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Grading Scale: Percentage to Letter Grade

The standard American grading scale with letter grades, percentage ranges and 4.0 GPA points. Use the converters to get grades from percentages, or look up any letter.

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Percentage → letter grade

%
?

Type any percentage, like 89.5.

Letter grade → percentage

B+

A B+ is 87–89%, worth 3.3 grade points.

U.S. grading scale chart

This is the plus/minus scale used by most American high schools and colleges. A score earns a letter once it reaches that letter's minimum. The ranges below are shown as whole numbers, so a 92.6% is still an A- and an 82.9% is still a B-.

Standard U.S. grading scale
LetterPercentageGPA (4.0)
A+97–100%4.0
A93–96%4.0
A-90–92%3.7
B+87–89%3.3
B83–86%3.0
B-80–82%2.7
C+77–79%2.3
C73–76%2.0
C-70–72%1.7
D+67–69%1.3
D63–66%1.0
D-60–62%0.7
FBelow 60%0.0

Most schools describe this grade scale as a 10-point grading system. To go from letter grading to percentage, find the letter in the left column. To go the other way, find your percentage in the middle column or type it into the converter above.

How the scale is built

The U.S. scale is a 10-point scale: each letter covers ten percentage points (A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69) and anything below 60 is an F. Plus and minus split each letter into thirds: the top three points earn a plus, the bottom three a minus. A+ is the exception, usually 97–100.

On the 4.0 GPA scale, an A is 4.0 and each step down subtracts about a third of a point: A- 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0 and so on to D- 0.7. Most colleges cap an A+ at 4.0; a few, mainly some private universities, give it 4.33. Our GPA calculator uses 4.0.

Other grading scales you may see

7-point scale

Some U.S. districts use a stricter 7-point scale: A 93–100, B 85–92, C 77–84, D 70–76, F below 70. On this scale, 70% is the lowest passing grade.

Letter grades without plus/minus

Many elementary and middle schools, and some high schools, use only A, B, C, D and F (A = 90–100, B = 80–89, and so on), each worth a whole grade point (4, 3, 2, 1, 0).

Standards-based grading (1–4)

Elementary schools often report on a 1–4 scale: 4 exceeds the standard, 3 meets it, 2 is approaching and 1 is beginning. These aren't percentages and don't convert neatly to letter grades.

Pass/fail

A P (pass) or S (satisfactory) earns credit but usually isn't counted in your GPA. An F in a pass/fail class usually does count.

Building a test with your own cutoffs? Set them in the EZ Grader and print a chart.

Frequently asked questions

What percent is an A?

On the standard U.S. scale an A is 93–96%, an A+ is 97–100% and an A- is 90–92%. Many schools simply treat 90–100% as an A.

What percentage is a B?

A B is 83–86%. The full B range is 80–89%: B- 80–82%, B 83–86%, B+ 87–89%.

What percentage is a C?

A C is 73–76%. The C range is 70–79%: C- 70–72%, C 73–76%, C+ 77–79%.

What grade is a 70?

70% is a C- (1.7 GPA points). On a scale without plus/minus, 70% is a C.

What grade is a 75?

75% is a C (2.0 GPA points).

What grade is an 80?

80% is a B- (2.7 GPA points). It's the lowest B.

What grade is a 60?

60% is a D- (0.7 GPA points). It's the lowest passing grade at most U.S. schools.

Is a 65 passing?

At most U.S. schools, yes. 65% is a D (1.0 GPA points). Some districts and many college programs require a 70% or higher to pass or to count toward a major.

Is an 89.5 an A?

Not by default: 89.5% is a B+ on the standard scale. Many teachers round to the nearest whole number, which would make it a 90 (A-). Check your teacher's rounding policy.

How do I convert a percentage to GPA?

Find the letter grade for the percentage, then use its GPA points: 93% or higher is a 4.0, 90–92% is 3.7, 87–89% is 3.3, and so on down the chart. There's no single formula, because the steps follow the letter grades.

Is a C a good grade?

A C (73–76%) is average and passing, but it's the minimum many programs accept. Some college majors require a C or better in core classes, and a C- often doesn't count toward prerequisites.

Last reviewed by the GradeCalc team. See how we calculate.