Indian grading system
Indian universities grade courses on the UGC's 10-point scale, from O (10, outstanding) down to P (4, pass) and F (0, fail), and average them into a CGPA. Many still report percentage marks, where 40% is a common pass mark and 60% is first class. Percentage classes: 0 to 100%, lowest pass 40%. CBSE Class 10 and 12 grades: A1 to E, lowest pass D2.
Example · Credit-weighted average of 3 courses
Between A+ and O
Excellent or outstanding: your institution’s rule on rounding decides which grade goes on your record. P is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits.
University grades: O to F
Courses at Indian universities and colleges under the UGC's choice-based credit system. The UGC fixes the letters and grade points; each university sets the marks needed for each letter.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| O | outstanding | Pass |
| A+ | excellent | Pass |
| A | very good | Pass |
| B+ | good | Pass |
| B | above average | Pass |
| C | average | Pass |
| P | pass | Pass |
| F | fail | Fail |
Percentage classes: 0 to 100%
Degree results that Indian universities classify by aggregate percentage. Cut-offs differ by university; these are the University of Madras's for its arts and science degrees, a common pattern.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distinction | first class with distinction | 75% and above | Pass |
| First | first class | 60–74% | Pass |
| Second | second class | 50–59% | Pass |
| Third | third class (pass) | 40–49% | Pass |
| Fail | fail | below 40% | Fail |
CBSE Class 10 and 12 grades: A1 to E
Subject grades on CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 board results. These grades are positional: CBSE ranks everyone who passed a subject and gives each eighth a grade.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | top eighth of those who passed | Pass |
| A2 | second eighth | Pass |
| B1 | third eighth | Pass |
| B2 | fourth eighth | Pass |
| C1 | fifth eighth | Pass |
| C2 | sixth eighth | Pass |
| D1 | seventh eighth | Pass |
| D2 | lowest eighth of those who passed | Pass |
| E | essential repeat (fail) | Fail |
Indian grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Indian grades: we found no table for them on Wikipedia or from an official source, and we do not make one up. A US university reads a foreign transcript itself or through the credential evaluation service it names, and its conversion is the one that counts.
Send your grades as they are, with the scale above. When a form asks for your average, give it on your own scale and say which scale it is: the converter’s average does exactly that, weighted by credits when you enter them.
What to know about grades in India
- A CGPA is the average of a student's grade points across all semesters, weighted by each course's credits.
- Formulas for turning a CGPA into a percentage differ by board and university, so use the one printed on the grade card or in the university's regulations.
- The UGC asks universities that grade by marks to set grade B at no less than 50% and B+ at no less than 55%.
- Pass marks and the distinction line vary between universities: some pass at 50% rather than 40%, and distinction can start anywhere from 70% to 85%.
- A CBSE subject needs at least 33% to pass, and CBSE prints marks for each subject but no overall percentage or division.
Sources: Wikipedia, Academic grading in India; Wikipedia, Grading systems by country: India; University Grants Commission, Minimum course curriculum for undergraduate courses under choice based credit system; University of Madras, Handbook on integrated common regulations for UG and PG programmes (CBCS 2019); CBSE, Secondary School Curriculum 2026–27, Part 1; CBSE, Senior School Curriculum 2023–24.