In India, usually, students receive their assessment either as a percentage (%) or CGPA (usually, on a scale of 10, 7, or 4). In the US, universities usually adopt a 4- point GPA scale. For the folks who want to pursue MBA or MS in USA or MS in Canada, it’s very critical to know how the CGPA (or GPA) grading system works and how to convert CGPA to Percentage and Indian Percentage to GPA on the US 4.0-scale. In this article, we will first go through the calculation and conversion of Indian CGPA to Percentage and vice-versa. Secondly, we will look at how to convert Indian Percentage and Indian CGPA to GPA on the US 4.0 Scale.
Converting CGPA to Percentage and Calculating Equivalent GPA in 4.0-Scale for US & Canada
Co-authored by Parinita Gupta
Introduction to the CGPA Grading System
CGPA stands for Cumulative Grade Point Average, also referred to as just GPA. It is used to measure students’ performance for their respective courses. Introducing the Grade system in education is the process of applying standardized measurement for varying levels of achievement in a course.
The grades can be assigned as letters like ‘A’ through ‘F’, as a range like 1 to 6, as a percentage, or as a number out of a possible total. They are often calculated for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students and in the future, they can be used by educational institutions or potential employers to assess different applicants.
How the CGPA and Percentage System Work in India
The majority of Indian Institutes (Colleges and Universities) use either percentage or grades as a method of assessment. Premier institutions like IITs and NITs have their own grading system for assessment. The international grading system (GPA/CGPA) used by schools and institutes abroad is different from the Indian academic grading system which is based on the Percentage system (out of 100) or a 10-point GPA system.
Read: Education System, Grading System, and Application Process for Masters (MS) in Germany
Percentage System
In the Percentage system, total marks per subject are converted to a percentage which is then categorized in four divisions:
- Distinction – 75% and above students are qualified
- 1st Division – Students achieving 60% to 75%
- 2nd Division – Students achieving 50% to 60%
- 3rd Division – Students achieving 40% to 50%
GPA Grading System in India and US
The Grade point average can be calculated on a 4-point scale which is considered as the international standard followed by US universities. India though follows a 10-point grade scale. The assessment points or percentages can always be converted to GPA scores depending upon the university requirements. U.S. universities generally adopt a 4 point GPA scale.
Aspiring students applying for universities abroad can look for guidelines for conversion including GPA calculators which are usually provided on the concerned university website. In the 10-point GPA system, letter grades are normally attached to points, for example, 9 point earns an “A” letter grade.
To make it more understandable and comparable, we will provide you an illustrative list of percentage and their corresponding grades and GPA score:
|
Percentage | Grade |
| 90 – 100 | A+ |
| 85 – 89 | A |
| 80 – 84 | A- |
| 77 – 79 | B+ |
| 73 – 76 | B |
| 70 – 72 | B- |
| 67 – 69 | C+ |
| 63 – 66 | C+ |
| 60 – 62 | C- |
| 55 – 59 | D+ |
| 50 – 54 | D |
0 – 49 | F |
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How to Convert Percentage to CGPA (on a Scale of 10)
To convert CGPA to percentage and vice versa, different universities follow different methods and one of the followed methods is:
Equivalent % = (CGPA/10) * 90
And CGPA = (Percentage/90) * 10
In order to convert Percentage to CGPA (out of 10), divide your percentage by 9.5 and the result will be your CGPA. For example, to convert 75 percent to CGPA, we divide it by 9.5 and the resulting number 7.9 is the CGPA out of 10.
Basically, GPA= Percentage/9.5
You can various calculators provided online to convert your CGPA to Percentage or the vice versa. The other method to convert CGPA to the percentage system provided by CBSE is to multiply CGPA with 9.5 which will help you to get the percentage. For example, anyone scoring 9.2 CGPA will have a percentage of 9.7*9.5=92.15%.
Similarly, to convert the percentage to CGPA, you need to divide the percentage by 9.5 which will give your CGPA score. Taking an example, if your overall percentage is 93% then your CGPA score would be 93/9.5 = 9.7
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How to Convert CGPA to Percentage (Simple Chart)
CGPA to Percentage Calculation by Major Indian Universities
Anna University
As per Anna University, Percentage=CGPA x10 [CGPA multiplied by 10 gives the value of percentage]
Mumbai University
In the 7 point grading system, the percentage is calculated on the percentage of actual marks obtained. For 10 point the formula is Percentage (%) = 7.1 *CGPA +11.
KTU
CGPA =Σ(Ci×GPi)/ΣCi, where Ci = credit assigned for a course
The Percentage Marks (% Marks) = 10xG – 3.75
Calculator for KTU
VTU
[CGPA Earned – 0.75] x 10= Percentage of marks scored. Here is the PDF by VTU.
MAKAUT (formerly WBUT)
For MAKAUT, few companies just multiply the GPA by 10. But, companies TCS do a subtraction of 0.75 from the CGPA and then multiply by 10, which is actually there on the University website.
Below is the conversion:
6.25 GPA = 55%
6.75 GPA = 60%
7.25 GPA = 65%
7.75 GPA = 70%
8.25 GPA = 75%
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How to Convert CBSE CGPA to Percentage?
- CBSE converts CGPA to percentage with the simple formula of mutiplying CGPA with 9.5.
- For example, to convert 8.2 CGPA to percentage, multiply it with 9.5 and the resulting number which is 77.9 is the percentage.
- Class 10 and Class 12 results for CBSE will be announced soon and CBSE will be providing the results in CGPA format.
Feel free to use this online CBSE CGPA to Percentage calculator!
How to Convert Indian Percentage or CGPA to GPA on 4.0 Scale for US Universities?
Converting the CGPA or Percentage (received from an Indian institute) to a 4-point GPA scale is not always mandatory while applying to US universities.
WES Evaluation (Officially Accepted by US and Canadian Universities)
However, if you need to get it done for a specific university, you can get it done through WES (World Education Services), by paying a certain amount ($160 – $205). Ideally, you need to get a Course-by-Course evaluation from WES. Several American and Canadian universities accept official evaluation and conversion reports from WES. Here is the link for the WES GPA Calculator.
WES Evaluation Might Not be a Level-Playing Field for Indian Candidates
Please be advised, through the WES, you might not get a figure to feel excited about, especially, if you have received a percentage. In India, more often than not, it’s very hard to get more than 70% aggregate. So, even after scoring 70 – 75% (which is actually as tough as scoring 8.5 – 9.0 in India), you might receive 2.9 or 3.3 when converted to the US scale.
Many colleges in India grade/score very stringently, since the minimum percentage required to pass is 40 – 50% (or 4.0/5.0 CGPA). In the US, you need a minimum GPA of 2.75 to pass. A GPA below 3.0 is considered to be poor, while a GPA between 3.0 and 3.5 would be considered below average. So, it’s like comparing Apples with Oranges.
This can hurt your MS admission chances at top universities; especially if you are targeting Ivy League schools for MS from India.
For MBA applications, top B-Schools like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia Johnson, Chicago Booth, Yale, etc. do not ask applicants to convert the Indian grades. They ask to report the CGPA or Percentage (awarded by Indian Institutes) as it is.
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Converting CGPA to GPA on US 4.0-Scale (Unofficially)
In case, you do not need to convert your CGPA or Percentage to the 4.0-scale while applying for MS or MBA, and you just need to understand where you stand, you could use the following approach:
Consider 100% as 100 points and since the US follows a 4 point scale, hence 25 points in percentage are equivalent to 1 point in GPA system. Now, divide your percentage by 100 and multiply by 4. For example, if your percentage is 90, then your GPA score would be (90/100)*4 = 3.6.
FREE GPA Calculator (Indian CGPA to GPA Calculator on a 4.0 Scale for US): Scholaro GPA Calculator
Advantages and Disadvantages of CGPA and Percentage system
With time, everything gets to advance and so does our education system too. The key purpose of the CGPA grading system in education is to get a comprehensive view of both students and educators about the performance in the respective subjects. As per the grade points, students can accordingly work on their weaknesses and achieve better results.
The best part about the grade point system is that it helps in keeping a healthy competition by focusing on the grades (which is relative to other students’ performances) and not specifically on rank or number of marks obtained.
With no specific ranking, students can focus on the holistic development in academics instead of being trying to score the highest marks by mugging up their respective subjects. In simpler words, the percentage is a combined way of calculating, while CGPA classifies your marks into grades. Recently companies are providing a lot of importance to this system.
Both systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some universities still work on the system of percentage while others prefer the grade point system. So, to keep yourself updated with both situations, you should keep in mind the simple formula that we have already discussed above.
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Author Parinita Gupta: Parinita is a full-time banking professional. Additionally, she is also a passionate blogger and digital marketer.
She mostly writes about the Banking & Finance, Technology, and FinTech sector. But, she also enjoys writing on other topics as well. You can follow her on Twitter.