Every letter grade, one chart.
The standard US grading scale — what percentage makes an A−, where a B+ starts, and what each letter is worth on the 4.0 GPA scale. Type any percentage to look it up instantly.
- ✓Full plus/minus scale. All 13 bands from A+ down to F.
- ✓GPA values included. The grade points each letter carries.
- ✓Whole-letter version too, for schools that skip pluses and minuses.
Percentage lookup
Enter a percentage to see its letter grade — the matching row lights up in the chart below.
Cutoffs follow the standard scale in the chart below. Your school may round or shift boundaries — check your syllabus if you're within a point of a line.
The chart
Standard grading scale (with pluses and minuses)
This is the scale most US high schools and colleges use. Each letter band is ten points wide; inside the band, the top three points earn a plus, the middle four are the plain letter, and the bottom three carry a minus. The GPA column shows the grade points that letter contributes on a 4.0 scale.
| Letter grade | Percentage range | GPA | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100% | 4.0 | Exceptional |
| A | 93–96% | 4.0 | Excellent |
| A− | 90–92% | 3.7 | Excellent |
| B+ | 87–89% | 3.3 | Above average |
| B | 83–86% | 3.0 | Good |
| B− | 80–82% | 2.7 | Good |
| C+ | 77–79% | 2.3 | Average |
| C | 73–76% | 2.0 | Average |
| C− | 70–72% | 1.7 | Below average |
| D+ | 67–69% | 1.3 | Poor |
| D | 63–66% | 1.0 | Poor |
| D− | 60–62% | 0.7 | Minimum pass |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 | Failing |
Two details worth knowing: an A+ is worth the same 4.0 as an A at nearly every school — the plus is recognition, not extra points. And there is no F+ or F−; anything under 60% is simply an F.
Other common scales
Whole-letter scale and the 4.0 conversion
Plenty of schools skip the pluses and minuses and grade on five wide bands. And when a percentage needs to become grade points directly — for a quick GPA estimate — the conversion table on the right is the shortcut.
Whole-letter grading scale
Five bands, ten points each. This is the scale the lookup above uses when you switch it to “Whole letter”.
| Letter | Percentage | GPA |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100% | 4.0 |
| B | 80–89% | 3.0 |
| C | 70–79% | 2.0 |
| D | 60–69% | 1.0 |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 |
Percentage to GPA (4.0 scale)
Reading a single percentage straight into grade points. For a real GPA across courses, weight each course by its credit hours — the GPA calculator does that for you.
| Percentage | Letter | GPA |
|---|---|---|
| 97–100% | A+ | 4.0 |
| 93–96% | A | 4.0 |
| 90–92% | A− | 3.7 |
| 87–89% | B+ | 3.3 |
| 83–86% | B | 3.0 |
| 80–82% | B− | 2.7 |
| 77–79% | C+ | 2.3 |
| 73–76% | C | 2.0 |
| 70–72% | C− | 1.7 |
| 67–69% | D+ | 1.3 |
| 63–66% | D | 1.0 |
| 60–62% | D− | 0.7 |
| Below 60% | F | 0.0 |
Using the chart
How to read a grading scale
Find your percentage
Start from your course percentage — the weighted average of everything graded so far. Don't have it yet? The grade calculator works it out from your scores and weights.
Find the band it lands in
Percentages are read top-down: the first row whose range contains your number is your letter. An 89.4% sits in the 87–89 band, so it's a B+ — unless your school rounds .5 and up first.
Read off the GPA value
The GPA column is what that letter is worth per credit hour. A B+ in a 3-credit course contributes 3.3 × 3 = 9.9 grade points toward your GPA.
Fine print
Why your school's scale might differ
There is no single national grading scale in the US — districts, schools and even individual teachers set their own cutoffs. This chart shows the most common version; here is where real scales most often depart from it.
Stricter cutoffs
Some schools raise the bar: an A might start at 94% instead of 93%, or a passing D at 65% instead of 60%. Competitive programs and some private schools do this to spread out the top of the class.
No pluses, minuses — or no D
Whole-letter schools use the five-band table above. A few colleges drop the D entirely, so anything under 70% is an F; others award an A+ 4.3 grade points, which is the one way an unweighted GPA can pass 4.0.
Rounding at the line
An 89.5% is a B+ on paper and an A− if your teacher rounds up. Rounding rules are rarely in the chart — they're in the syllabus. Near a boundary, that half point is worth asking about.
From a chart to your actual grade
A scale chart tells you what a percentage means — it doesn't tell you your percentage. If you know your assignment scores and their weights, the grade calculator gives you the percentage, letter and GPA in one step, graded on this exact scale. Wondering what you need on the final to land in the band you want? That's the final grade calculator.
Put the chart to work
Calculators that grade on this scale
Grade Calculator
Enter scores and weights and get your course percentage, letter grade and GPA instantly.
Calculate →Final Grade Calculator
Find the exact score you need on your final exam to finish in the letter band you want.
Calculate →GPA Calculator
Turn a semester of letter grades and credit hours into your GPA on the 4.0 scale.
Calculate →Grade Percentage Calculator
Got 43 out of 50? Convert any points score into the percentage you look up on this chart.
Calculate →Answers
Grading scale questions
What percentage is an A?
On the standard scale, an A starts at 93% (with A− covering 90–92% and A+ covering 97–100%). On a whole-letter scale without pluses and minuses, an A is anything from 90% up. Some schools are stricter and start the A at 94% — your syllabus has the final word.
Is 60% a passing grade?
Usually, yes — 60% is a D−, the lowest passing mark on the standard scale. But many programs require a C (70%) or better for a course to count toward a major or a prerequisite, and some schools set the pass line at 65%. Passing the class and earning credit for it aren't always the same thing.
What GPA is a B+?
A B+ is worth 3.3 grade points on the standard 4.0 scale. For comparison, a B is 3.0 and an A− is 3.7. Your GPA is the credit-weighted average of the grade points from all your courses.
Why is an A+ worth the same GPA as an A?
Because the 4.0 scale tops out at 4.0. Most schools treat the A+ as an honors distinction on the transcript rather than extra grade points. A minority of colleges do award 4.3 for an A+, which lets a GPA rise above 4.0 — one reason GPAs aren't perfectly comparable between schools.
Is there an E grade instead of F?
A few schools use E instead of F for failing, reportedly to soften the “F for fail” association, but it's rare. The percentage is the same either way: below 60% on the standard scale. F remains by far the most common failing letter in the US.
Do all colleges use the same grading scale?
No. The scale on this page is the most widely used in the US, but colleges set their own cutoffs, and some use variations like no A+, no D, or a 4.3 ceiling. When a percentage sits within a point of a boundary, check the scale printed in your course syllabus.