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Academic grading in the United States

Updated: 11/6/2025, 12:50:09 AM Wikipedia source

In the United States, academic grading commonly takes on the form of five, six or seven letter grades. Traditionally, the grades are A+, A, A−, B+, B, B−, C+, C, C−, D+, D, D− and F, with A+ being the highest and F being lowest. In some cases, grades can also be numerical. Numeric-to-letter-grade conversions generally vary from system to system and between disciplines and status.

Tables

· Grades A–F in the United States › Grade conversion
A
A
Letter Grade
A
Percentage
90–100%
GPA
4.0
B
B
Letter Grade
B
Percentage
80–89%
GPA
3.0
C
C
Letter Grade
C
Percentage
70–79%
GPA
2.0
D
D
Letter Grade
D
Percentage
60–69%
GPA
1.0
F
F
Letter Grade
F
Percentage
0–59%
GPA
0.0
Letter Grade
Percentage
GPA
A
90–100%
4.0
B
80–89%
3.0
C
70–79%
2.0
D
60–69%
1.0
F
0–59%
0.0
· Grades A–F in the United States › Grade conversion
A+
A+
Letter Grade
A+
Percentage
97–100%
GPA
4.0
A
A
Letter Grade
A
Percentage
93–96%
GPA
3.9
A−
A−
Letter Grade
A−
Percentage
90–92%
GPA
3.7
B+
B+
Letter Grade
B+
Percentage
87–89%
GPA
3.3
B
B
Letter Grade
B
Percentage
83–86%
GPA
3.0
B−
B−
Letter Grade
B−
Percentage
80–82%
GPA
2.7
C+
C+
Letter Grade
C+
Percentage
77–79%
GPA
2.3
C
C
Letter Grade
C
Percentage
73–76%
GPA
2.0
C−
C−
Letter Grade
C−
Percentage
70–72%
GPA
1.7
D+
D+
Letter Grade
D+
Percentage
67–69%
GPA
1.3
D
D
Letter Grade
D
Percentage
63–66%
GPA
1.0
D−
D−
Letter Grade
D−
Percentage
60–62%
GPA
0.7
F
F
Letter Grade
F
Percentage
0–59%
GPA
0.0
Letter Grade
Percentage
GPA
A+
97–100%
4.0
A
93–96%
3.9
A−
90–92%
3.7
B+
87–89%
3.3
B
83–86%
3.0
B−
80–82%
2.7
C+
77–79%
2.3
C
73–76%
2.0
C−
70–72%
1.7
D+
67–69%
1.3
D
63–66%
1.0
D−
60–62%
0.7
F
0–59%
0.0
· Assessment › Rank-based grading
A
A
Grade
A
percentage of students receiving grade
fourth quintile (top 20%)
B
B
Grade
B
percentage of students receiving grade
third quintile (20% - 40%)
C
C
Grade
C
percentage of students receiving grade
second quintile (middle 20%)
D
D
Grade
D
percentage of students receiving grade
first quintile (60% - 80%)
F
F
Grade
F
percentage of students receiving grade
bottom 20%
Grade
percentage of students receiving grade
A
fourth quintile (top 20%)
B
third quintile (20% - 40%)
C
second quintile (middle 20%)
D
first quintile (60% - 80%)
F
bottom 20%
· Other systems › The 1-2-3-4 system
90–100
90–100
Percentage
90–100
Grade/mark
AL1
Assigned meaning
Exemplary
Numeric grade
4.0
80–89
80–89
Percentage
80–89
Grade/mark
AL3 or AL2
Assigned meaning
Accomplished
Numeric grade
3.0
70–79
70–79
Percentage
70–79
Grade/mark
AL5 or AL4
Assigned meaning
Developing
Numeric grade
2.0
60–69
60–69
Percentage
60–69
Grade/mark
AL6 or AL5
Assigned meaning
Beginning
Numeric grade
1.0
0–59
0–59
Percentage
0–59
Grade/mark
AL6 to AL8
Assigned meaning
Bad
Numeric grade
0.0
Percentage
Grade/mark
Assigned meaning
Numeric grade
90–100
AL1
Exemplary
4.0
80–89
AL3 or AL2
Accomplished
3.0
70–79
AL5 or AL4
Developing
2.0
60–69
AL6 or AL5
Beginning
1.0
0–59
AL6 to AL8
Bad
0.0
· Other systems › Seven point scale
98.5–100
98.5–100
Percentage
98.5–100
Grade/mark
A+
95.5–98.49
95.5–98.49
Percentage
95.5–98.49
Grade/mark
A
92.5–95.49
92.5–95.49
Percentage
92.5–95.49
Grade/mark
A–
89.5–92.49
89.5–92.49
Percentage
89.5–92.49
Grade/mark
B+
86.5–89.49
86.5–89.49
Percentage
86.5–89.49
Grade/mark
B
84.5–86.49
84.5–86.49
Percentage
84.5–86.49
Grade/mark
B–
82.5–84.49
82.5–84.49
Percentage
82.5–84.49
Grade/mark
C+
79.5–82.49
79.5–82.49
Percentage
79.5–82.49
Grade/mark
C
76.5–79.49
76.5–79.49
Percentage
76.5–79.49
Grade/mark
C–
74.5–76.49
74.5–76.49
Percentage
74.5–76.49
Grade/mark
D+
72.5–74.49
72.5–74.49
Percentage
72.5–74.49
Grade/mark
D
69.7–72.49
69.7–72.49
Percentage
69.7–72.49
Grade/mark
D–
0.5–69.69
0.5–69.69
Percentage
0.5–69.69
Grade/mark
F
0
0
Percentage
0
Grade/mark
I
Percentage
Grade/mark
98.5–100
A+
95.5–98.49
A
92.5–95.49
A–
89.5–92.49
B+
86.5–89.49
B
84.5–86.49
B–
82.5–84.49
C+
79.5–82.49
C
76.5–79.49
C–
74.5–76.49
D+
72.5–74.49
D
69.7–72.49
D–
0.5–69.69
F
0
I

References

  1. www.calculyte.com
    https://www.calculyte.com/other/final-grade-calculator.html
  2. National Center for Educational Statistics
    http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/hsts/howgpa.aspx
  3. Dutchess Community College
    https://www.sunydutchess.edu/academics/academic_policies/grading_system.html
  4. www.kzoo.edu
    https://www.kzoo.edu/catalog/?id=1385
  5. Carleton College
    http://apps.carleton.edu/handbook/academics/?policy_id=21464
  6. Wellesley College
    http://www.wellesley.edu/registrar/grading/grading_policy
  7. instructorlink.berkeley.edu
    https://web.archive.org/web/20171023125511/http://instructorlink.berkeley.edu/centers/grading/chart.html
  8. Calculating GPA
    https://registrar.mit.edu/classes-grades-evaluations/grades/calculating-gpa
  9. "UWRF"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20070221074510/http://www.uwrf.edu/esis/NonAttendanceGradeReporting.htm
  10. "UPitt"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080517032053/http://www.pitt.edu/%7eregistrar/grdPgGrades.htm
  11. "TESU: Understanding Your Transcript (internal link)"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20170304044416/https://walkingstick.tesu.edu/WebAdvisor/WebAdvisor?TOKENIDX=5595040900&TYPE=M&PID=CORE-WBMAIN
  12. University of Wisconsin - River Falls - NonAttendance Grade (XF) Reporting Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
    http://www.uwrf.edu/esis/NonAttendanceGradeReporting.htm
  13. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/weekinreview/28tyre.html
  14. "The Problem with Standards-Based Grading"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200413/https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/problem-standards-based-grading
  15. Handbook of Test Development
  16. Teaching Psychology
  17. Robert E. Slavin, Educational Psychology: Theory into Practice (Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1986), p. 556–57.
  18. StudentsPreunited.com
    https://web.archive.org/web/20210418064956/https://www.studentspreunited.com/page/GPA4pointcalculator
  19. "High School GPA Calculator" Archived September 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Studentspreunited.com. Accessed 14 Feb
    http://studentspreunited.com/page/highschoolgpa
  20. "Academic Curriculum"
    https://www.andover.edu/Academics/CollegeCounseling/Documents/PhillipsAcademySchoolProfile2013-2014.pdf
  21. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-06-me-19434-story.html
  22. San Diego Unified School District
    https://www.sandiegounified.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=27732478&pageId=31765231
  23. www.csupomona.edu
    https://web.archive.org/web/20060505214425/http://www.csupomona.edu/~ceis/ipoly/I-Poly%20Handbook%202004-2005.pdf
  24. Harrisburg South Middle School
    https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/215470/Updated_HSMS_Student_Handbook_8.28.18.pdf
  25. High School Magazine
  26. Transforming Classroom Grading
    https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED446072
  27. Active Learning in Higher Education
    https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/psychologypub/47
  28. The Education Digest
    https://www.proquest.com/docview/1115474368
  29. Brown University
    https://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/faculty/documents/gpaStatement.pdf
  30. April 2, 2004 The Wall Street Journal, Cover Story (Personal Journal)
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