Indian CGPA and percentage to US GPA
India has no single university scale: older programs report percentages and divisions, newer ones a 10-point CGPA, and the IITs grade harder than most. Pick the scale on your transcript.
Convert a grade
Standards vary by school; follow your target school’s rules.
How the estimate works
The estimate draws straight lines between these points on the “University CGPA out of 10” scale: 7 → 3.0, 7.5 → 3.3, 8 → 3.7, 10 → 4.0. The points in the middle come from the published tables below; mapping the lowest pass to 1.0 and the top of the scale to 4.0 is a GradeKite assumption. Values outside the points get no estimate.
The estimate draws straight lines between these points on the “IIT CGPA out of 10” scale: 7.5 → 3.0, 8 → 3.3, 9 → 3.7, 10 → 4.0. The points in the middle come from the published tables below; mapping the lowest pass to 1.0 and the top of the scale to 4.0 is a GradeKite assumption. Values outside the points get no estimate.
Grade bands
| Division | Percentage |
|---|---|
| First class (Oregon State reads this as a B average) | 60 and above |
| Below first class | Below 60 |
Three scales on one subcontinent
Indian degrees went from the old “division” system, where 60% or more earned a first class, to credit-based CGPAs out of 10 at most universities. Both still appear on transcripts, and an applicant may hold a percentage-based bachelor’s and a CGPA-based master’s. School results are different again: CBSE awards grades and grade points, and its FAQ gives an “indicative” percentage of 9.5 × CGPA. In a 30 November 2023 notice CBSE also said it does not calculate or declare an overall percentage and leaves that to the admitting institution or employer.
Why the IITs get their own row
The University of Toronto publishes separate anchors for the Indian Institutes of Technology: a 7.5 CGPA from an IIT counts as mid-B, where elsewhere 7.0 does, and an A− needs 9.0 rather than 8.0. The converter has a separate IIT setting for that reason. Loughborough University makes a similar distinction for percentages: institutions on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) need 61% for a first-class equivalent, others 68%.
Universities disagree, and that is the point
Oregon State asks for a cumulative 8 out of 10 “where no classification is given” as its B-average minimum, while Toronto puts mid-B at 7.0. Neither is wrong: they are two admissions offices with different bars. When a school publishes its own India table, it overrides any estimate here.
Worked examples
A 7.6 CGPA from a state university sits a fifth of the way from Toronto’s B+ (7.5 = 3.3) to its A− (8.0 = 3.7): 3.3 + 0.4 × 0.2 = 3.38, shown as 3.4. The same 7.6 from an IIT is just above mid-B, about 3.06. A CBSE Class X CGPA of 9.0 gives an indicative 85.5% (9.0 × 9.5); this is a school figure and should not be fed into a university GPA.
Percentages are handled more cautiously. With a single published anchor (60% = first class = B average), there is not enough data to place, say, 72% on a 4.0 scale without inventing a curve, so the converter reports the division and Loughborough’s UK-class equivalent instead.
What universities publish
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies | Mid-B: 7/10 or 1st Class/Division; 7.5/10 from an IIT. B+: 7.5/10 (IIT 8/10). A−: 8/10 or 1st Class with Distinction (IIT 9/10). |
| Oregon State University Graduate Admissions | B average: 60% (First Class), or 8 out of 10 where no classification is given. |
| Loughborough University | UK First / 2:1 / 2:2: 61% / 55% / 50% at NIRF-listed institutions; 68% / 62% / 57% at all others. |
| Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) | Overall indicative percentage of marks = 9.5 × CGPA. |
Estimated conversion table
| University CGPA out of 10 | Estimated US GPA (4.0) |
|---|---|
| 7 | 3.0 |
| 7.25 | 3.1 |
| 7.5 | 3.3 |
| 7.75 | 3.5 |
| 8 | 3.7 |
| 8.5 | 3.8 |
| 9 | 3.9 |
| 9.5 | 3.9 |
| 10 | 4.0 |
Sources
- University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies: International Credentials Equivalencies
- Oregon State University Graduate Admissions: India requirements
- Loughborough University: Postgraduate qualification equivalencies for international students
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE): Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
- CBSE notice of 30 Nov 2023: Calculation of percentage of Class X & XII (PDF)
Once you have course grades on a 4.0 scale, the GPA calculator turns them into a credit-weighted GPA.