Percentage to GPA Calculator
Enter any value from 0 to 100
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- • Don’t assume all Canadian universities use the same conversion scale
- • Check your official academic calendar for exact percentage cutoffs
- • Some faculties within the same university use different scales
- • Course grades below 50% typically result in 0.0 GPA regardless of exact percentage
How Percentage to GPA Conversion Works in Canada
Canadian universities don’t use a universal percentage-to-GPA conversion. Each institution sets its own grading scale, and the conversion depends on which GPA system your school uses: 4.0, 4.33, or 9.0.
The basic conversion process follows this logic:
For example, on a 4.0 scale, an 85% converts to an A (4.0 GPA) at most Ontario universities. But the same 85% might be an A- (3.7 GPA) at some schools or an A (4.0 GPA) at others, depending on their specific grading policy.
Critical Point: The percentage ranges that map to each letter grade vary between universities. A 90% is not automatically a 4.0 GPA everywhere in Canada. Always check your institution’s official grading scale.
Canadian GPA Conversion Tables
4.0 Scale (Most Common)
Used by University of Toronto, McGill, Western, Queen’s, and most Ontario universities.
| Percentage Range | Letter Grade | GPA (4.0) |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100% | A+ | 4.0 |
| 85-89% | A | 4.0 |
| 80-84% | A- | 3.7 |
| 77-79% | B+ | 3.3 |
| 73-76% | B | 3.0 |
| 70-72% | B- | 2.7 |
| 67-69% | C+ | 2.3 |
| 63-66% | C | 2.0 |
| 60-62% | C- | 1.7 |
| 57-59% | D+ | 1.3 |
| 53-56% | D | 1.0 |
| 50-52% | D- | 0.7 |
| 0-49% | F | 0.0 |
4.33 Scale (Western Universities)
UBC, University of Alberta, and McMaster use this scale. The main difference is A+ equals 4.33 instead of 4.0.
| Percentage Range | Letter Grade | GPA (4.33) |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100% | A+ | 4.33 |
| 85-89% | A | 4.0 |
| 80-84% | A- | 3.7 |
| 76-79% | B+ | 3.3 |
| 72-75% | B | 3.0 |
| 68-71% | B- | 2.7 |
| 64-67% | C+ | 2.3 |
| 60-63% | C | 2.0 |
| 55-59% | C- | 1.7 |
| 50-54% | D | 1.0 |
| 0-49% | F | 0.0 |
UBC and Alberta Students: The 4.33 scale gives you a slight advantage if you earn multiple A+ grades. A 4.33 GPA looks stronger than 4.0 on applications, though some programs normalize all GPAs to 4.0 for comparison.
9.0 Scale (York and Windsor)
Less common but still used at York University and University of Windsor.
| Percentage Range | Letter Grade | GPA (9.0) |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100% | A+ | 9.0 |
| 80-89% | A | 8.0 |
| 75-79% | A- | 7.0 |
| 70-74% | B+ | 6.0 |
| 65-69% | B | 5.0 |
| 60-64% | B- | 4.0 |
| 55-59% | C+ | 3.0 |
| 50-54% | C | 2.0 |
| 45-49% | C- | 1.0 |
| 40-44% | D+ | 0.5 |
| 0-39% | F | 0.0 |
Quebec
Quebec universities (McGill, Concordia) use 4.0 GPA for their own students. However, students coming from CEGEP deal with the R-Score (cote R), which doesn’t directly convert to GPA. The R-Score considers your grades relative to class performance and course difficulty.
Why Conversion Ranges Differ Between Schools
Canadian universities have institutional autonomy over grading policies. What counts as an A at one school might be an A- at another. This happens because:
- Different academic traditions and standards
- Varying levels of grade inflation or deflation
- Faculty-specific policies within the same university
- Historical grading practices that persist over time
For instance, at University of Toronto, an 85% earns an A (4.0). But at Simon Fraser University, an 85% gets you an A- (3.67) because their A grade starts at 90%. Same percentage, different GPA.
Transfer Students: When you move between universities, your percentage grades stay the same but the GPA conversion might change. A 3.8 GPA from one school isn’t directly comparable to 3.8 from another if they use different conversion scales.
Using Your Converted GPA
Once you know your percentage converts to a specific GPA, here’s what you can do with that information:
- Check Academic Standing: Ensure you’re above 2.0 (usually required for good standing)
- Evaluate Scholarship Eligibility: Most scholarships require 3.0 or 3.5 minimum
- Plan Graduate Applications: Know if you meet minimum GPA requirements
- Monitor Probation Risk: Stay aware if you’re approaching the 2.0 threshold
- Set Grade Targets: Calculate what percentage you need to maintain or improve GPA
Strategic Tip: If you’re close to a GPA threshold (like 2.95 when you need 3.0), check if your school rounds GPAs. Some universities round 2.95 to 3.0 for scholarship or program eligibility, while others use exact values.
What Different Percentages Mean
| Percentage | Typical Letter | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100% | A+ | Exceptional work, top of class |
| 85-89% | A | Excellent, strong understanding |
| 80-84% | A- | Very good, minor errors only |
| 77-79% | B+ | Good, solid performance |
| 73-76% | B | Satisfactory, meets expectations |
| 70-72% | B- | Acceptable, some weaknesses |
| 60-69% | C range | Passing but significant gaps |
| 50-59% | D range | Minimal pass, barely acceptable |
| Below 50% | F | Fail, did not meet requirements |
Understanding Edge Cases
Failing Grades (Below 50%)
In Canada, any grade below 50% typically results in a 0.0 GPA regardless of the exact percentage. A 45% and a 10% both count as F (0.0). This means failing grades have an especially harsh impact on your cumulative GPA since they’re all weighted equally as zero.
Percentages Above 100%
Some courses offer bonus marks that push percentages above 100%. In most cases, these still convert to the maximum letter grade (A+). A 105% and a 95% both convert to A+ and receive the same GPA value (4.0 or 4.33 depending on your scale). The extra percentage doesn’t increase your GPA beyond the scale maximum.
Pass/Fail Courses
Pass/fail courses typically don’t convert to GPA at all. They appear as P or F on your transcript but aren’t included in GPA calculations. However, policies vary, so check if your school counts P as a specific GPA value (some count it as C or 2.0).
Percentage Decimals
Most universities don’t round percentages before converting to letter grades. A 79.9% stays as 79.9% and converts to B+, not A-. Some schools round to the nearest whole number, but this is less common. Your course syllabus should specify the rounding policy.
Important: If you’re 0.1% away from the next letter grade, don’t assume it will be rounded up. Most Canadian universities use exact percentages as reported by professors. Rounding happens at the professor’s discretion, not automatically by the registrar.
Common Questions About Percentage to GPA Conversion
Is 80% Always a 3.7 GPA in Canada?
Not always. At most Ontario universities on the 4.0 scale, 80% converts to A- (3.7 GPA). But some schools define their ranges differently. UBC, for example, uses slightly different percentage cutoffs for letter grades. Always check your specific university’s grading policy in the academic calendar.
Can I Convert My GPA Back to a Percentage?
Not accurately. If you have a 3.5 GPA, it doesn’t convert to a specific percentage because different percentage grades can produce the same GPA. A student with 85%, 82%, and 78% might have the same GPA as someone with 90%, 80%, and 70%. The GPA is an average of grade points, not percentages.
What If My Percentage Falls on a Boundary?
Some universities round up, others round down, and some use exact cutoffs. A 79.5% might count as 80% (A-) at one school or stay at 79% (B+) at another. Check your school’s rounding policy. Most Canadian universities don’t round grade percentages and use the exact value reported by your professor.
Do All Courses Use the Same Conversion Scale?
Usually yes, within the same faculty. But some professional programs (engineering, business, law) might use different grading scales than arts or sciences at the same university. Engineering programs often have stricter grading with lower percentage cutoffs for the same letter grades.
How Do Graduate Schools Handle Different GPA Scales?
Most grad schools convert all GPAs to a common scale for comparison, typically 4.0. If you’re applying from a 4.33 school, they’ll often normalize your GPA. A 4.2 on the 4.33 scale might be treated as approximately 3.88 on a 4.0 scale, though conversion methods vary between admissions committees.
Application Warning: When applying to professional or graduate programs, don’t convert your GPA yourself. Submit your official transcript and let the admissions office handle conversions. Self-converted GPAs on applications can raise red flags.
How to Find Your University’s Exact Conversion Scale
Every Canadian university publishes its official grading scale in the academic calendar or student handbook. Here’s where to look:
- Academic Calendar: Search for “grading system” or “grade point average”
- Faculty Handbook: Some faculties have different scales than the university default
- Registrar’s Website: Usually has a grading policy page with conversion tables
- Course Syllabus: Should specify which grading scale applies to that course
Don’t rely on online calculators alone. Verify the conversion scale matches your specific institution’s official policy before making academic decisions based on converted GPA values.
Province-Specific Conversion Practices
Ontario
Most Ontario universities (Toronto, Western, Queen’s, Ottawa, Waterloo) use the standard 4.0 scale with relatively consistent percentage ranges. An 85% typically equals 4.0 (A), and 80% equals 3.7 (A-). McMaster uses both 4.0 and 12.0 scales depending on your program.
British Columbia
UBC uses 4.33 where A+ gives 4.33 GPA. Simon Fraser has stricter percentage requirements, where A starts at 90% instead of 85%. This means SFU students need higher percentages to achieve the same letter grades as students at other schools.
Alberta
University of Alberta uses the 4.0 scale but with percentage ranges that differ slightly from Ontario schools. A 90% gets you A+ (4.0), and grades between 86-89% earn an A (4.0). Their B range is wider than most Ontario universities.
When Percentage to GPA Conversion Matters Most
You need accurate percentage-to-GPA conversion in these situations:
- Checking Academic Standing: To verify you’re above minimum GPA requirements
- Scholarship Applications: Many require 3.0, 3.5, or 3.7 minimum GPA
- Program Admission: Competitive programs often have GPA cutoffs
- Graduate School Planning: Helps you know if you meet admission minimums
- Transfer Applications: Understanding how your grades convert at the new school
- Dean’s List Eligibility: Usually requires 3.5+ GPA in a term
Planning Ahead: If you’re aiming for a specific cumulative GPA target, use your school’s conversion scale to determine what percentage you need in remaining courses. Work backwards from your GPA goal to find required course percentages.
Improving Your GPA Through Percentage Performance
Understanding the percentage-to-GPA conversion helps you set realistic grade targets. Here’s the math reality:
If you currently have a 2.8 GPA with 60 credits completed, getting 90% (4.0 GPA) in your next 30 credits would raise your cumulative GPA to 3.2. The impact of new grades decreases as you accumulate more credits.
Focus on courses worth more credits and aim for percentages well above the minimum for your target letter grade. An 85% (A) helps more than an 80% (A-) even though both are A-range grades.
Common Conversion Mistakes
- Using the wrong scale: Assuming your school uses 4.0 when it actually uses 4.33 or 9.0
- Mixing scales: Converting some courses with one scale and others with another
- Averaging percentages: You can’t average your percentages and then convert. Each course converts individually, then GPAs are weighted by credit hours
- Ignoring credit hours: A 3.0 in a 6-credit course affects your GPA more than 3.0 in a 3-credit course
- Self-converting for applications: Let institutions do official conversions from your transcript
Critical Error: Never average your course percentages to get an overall percentage, then convert that to GPA. This produces incorrect results. Each course percentage must convert to GPA individually, then those GPAs are weighted by credit hours.
Percentage vs GPA for Graduate Applications
When applying to graduate programs, some schools ask for percentage grades while others want GPA. If you’re applying internationally or to programs outside your province, be aware that:
- American universities typically require 4.0 scale GPA conversions
- UK universities often want percentage grades directly
- Some Canadian grad programs request both percentage and GPA
- Professional programs (medicine, law) may recalculate your GPA using their own formula
Always provide what the application requests and include your official transcript so admissions can verify the conversion themselves.