no guidance, give your classification and average mark in the additional information section, with the threshold alongside. First Class Honours with a 72 percent average, where 70 is the threshold for the highest classification, tells a US reader far more than a bare number.

Many US graduate schools and some employers require a credential evaluation, most often from WES or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). These services review your official transcript and produce a report giving a US equivalent. Start early, because you will usually need official documents sent directly from your university, and that step alone can take weeks.

Keep the conversion in proportion

A converted GPA is a translation, and experienced admissions teams know that UK marks run lower. Your classification, your dissertation mark and what your referees say about your work often carry more weight than the converted figure.

If you are still studying, the useful question is how to move up a band rather than how the current one converts. Analysis is what most often separates a 2:2 from a 2:1, and our guide tocritical evaluation shows how to build it into your writing. For the shape of an argument, see our guide to structuring an essay.

If you want to know where your current work sits before it counts, our draft review estimates the grade band against your marking criteria and lists the changes most likely to move it up.

Last updated: 14 September 2026 · Written by the AssignWise editorial team ·Spotted something wrong?