MEXT Scholarship Minimum GPA Requirement
To be eligible for the MEXT scholarship for graduate students, you need to have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.30 on a 3.00 scale.This is a sneaky eligibility criteria, as I discussed in a previous article. You will not find it in the application guidelines for students, either at the Embassy or the University. However, it does appear in the guidelines that MEXT issues to those organizations. They cannot nominate you for the scholarship unless you meet the minimum GPA requirement.
Since the requirement is not clearly stated, and I’m certain your GPA is not calculated on a 3.00 scale, it’s possible that you might end up applying for the scholarship without ever realizing that you are not eligible.
By the end of this article, we will make sure that does not happen to you.
Although we will calculate your GPA, this is not an official calculation. Ultimately, the university and embassy are responsible for calculating the official scores themselves and they are not going to accept your calculation.
How to Convert Your Grades to MEXT’s Scale
The problem is that no university in the world – not even in Japan – uses a 3.00 GPA scale. That means you have to convert whatever grade or marks system your country uses to the MEXT scale.
Unfortunately, converting your overall average from one system to the other does not work. If you convert the overall average, the result will not be accurate. You need to convert each course grade one-by-one. If you want proof of why this is true and a sample of how converting an overall average can go horribly wrong, I have included one in my upcoming book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, but you don’t need to read that to believe me.
What grades count for the calculation?
As of the 2020 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application process, MEXT has removed the “last two years” reference from its instructions to universities in how to calculate GPA. It used to be that only your last two years of grades counted for the calculation, but now it appears that all grades earned over your most recent degree will be counted. This change should apply to both the embassy and university
All grades earned in your current degree-seeking program, or in the degree program you graduated from most recently, if you are not currently enrolled in a degree.
Degree-Seeking Program
Only grades earned in a degree program count. If you are attending university as a non-degree student, attending a language program, or attending a language school, those grades do not count.
If you studied abroad during your degree, your study abroad semester may or may not count, depending on how it is reflected on your transcript. If your grades from study abroad are reflected on your home university transcript, then those grades count. If your grades are not reflected – if they only show up as pass/fail credits – then those grades do not count.
Calculating Pass/Fail Grades
In general, grades earned in pass/fail courses do not count. However, if you earned a “fail” grade in a pass/fail course and it is impossible to distinguish that grade from a failing grade in a graded course, then it may be counted.
Calculating Your GPA: Grading Systems
In order to calculate your grades, you will need an explanation of your grading system. An explanation of the grading system is generally a chart that shows all of the possible grades that can be earned and, ideally, the descriptive value of each one.
Typically, this will appear on the transcript itself, or it may be available from your university’s website. In my book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, I include images and conversion charts for every grading system I have worked with in my career.
Without a grading system, your grades are impossible to interpret.
Grading systems vary wildly from country to country, so the same grade could be a good score in one country and a terrible score in another. For example, a 71% in Japan is below average (2.00 on the MEX 3.00 scale), but in the UK it is at excellent grade (3.00 on the 3.00 scale). A “D” grade in the US is just one place removed from failure (1.00 on the 3.00 scale), but in Australia, D stands for Distinction (3.00 on the 3.00 scale).
You need your grading system to be able to convert your grades. If it is not printed on your transcript, then talk to the international office at your university or a graduate school admissions office. Either of those offices would need to be able to convert foreign grades to your university’s system in order to accept students, so they should have access to conversion charts.
Calculating Your GPA: Grading Buckets
Based on your grading system, you need to determine how to fit your grades into grading “buckets.” A grading bucket is a group of grades that all convert to the same value on MEXT’s chart.
MEXT’s official conversion chart is as follows:
System | Grades | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4-Level System | Excellent | Good | Average | Fail | |
4-Level System | A | B | C | F | |
4-Level System | 100 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 | |
All other grading systems with 4 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
5-Level System | S | A | B | C | F |
5-Level System | A | B | C | D | F |
5-Level System | 100 – 90 | 89 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 |
All other grading systems with 5 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
MEXT System Grade | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Each column in the table above is a Grading Bucket, whether that’s a single letter, description, or range of scores. But these are not the only options. You might have a system with pluses and minuses, with more than 5 letters, or other variations, such as different percentage cut-offs.
It is important that you find the conversion that works for your grading system. Your grading system will tell you how to fit your grades into the buckets above.
Once you have done that, I recommend that you make a copy of your transcript so that you can write directly on it. You can also do your calculations in a spreadsheet, of course, or however you prefer.
Whatever system you are using, write your MEXT GPA score next to your score for each course that you took over the last 2 full years.
Calculating Your Grades: Credits
Next, we need to multiply each MEXT grade by the number of credits you earned in the class, if you have a credit system.
A credits system is when you need to obtain a specific number of credits in order to graduate. Most courses will be worth multiple credits in this kind of system, depending on the number of hours spent in class and on work outside of class.
Here are a few common credit systems:
- In Japan, many universities assign 2 credits per lecture course
- Many semester-system universities in the US assign 3 credits per lecture course
- Another credit system in the US and Canada is to assign 0.5 credits per semester course and 1 credit for a year-long course
- In the ECTS system in Europe, each course is typically worth 6 credits
If you have credits for each class, the number of credits will be printed next to each class on your transcript. Multiply that number by your MEXT grade for each course to get your Quality Points for that class.
What if Your University Doesn’t Use Credits?
There are a few alternative systems you may see.
The first, and easiest, is if there are no credits at all. In this system, you simply have to pass a certain number of courses. None is weighted more than the other. In that case, each course has a credit value of 1 and your quality points for the course would be equal to the MEXT grade.
Semester and Year Courses
If your university distinguishes between semester-long courses and year-long courses, but does not specify credits, then treat a year-long course as 2 credits and a semester-long course as 1 credit for the sake of calculating your grade.
Average Marks
I have seen average marks systems where each course was worth a maximum number of marks and students had to acquire a specific number of total marks across all courses in order to graduate.
In such a system, you still need to convert your grades for each individual course. You would get your converted grade based on the percentage of available marks that you earned and the number of credits would be equal to the total number of marks available.
Calculating Your MEXT GPA: Moment of Truth
By this point, you should have your MEXT GPA for each course, the number of credits for each course, and the number of quality points (GPA x credits) for each course.
Divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credits to get your overall MEXT GPA.
How did you do? Did you clear the 2.30 threshold?
In most cases, I find that applicants’ GPAs are higher than they expect, especially if you come from a country with a harsh grading system.
If your grades are higher than 2.30, then you are eligible to apply, and there is nothing that should stop you. If you want to learn more about creating an application strategy and adopting a professional mindset to increase your chances of success, you can find advice and worksheets to improve your chances in How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship.
Of course, I have tons of free advice and resources in the other articles on this site, as well! You can find all of my MEXT articles at this link.
What If You Don’t Have Grades
There are some degree programs out there that do not award grades such as research-only graduate programs. In this case, you cannot calculate your GPA, so what do you do?
If you are applying for the Embassy Recommendation MEXT Scholarship, then please contact the Embassy for more details to be sure, but the instructions below may apply to you.
For the University Recommendation, if you have no grades, then your Letter of Recommendation (from your Dean or President, as required in that application process), must explicitly state that you are in the top 30% of your graduating class within the faculty or the university as a whole.
The top 30% letter only works if you have no GPA. If you have a GPA below 2.30, you cannot override that low GPA, even if you are in the top 30% of your class.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon. You can show your support for TranSenz on Patreon for as little as $2 per month (or less than 0.15% of the monthly MEXT stipend). Patreon supporters are instrumental in helping to cover the costs of maintaining this site and get priority responses to any questions as well as advance access to news and offers.
If you want to show your support but Patreon is out of reach, I’d appreciate it if you say hi on social media or in the comments below to let me know if you appreciate these posts. You can find me on facebook at @TranSenz or on Twitter at @tagsenzaki. I look forward to saying hi!
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Sakshi A 2019年10月31日
Hello sir,
Thank you for all the information you provide on your page. It surely is helping me loads.
My question is how am i supposed to get a transcript from my college in the first place. i have no idea whatsoever. Also if i’m taking re-examinations for a term that i might’ve failed (called as allowed to keep terms -ATKT) how is that going to resurface in my academic statements?
Hi Sakshi A,
Usually, there would be an office of student records or a registrar, or whatever the equivalent is in your country, that has control over students’ transcripts (the word for transcripts might also be different in your country, but it should be whatever is the record of your academic performance). If you don’t know what office to contact, perhaps your advisor can help point you to the right one.
If you are trying to retake exams for a semester that is currently marked as “failed” then it would probably still be on your record as failing grades at this time, until the new grades are recorded. That is going to hurt your overall GPA, of course. But, if that semester was not within the last 2 years (4 semesters), then it will not affect your eligibility or GPA as it counts for the scholarship. Only the last 2 years of your academic record count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sir,
Thank you very much
There’s one more question I have; once the new grades are given out will only those in the transcripts?
Or the old ones will be included as well?
Hi Sakshi A,
That is entirely up to your university’s policy and practice. I’m afraid there is no way that I could know.
Please inquire with your university registrar or academic advisor.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
I’m in my last semester of a four year bachelors degree program. Can I apply as result awaiting candidate or with my transcript of last 7 semesters or with a hope certificate.
Thanks.
Hi Huma,
Yes! You can apply while still enrolled. You would need your most up-to-date transcript and a Certificate of Expected Graduation that shows that you are expected to graduate before the scholarship period in Japan begins.
I have written more about that certificate and the other required documents in my articles about the required documents for the application. (There are different articles for the Embassy and University applications, but you can find them all on the MEXT scholarship top page).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for telling us the Scholarship and GPA calculation. Can you provide me a list of universities, there I will join for Accounting Ph.D. Actually I’m a Chartered Accountant. Currently, I’m teaching on various platforms.
Hi Yousaf,
I have another article all about how to find professors and universities in Japan that teach your field in English. That should help you get going in the right direction!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I’m glad that I found this blog just when I started for looking graduate programs in Japan. I’m so dishearted to find that the deadlines for April 2020 session are all almost over. It’s really hard to find when we should apply for MEXT. I’m totally confused about it. I’m planning to buy your guide very soon.
As for the MEXT GPA is concerned, I don’t know if I calculated it correctly or not. My under-grad was of 4 years. I repeated 2 of my courses in last two years. 1 course was from my 2nd year and other one was from my 3rd year. What should I do about these repeated courses? And following is my scale. How should I proceed with further calculations?
A+ = 4
A = 3.7
B+ = 3.3
B = 3
B- = 2.7
C+ = 2.3
C = 2
C- = 1.7
D = 1
F = 0
Hi Sehar,
I’m sorry to hear that you missed the deadline this year. The process does start well in advance.
Your next chance is going to be for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship to start in Sept/Oct 2020. That application process should be starting soon, but the exact timeline varies depending on individual universities. If you know the university that you want to apply to, I would recommend that you start checking their website on a regular basis to look for updates.
As for calculating your GPA, unless your transcript specifies a different system, then your grades look like a straightforward 5-level system. Ignore the plusses and minuses and it fits exactly into the chart in the article above.
Your university’s transcript or grading system should indicate how retakes are handled and the Japanese university would use that explanation to convert your grades. For example, in some cases, the retake grade erases the old grade. In others, the university takes the average of the two. Try to figure out how those grades are handled in your situation and follow the same guidelines for converting them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
I’m a little confused on how to calculate my MEXT score. You mentioned that the MEXT score should be calculated based on my last 2 years of study. I have a bachelor’s degree (3 years) and a master’s degree (1 year). So should I calculate my credits based on my final year of bachelor’s degree and my master’s degree? Additionally, my bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees were done at different universities. Would this affect how the credits and quality points are calculated?
Thanks.
Hi Zara,
Yes, you would calculate your Master’s and your final year of your Bachelor’s degree grades each independently, using the appropriate scales for each one. It is not going to affect how the credits and quality points are calculated since you won’t be putting the two scores together until they are each converted to the respective MEXT scores.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
my total score is 61%
Am i eligible to apply for graduate program?
Hi Obidjon,
A significant point of this article was that you can’t convert your total score and that the score conversion depends on your country’s system.
I recommend that you re-read it carefully and figure out how to convert your grades in your case, since it is different for everyone.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Could you please convert this:
A=4
A-=3.7
B+=3.3
B=3.0
B-=2.7
C+=2.3
C=2.0
C-=1.7
D+=1.0
E=0
This GPA Scale: 4.0
Hi Citra,
This looks like a classic 5-level system to me. Just drop the + and – and swap the E for an F, and it should convert just like the chart in this article.
The only exception would be if your transcript has an explanation of the grading system that explicitly groups the grades differently with qualitative descriptions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there!
Is it really true that only the overall GPA of your last two years of study is going to be taken into account when awarding the schoalrahip? I really need to be sure about this.
Btw, which of the following can help win the scholarship?
Academic essays, top IELTS score, N1.
I like to study Japanese literature or linguistics btw.
お疲れさまです。
Hi Ali,
Yes, your GPA is calculated using your last 2 years of grades, only.
Everything you listed can help a little bit, but none of them are that significant. Language scores are only important in terms of meeting the minimum eligibility requirements. The most important factors are your GPA and the quality of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I was wondering if you could help me work out my GPA. I have an British degree with a overall British grade of an high 2:2 (lower second class degree). My university has a 15 point grading system: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/71777/UAL-Marking-Scale-15-Point-Marking-Scale-and-Marks-Calculation-for-students-enrolled-FROM-September-2017.pdf
Do you think I am eligible to apply?
Merowe
Hi Merowe,
It isn’t possible to convert an overall grade accurately. You would need to calculate each grade individually and take the average after converting it to the Japanese system. It will give different results, since Japan converts grades in buckets that do not distinguish between a 10 and a 15 on your scale.
My recommended conversion scale would be:
15-10 = 3
9-7 = 2
6-4 = 1
0-3 = 0
That is not an official scale, but that is what I have used in the past for honors classification conversions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
I am currently pursuing my undergraduate course which is a 3 year degree program .We have 6 semesters in total and for now I have 5 seperate grade cards . Our university provides us with the total marks along with SGPA.
And according to MEXT’s preliminary application form they have mentioned that “if you are currently pursuing a course,then write your marks until your last semester/year”.
So what should I write in the “percentage only field”?
Since they have mentioned I need not write CGPA should I aggregate the 5 semester’s result and write the percentage or just mention the percentage of last semester which is 5th sem?
Or should I mention all the 5 semester’s seperate percentages?But that would mean I have to drag the original table in the form
Hi Miki87,
I have only heard of the form you are referring to existing in Pakistan – is that where you are applying?
The pre-screening is not an official MEXT process and there are no guidelines that I have access to, so I cannot answer those questions with as much confidence as I would inquiries on the actual application.
My understanding, based on a previous applicant’s comment, is that you should write your percentage for each course, not each semester and not an aggregate. That might mean that you have to expand the table.
If you want to send a link to the actual form, I might be able to offer clearer advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there!
Is it ok if there is an interval of one or two years between my graduation and my applying for the scholarship?
By the way, I did a bachelor’s in Japanese language and literature in Iran and I would like to apply for a field related to my degree, something like Japanese language/linguistics or Japanese art and culture. Based on your experiences, what kind of fields can be more interesting to the examiners? Any special priority in fields like the ones I mentioned?
Thank you so much.
Hi Ali,
Yes, it is perfectly fine if there is a gap of a few years between finishing your past degree and applying for the MEXT scholarship!
The fields that appeal to reviewers is going to vary from person to person and country to country. In some cases, that Japanese embassy will have worked with your home country government to limit the eligible fields of study for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, so I would recommend checking their website for more information.
If there are no limitations, then it is all about how well you convince them of the value of your research and how it will benefit the relationship between your countries. I wrote about that more in my article about application strategy, so I would recommend that, if you haven’t read it yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I have managed to compute my GPA based on the MEXT Scale, and I am still concerned about my incomplete grade in sports when I was in college. While I was able to change that grade to a passing one a semester after (and it was indicated in the transcript of records from the school) and that the course itself was not credited by the university, I am not sure how the embassy will compute the grade or look into it. However, if I account the grade as zero in the GPA, I still got a GPA of around 2.90.
Will this grade significantly affect my chances of getting the scholarship through the Japanese embassy?
Thanks
Hi Mark,
I’m afraid that without seeing your transcript, I might not be able to give you a certain answer.
If the incomplete grade was updated and no longer reflected in your final transcript, it would not be a problem. As far as I know, final transcripts at most universities never include incomplete grades. It has to change to either a pass or fail in the end.
If it was a pass/fail grade to begin with, then it should be out of the calculation, anyway.
I do not see any reason why it would affect your chances negatively.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks for the reply
The university includes incomplete grades on its transcript of records, but it does not show credits until the grade was completed due to re-examination or submission of requirements.
While the subject had a numerical grade, it was not included in the computation for the university’s average and is instead indicated with (2) hours, meaning that the course are 2 hours per week but the parenthesis indicates that the course is not credited. However, the transcript of the university did not clarify this, so I wonder how the Japanese embassy will look into it.
Since it had a numerical grade, and the fact that the transcript had not been clear about its actual credits, I actually am concerned at how the embassy will consider that grade, both in computing the average and the fact that it took an additional term to completed.
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
It should not be a problem that the course took an additional term to complete.
If there is an explanation or legend on your transcript that shows how to treat grades with credit numbers in parentheses, then the Embassy would follow that. If there is not a guide on your transcript showing how courses in parentheses should be counted, I would recommend obtaining additional documentation from your university to explain it in order to ensure that the grade is calculated as intended.
In the worst case, even if it is counted, the calculation you indicated before shows that your grades would still be well above the cut-off line, so you should have nothing to worry about in terms of eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Also, I have two more physical education courses that I had incomplete grades, but they are no longer included in the latest two years that MEXT needs for its computation of GPA since I took these courses three to four years ago. Will I still need to be concerned about this?
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
No, only grades within the last 2 years count for the calculation, so you do not need to worry about them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello transenz! I will probably try MEXT (embassy) this year but in case I don’t pass, I am planning on trying MEXT after completing a master’s I jsut started this year. I have 2 questions:
1) Here you only need to do 5 courses and sometimes they can be done in 1 year. In this case would I use the last year of my undergraduate to calculate the GPA? What if I do 4 courses in 1 year and 1 course one year later? Then the GPA would be calculated only for my graduate courses?
2) Another question: the graduate courses already have a 4 letter scale (failed, C, B and A) however the the A grade is reserved only for the top students in each course. Usually to get that grade you need more than 90% of marks. This means that sometimes you can’t get even 1 question wrong in an exam, and sometimes nobody can get an A. To get a C you need 70%, which is an A in some places! Do you think there is a chance that the embassy will take this in consideration? Also if I get 2 As and 3 Bs my GPA would be 2.4. I think if I study hard I can get that GPA but is it ok to get a barely enough GPA? Or top national universities are expecting a GPA near 3?
Thank you a lot!
Hi Vinicius,
1) If your master’s degree takes only one year, then your grades would be calculated based on that year plus the final year of your undergraduate degree. If it takes two years, even if the courses are divided the way you say, then your grades should be calculated only based on your Master’s degree.
2) That is a particularly brutal GPA system, but unfortunately, no, your grades could not be compared to other universities where 70% is an A (in those systems, it is theoretically just as difficult to get a 70% as it is to get a 90% in yours – at least, that’s how it ought to be). A 2.4 GPA is not very competitive for the MEXT scholarship, unfortunately. You may have an easier time going through the Embassy-Recommended MEXT application process where the embassy understands your local system better. (If you apply via the embassy, the university will not pay so much attention to your GPA, since you would have already passed the primary screening by then).
Given the strictness of your grad school GPA system, I would encourage you to try to complete your Master’s in 1 year so that your undergraduate grades can be factored in as well and hopefully make up for the strict grad grading.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I am hoping to apply for the undergraduate program for the up and coming 2020 scholarship, do you have any idea what their requirements were for the GPA for undergraduate degrees? Additionally, they ask us to submit the transcript of the last institution attended, I was taking a few classes and enrolled in my local community college but had to drop them due to issues at home, before that are my high school transcript, which I obtained my diploma from. Do you know if they will want the transcript from my college? I don’t think it will look very good to see I’ve dropped 3 classes.
Hi Tara Russell,
As far as I know the GPA requirements for undergraduate students and graduate students are the same.
Your transcript/converted grades should be from the last institution that you attended and graduated from (or are expecting to graduate from before starting the MEXT scholarship). If you took a few community college courses without the intent to earn a degree there before starting your MEXT scholarship, then that should not be included in your calculation, as far as I know, and you would not need to submit the transcripts or certificates from there, just from high school.
(In general, though, dropping out because of family issues should not be a major problem for your application – you would have the opportunity to explain that in the notes, anyway.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I just barely passed 2.30 with a 2.38 lol!
Hi Tara,
I’m glad to hear that you cleared that hurdle!
But with a borderline GPA, you’re going to need to put extra effort into nailing the Field of Study and Research Program Plan to impress the reviewers.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sir,
Thank you so much for the valuable information. My university uses relative grading system i.e. based on the number of students and the person with highest marks out of hundred, grades for the rest of the class is calculated.
This is link with the rules and formula. http://www.pondiuni.edu.in/sites/default/files/downloads/syllabus%20-%20biochemistry_090216.pdf
X to (X-K)+1 A+ 10
(X-K) to (X-2K)+1 A 9
(X-2K) to (X-3K)+1 A- 8
(X-3K) to (X-4K)+1 B+ 7
(X-4K) to (X-5K)+1 B 6
(X-5K) to 50 C 5
Below 50 F 0
Failure due to lack of attendance FA 0
K = (X-50)/6 where, K= class interval, X= the highest mark in the subject.
K should not be rounded off to less than two decimal places.
So following this rule even if I get 60 out of 100 I can still get an A+ if the highest scorer got something like 61 or 62.
Can you kindly give me an idea about how should I consider my grades?
Thank you.
Hi SOMENATH SEN,
Thank you for the detailed description. What does your university actually print on your transcript for your grade for each class? Is it the marks, the letter grade, or both?
That is going to be an important factor in how your grades get converted into MEXT scores. (If they print the letter grades for each course, then you would simply convert the grades as A, B, C, and F, using the 4-level system).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university prints both letter grades as well as the marks. In that case what would be considered ?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Somenath Sen,
Since the meaning of the marks is variable and the letter grades are what are used to determine your ultimate academic merit, I would assume that the letter grades would be used for the conversion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Somnath ..i am from also pondi uni n i am litlle confused coz my grade is 8.50+ then how could i convert into mext grade ?
Hi Wazed,
It is not possible to convert an overall average. You would need to convert each of your grades from the past two years individually.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Idk if this thread is still active. Ours breaks down to:
A 4.0-3.9
A- 3.8-3.5
B+ 3.4-3.2
B 3.1-2.9
B- 2.8-2.5
C+ 2.4-2.2
C 2.1-1.9
C- 1.8-1.5
D+ 1.4-1.2
D 1.1-0.9
D- 0.8-0.7
E 0.0
Hi Mena,
Every thread on this blog is still active, if someone wants to comment!
I cannot be sure without seeing if your university has a specific explanation of the grading scale (such as giving value descriptions to the different grades), but the system you described looks like a clear-cut 5-level system as I described in the article.
In that case, you would ignore all + and -.
A = 3
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
E = 0
Unless your transcript specifically says that it should be interpreted differently, and assuming you have a letter grade assigned for each course, not a GPA number, the description above should hold.
Let me know if I am reading that wrong!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz
I want to know when will be the application of mext scholarship will start on which date in the month of april
Hi Mega,
I saw that you had asked the same question on another page and answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i have a small question :
if i don’t know how to convert my scale to japanese scale or mext ,but i can convert it to US scale
can i convert to US scale then convert it to MEXT ?
thanks
Hi Mouad,
If you can convert your grades to a US scale, you should be able to convert them directly to MEXT’s scale. Just use the corresponding grades from the US-MEXT conversion.
When the university or embassy converts your grades, they will go directly from your home country to MEXT’s scale. If you convert it any other way, you risk there being a difference in math. It probably won’t be a significant difference, but I just wanted to mention that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
according to scholaro website i found this :
this is from my country to US grade
15 – 20 Très Bien (Very Good) A+
13 – 14.99 Bien (Good) A
12 – 12.99 Assez Bien (Fairly Good) B+
11 – 11.99 Passable (Satisfactory) B
10 – 10.99 Moyen (Sufficient) C
0 – 9.99 Insuffisant (Insufficient) F
i’m not sure if B+ is going to have GPA3 or GPA2 in that case !
also,,applying for the research student MEXT SCHOLARSHIP , should i calculate only two last years or all bachelor degree’s semesters ( 6 semesters ) ?
thank you very much
Hi Mouad,
You would calculate only the final two years of your bachelor’s degree (though you will have to submit your transcript for the entire period).
Based on the calculation chart you submitted above, I would calculate your grades as follows:
15 – 20 Très Bien (Very Good) A+ = 3
13 – 14.99 Bien (Good) A = 3
12 – 12.99 Assez Bien (Fairly Good) B+ = 2
11 – 11.99 Passable (Satisfactory) B = 2
10 – 10.99 Moyen (Sufficient) C = 1
0 – 9.99 Insuffisant (Insufficient) F = 0
That is assuming of course that the reference you found is accurate. I am not aware of any conversion situation where a B+ would be lumped in with the A-range. In most cases, you would ignore + or -, except in situations where the transcript is accompanied by a grading chart that specifically says that – grades should be included with the next lowest group.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you for the replay
in our grades system we have credits as well as coefficient for each module , im not sure if i should multiply by the coefficient and the credit or only the credits !
but ive tried and i did the multiplication by the credits only and i found 2.16 which means that im not eligible for the scholarship 🙁
thank you very much travis san
Hi Mouad,
I’m afraid I’ve never heard of a coefficient existing in addition to credits, so I do not have any direct experience in calculating in that system.
Keep in mind that the calculation method I suggested before is not official, it is just a guess based on the information you shared with me. It could change if there was an explanation of the grading system included with your transcript that made things clearer.
If you graduated among the top quarter or third of your class, then your GPA should calculate out to an eligible GPA, in most cases. So if that is the case, then there is probably a difference in the calculation method from what I suggested.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello TranSenz
our scale is like this :
A between [18=>20]
B between [16=>18]
C between [14=>16]
D between [12=>14]
E between [10=>12]
F under 10 (failed)
how can i calculate the mext gpa in that case ?
thanks in advance
Hi Kaikun,
Are there any descriptions that go with the grades (for example, “excellent”, “average”, “poor”)? If so, those would be important to determining the conversion. If not, the best I can do is guess based on the usual values (and meaning of a “C”) as follows:
A between [18=>20] = 3
B between [16=>18] = 3
C between [14=>16] = 2
D between [12=>14] = 1
E between [10=>12] = 1
F under 10 (failed) = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, question about GPA calculation!
I completed my undergrad degree in the US but of my last 2 years of grades, 1 year was study abroad in Japan. On study abroad, I earned 20 credits of “S” and 10 credits of “A” on the Japanese university’s transcript. However, on my home university’s transcript it was reflected as 20 credits of “A” and 10 credits of “B”. Obviously this would make a big impact on my MEXT GPA (since S or A = 3, but B =2 )…. and that would mean a MEXT GPA of 2.57/3.00 vs. 2.72/3.00 for me.
(The other year was at my home university, 26 credits of “A” , 3 credits of “B”, and 8 credits of “C” according to the US system.)
So…my question is would they use the grades on the Japanese transcript (since it was the Japanese system where I earned them) or how my home university (American) calculated those study abroad courses on my transcript? Would my MEXT GPA be 2.57 or 2.72..? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Vera,
In general, grades earned during study abroad do not count unless the actual grade is reflected on your home university transcript and factored into your GPA. (Though you will still likely have to submit the transcript from the Japanese university as reference).
Since the grades are reflected on your home university transcript, then you would use those grades.
If your university in the US uses the ABCDF system, then A and B should be 3, C would be 2, and D would be 1. So, in that case, I think your GPA is going to be a bit higher than you anticipated.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
Could you please help me with converting my university’s grading system into the MEXT system? This is the grading system from my academic transcripts
% of Marks Grade Grade Points
Above 80 A 10
75-80 A- 9
70-75 B 8
60-70 B- 7
50-60 C 6
45-50 C- 5
40-45 D 4
35-40 E 3
Below 35 F 0
Thank you, sir
Hi Ipshita Dutta,
I could make a guess based on the information you shared, but without seeing your university’s or country’s formal explanation of the grading system (i.e. descriptive indicators of which grades are average, good, exceptional), it is only a guess.
That said, my best guess would be:
% of Marks Grade Grade Points: MEXT GPA
Above 80 A 10: 3
75-80 A- 9: 3
70-75 B 8: 3
60-70 B- 7: 3
50-60 C 6: 2
45-50 C- 5: 2
40-45 D 4: 1
35-40 E 3: 1
Below 35 F 0: 0
This would be the 5-bucket system with D and E grouped into a single bucket at 1.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
Thank you for your reply. This is the explanation for each grade in my university.
% of Marks Grade Grade Points
Above 80 A 10 Outstanding
75-80 A- 9 Excellent
70-75 B 8 Very Good
60-70 B- 7 Good
50-60 C 6 Average
45-50 C- 5 Below Average
40-45 D 4 Marginal
35-40 E 3 Poor
Below 35 F 0 Very Poor
Thank you
Ipshita Dutta
Hi Ipshita Dutta,
Thank you for sharing that information. That is more or less what I had assumed, so based on what you shared, I would stick with my previous assessment.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Travis!
First of all, thank you so much for your helpful and detailed articles, I’m researching for the MEXT scholarship and this have been the best.
My cuestion. I’m an architect from Chile and I would like to study a masters degree in Japan. I did a 6 year university program with which I’m able to practice as an architect in Chile. My last 2 years of school were my final research project and final design project respectively. So, should I just count this 2 grades for the MEXT GPA?
And an unrelated to this post cuestion, I’m currently 32 years old, it’s a pretty normal age here to seek a masters degree unless you specialize in research. But I was wondering if in Japan maybe I’ll be too old? Would it play against me in the selection of candidates? What do you think?
Thanks!
Daniela
Hi Daniela,
For your grades, yes, in your case, it would be based on just the final research project and final design project, assuming that you received grades for those. If you did not receive grades for them, then you should refer to the part of the article that covers applicants with no grades.
As long as you are under 35 as of April 1 on the year that your scholarship will start, your age should not be a factor. 32 is older than many Japanese students would be, but Japanese society in general does not seem to support mid-career degrees. However, universities are used to accepting international students around that age, and you could even use it to your advantage if you can explain how your professional experience in the meantime makes you a better candidate or more likely to succeed in your goals after your degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I have a question that’s been bugging me for some time now. My gpa Is above with the mext minimum but iv already begun my second college semester. Would I need to calculate my first college semester from last year into my gpa?(it was only one class) Would they need my collage transcript as well as my high school transcript as well?
Thanks for your time.
(P.s. your book on mext is very helpful)
Quick follow up.
My high school transcript grade credits measured in 1.000 and .500 (both of these credit measures mean the classes were passed and full credit was received) to make it easier to adjust my gpa could the classes with the passing credit of .500 be rounded to 1.000?
Thanks again.
Hi Shelby,
I’m afraid that I am not familiar with the system you are referring to and would need more context to understand the question. If 1 and .5 refer to the credits awarded for the courses, then my understanding is that a 1-credit course would carry twice as much weight as a 0.5 credit course in calculating your GPA. In that case, you should not round (and I cannot think of any situation where rounding would be appropriate).
I’m sorry that I could not offer more specific advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Shelby,
Thank you for your kind words about the book. I am glad that you have found it helpful!
I want to make sure I understand your situation. It sounds like you have already started an undergrad program (part-time?) in your home country, but you are planning to apply for the MEXT undergraduate scholarship, then, if you get it, quit your current degree and start over in Japan. Is that right?
In that case, since you would not be intending to finish your college degree, you would not include that in your academic history or in your GPA calculation. Your GPA calculation should only be based on degree programs that you were enrolled in full-time and intend to complete.
At least, that is my understanding based on how the calculation worked with Master’s degree students who were planning to leave their current programs. You may want to double check with the embassy when you start your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, is this GPA also one of the requirements for scholarship when you apply as a Japanese studies student?
Hi JR,
The articles on my site are primarily focused on the scholarship for graduate students, so all of the eligibility criteria and other specific instructions apply to that category of scholarship.
There is no GPA requirement for Japanese studies students, but you would be required to have at least N2 level Japanese.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am from Indonesia. I wish to apply MEXT scholarship in this year. Thank you very much for sharing this helpful guidance!
I am facing a problem in GPA conversion. Would you mind helping me, please ? My university has given criteria as follow:
A 4
AB 3.5
B 3
BC 2.5
C 2
D 1
E 0
I would be very grateful to you. Thank you very much.
Regards,
Hi Karin,
I would really have to see if there was any explanation of the grading system that accompanied your transcript to tell for sure how to convert your grades. For example, something that showed which grades are considered “average” which ones are failing, and which are good or excellent. Without that, anything I say is just a guess.
My best guess, based on what I could find about Indonesian grading systems online, is as follows:
A 4 = MEXT 3
AB 3.5 = MEXT 3
B 3 = MEXT 3
BC 2.5 = MEXT 3
C 2 = MEXT 2
D 1 = MEXT 1
E 0 = MEXT 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you for your article. I am preparing the required documents for this year (my desired university has already announced the MEXT University recommendation). However, my transcript is not divided into semesters so I am not sure how to calculate the latest 2 years (maybe cut it half?). I have attached my transcript here: [REDACTED] (shared with your email [REDACTED]. Could you please have a look at it and tell me whether I am eligible for MEXT University Recommendation?
Thank you very much for your time.
Hi Mani,
Unfortunately, I do not have a google drive account associated with the email address you used, so I am not able to access documents sent that way. I have removed the link so that nobody else can access your transcript, either.
In general, I would handle any individual document reviews or one-on-one feedback through a coaching session. If you are interested in coaching, you can find out more here.
In general, though, if your transcript does not clearly state when you took each class, then you would need another official document showing the order you took them, so that the university/embassy and MEXT can tell which courses fell within the last two years. Your transcript does not need to me divided by semesters to meet this requirement. If it is divided by years, or if each course shows the exam date or completion date, that would be enough information to determine which courses fall within the last two years.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Thank you very much for your time and the fruitful explanation for each one questions.
I am applying to pursue the Ph.D. program through a university recommended MEXT scholarship and I also have a few clarifications.
For the GPA calculation and conversion for MEXT scholarhip, how would be the following grading system of our university in Sri Lanka,
100-80= A+ = 4.00
79-75 =A =3.7
74-70=B+=3.30
69-65=B=3.00
64-60= C+= 2.7
59-55= C= 2.30
54-50=S=2.00
49-0= F=00.
Further, this is my undergraduate GPA (2011) but I have just completed my MPhil in Agricultural Biology by research for this degree program there is no grading system at all.
please, what can I do for this? please explain a little bit about this also
Hi Mr. N. Thiruchchelvan,
How long was your MPhil program? If it was two years, then only your academic performance from that program would count. See the section of the article titled “What if you Don’t Have Grades” for more information.
If the MPhil was less than two years, then you would need to include your undergraduate grades, too. In that case, my best guess for how to convert your grades would be as follows:
100 – 65 (4.00 – 3.00) = 3
64 – 55 (2.70 – 2.30) = 2
54 – 50 (2.00) = 1
49 – 0 (0) = 0
That is just a guess, though. I would need to see the transcript’s grading guide to be more confident.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
My name is Lokesh Mopuri from India. I wish to apply for the MEXT scholarship through the University recommendation. My university grading is based on 10 GPA scale from 10 to 4, and our evaluation as follows:
S- 10
A-9
B-8
C-7
D-5
E-4
U-0
Could you please guide me how to convert my GPA into MEXT GPA and what is the equivalent MEXT Grade to my local Grade.
Thank you.
Lokesh
Hi Lokesh Mopuri,
I’m afraid that the scores you listed do not give me enough information to attempt the conversion. I would need to know more about where the passing cut-off, etc., is or the relative quality description of the grades.
If you have that information, you can use the instructions in this article to do the conversion. If you would like me to do it, I can do that through a coaching session (see the link at the top of the page for information on applying for coaching).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thanks for the reply.
I am writing here to obtain clarification over the conversion to MEXT GPA. The grading system provided by Indian Institute of Technology, Madras are in letter grading and its grade points are as follows.
Grade || Grade points||
S || 10
A || 9
B || 8
C || 7
D || 6
E || 4
U || 0 (fail)
The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of all the courses are taken from the first semester and calculated over a 10 point scale.
I would like to know what would the corresponding MEXT GPA point (0 to 3) for each letter grading needed to multiply along with the credits for calculating overall MEXT GPA.
Regards,
Lokesh Mopuri
Hi Lokesh Mopuri,
It is impossible to tell how to convert the grades with just a list and no explanation. When you submit your grades for the scholarship application, you would have to include some explanation of what each grade means in terms of quality of performance.
I did some research to try to find that information and from what I understand, a C is average, grades above that are earned by exceeding the average by 1-3 standard deviations, and grades below that are earned by falling a standard deviation below, or worse. So, based on that information, my guess would be as below.
3 = S, A, B
2 = C
1 = D, E
0 = U, W
Please keep in mind that this is just my best guess.
Remember that you cannot simply convert your overall GPA, you have to convert the grades for each course you completed over the most recent two years of studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I wish to apply for the MEXT scholarship (through the embassy) when the application procedure opens in my country, in a few months from now. I’m currently in the second year of my bachelor, which lasts 3 years here in Belgium. I was pretty sure I met the conditions to apply this year, as I should get my bachelor’s degree in June 2020, but after reading the information on this page, I’m a little confused :
The deadline for applications in my country is announced as June 2019, but I’m afraid I’ll only have grades for one and a half years of post-secondary education by then. Does that mean I am not eligible for the scholarship, even though I seem to meet the explicit criteria?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Lucas,
I am encouraged to hear that you are starting this early! Really, I think this is the ideal time to start preparing for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
You should still be eligible to apply, even though you will only have 1.5 years of grades as of your application deadline (when do your spring 2019 grades come out)? My guess is that the Japanese Embassy in Belgium – as well as other European countries where 3-year degrees are common – should be used to working with students in your situation and have a system in place. Once they open the application process, I would recommend that you contact them directly to see if they have any specific guidance for what you should do, but I have no reason to believe that you would be ineligible!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there.
I have one course in my master transcript with 0 credit and 0 hours, is it expected to not counted in when calculating GPA?
Thanks.
Hi Aquila,
That’s right. Courses with zero credits would not factor in to the GPA calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! I am planning to get a bachelor’s degree from a university that offers lateral entry. Meaning the duration of the course will be 2 years instead of 3. But since you mentioned in the article that the last two years of the course are considered for calculating the GPA, I guess I should be fine. What are your thoughts about this? I just want to make sure before I apply.
Thanks!
Hi Astha,
Does lateral entry mean that you earned credits toward your degree at another institution and then transferred those credits to the university that you graduated from? If so, that would be called transfer admission in Japan. In that case, only the grades earned from the university you graduated from would count toward the GPA calculation for your eligibility, but you would also have to submit an official transcript from the university you attended previously.
In either case, you should be fine, as you said!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What I meant by lateral entry was that the university conducts an entrance examination followed by an interview. And if you manage to clear that, you are directly admitted as a second year student.
Hi Astha,
How you enter the university is less important that what you accomplish there, in the end.
You may need to explain the lateral entry process and what that means for the total years of schooling that you have attended elsewhere, to make sure you meet the years of education requirement, but for the purposes of calculating your GPA, it should not be a problem. Only your grades earned at the university you graduated from/will graduate from count for the calculation, anyway, even if that is less than 2 full years of grades as of the time of your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello.
First of all, thank you very much for this guide, it’s very helpful. In the “APPLICATION GUIDELINES
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2019 (RESEARCH STUDENTS)” (http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/04/17/1403811_02.pdf) I didn’t find information about the GPA threshold and how it’s calculed. But I’ve still some questions to ask you.
My university (I’m from Venezuela) grades us from 1 to 5, being 1-2 failing grades and 3-5 passing grades. During our classes we’re evaluated from 0 to 100, and then we got a score from 1 to 5 based in our evaluation as follows:
0-29 —-> 1
30-49 —> 2
50-69 —> 3
70-84 —> 4
85-100 –> 5
And we only have transcripts with grades from 1 to 5 (no from the score 0-100). So, 5 is clearly a 3, but I’m not sure how I should convert the rest, since 4 could be 2 or 3, for example. So there could be:
My grade | Column 1 | Column 2 |
5 | 3 | 3 |
4 | 3 | 2 |
3 | 2 | 1 |
2 | 1 | 0 |
1 | 0 | 0 |
So I don’t know which of the columns I should follow. I’ve met people from my university that have participated in Exchange Programs with universities in Japan, and they’ve used the Column 1. But there comes my next question, am I the one who will calculate the GPA or will be someone else (the one who will receives my application, for example)? And if the latter, what can I do? How do I know how will they do it? Because, for example, my GPA is like 2.5 using the Column1 and 1.9 using the Column 2. (And I’ve 3.9/5 which is 78%, above of the threshold 2.3/3 which is 76.7%).
Besides that, I’ve a doubt regarding which grades I should take into the calculation. Here we have a trimester system, 3 per year. So I guess I’ve to take into the calculation the last six, as you said above. However, I’ve the followings doubts:
1. On my last trimester I only took Research Project 3 (we divided one full year Research Project, our undergraduate thesis, in 3, to take one per trimester). The problem is, it has 3 credits but no grade (you got A por aprobed or F for failed). Do I have to count that trimester as one of the six? Because if so, I would only really take in consideration 5 trimester full of courses, since in that one I only took that Research Project.
2. As I said above our Research Project has credits (3 each one, 9 in total) but no grade. Do I have to consider the sum of its credits to the GPA calculation? I think it makes no sense, since they have no grades, but I want to ask regardless.
3. Last year I took a Summer Course, with only one course. A regular trimester have 4-5 courses in it, but in Summer you can only take 1. Do I have to count that summer course as a full trimester to be one of the six or I just skip it? Or should I include it but not count it?
Thank you very much for your guide again, and for your help!
Giancarlo Cuticchia
Hi Giancarlo Cuticchia,
The information on how to convert the grades comes from the guidelines that MEXT issues to universities for submitting their recommendations. Those guidelines are also available on MEXT’s site, but only in Japanese.
It is the university/embassy that will do your grade conversion. I simply recommend that you do it yourself in advance to make sure that you are eligible.
Unfortunately, I do not have enough information to be able to make anything more than a guess on how to convert your grades. To be certain, I would need to see the “explanation of the grading system” or some sort of international equivalency chart. And explanation of the grading system would be something that shows which grades are considered to be “excellent”, “good”, “average”, etc.
For the period of time, yes, you would count the last 6 trimesters.
1. Ultimately that is going to be up to the evaluators to determine, but I would recommend that for your own reference, you count the grades both ways. I would guess that they would include that as a trimester but not factor it into the grade (which is what the guidelines say to do for pass/fail courses).
2. No, you do not include credits earned in pass/fail courses in the sum of your credits.
3. For a summer (or other short) course that falls within the last six trimesters, you would count it toward your grade calculation, but you would not count it as a trimester.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your response, it’s very helpful.
Regarding a “explanation of our grading system”, the only official thing issued by my university explaining the score scale is exactly as I told you above, we have a General Evaluation Scale from 0 to 100 and at the end of the course it is transformed into the Score Scale from 1 to 5 as follows:
0-29 —-> 1
30-49 —> 2
50-69 —> 3
70-84 —> 4
85-100 –> 5
The document doesn’t say anything about which grade is “excellent”, “good” or else. Informally, I can tell you that 5 is excellent, 4 is good and 3 is the passing grade so I think it should be regular or average or something. For 2 I would say it’s bad and 1 is worst, if any.
What I know is that, for example, if you go as a Exchange Student from my university to the Tohoku University (Sendai), our university transform the grades as follow:
Tohoku Score | Our Score
AA | 5
A | 4
B | 3
C | 2
F | 1
So, from that, if we took AA = S, it should correspond of the first row of 5-Level System in your Table above, right? So it should be:
5-Level System | Our grade | MEXT score |
AA | 5 | 3 |
A | 4 | 3 |
B | 3 | 2 |
C | 2 | 1 |
F | 1 | 0 |
Right? At least it is what I think should makes sense.
Thank you very much for your help again!
Hi Giancarlo Cuticchia,
Based on the information you’ve given, particularly the conversion to Tohoku University grades, I would say that the conversion you described is most likely accurate, but I cannot be sure without seeing something official. For your own reference, I would suggest using that conversion, but don’t treat your conversion as final. There could be some differences in interpretation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much!
Hello Travis,
In Italy where I’m from, in order to graduate high school you have to pass an exam, sort of a “final“ that is taken after the school year has ended and is graded separately, it also shows on you high school diploma which I understand you also have to send in. Do you think it could have any sort of relevance in calculating my overall gpa?
Furthermore, despite being currently enrolled in a university I intend to apply for an undergraduate scholarship but for a different major. Is it really sufficient to just send the university admission certificate as I saw written on the guidelines or is it better to send everything anyway, including the last two high school years grades?
Thank you in advance
Hi Sara,
Unfortunately, I am not sure how the evaluation system works for the undergraduate scholarhsip. My expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students.
It does not seem likely that they would include that test score in your GPA, but the certainly may consider it separately in comparing applications.
Your question about sending the university admission certificate is also outside of my expertise, but perhaps someone with experience in the undergraduate scholarship application can add a comment!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
No problem, thank you any way!
hello transez, thank you for this very detailed post, but i still have some doubts left. I live in Brazil and here the grading system ranges from 0,0(worst grade possible) to 10,0( best grade possible), On my university, the passing grade for all courses is 5 ( 50% of correctness).
Based on previous comments on this post i think the correct form of converting my grades do mext’s 3.0 GPA scale would be:
8.0 to 10.0 = 3
7.0 to 7,9 = 2
5.0 to 6.9 = 1
0.0 to 4.9 = 0
i would like your opinion about this. Thank you in advance
Hi Josue Lopes,
I’m afraid that without seeing the grading chart used by your university, I cannot tell for sure. From what I have been able to tell, grading systems can vary widely between universities.
They scale you proposed sounds like it could very well be accurate based on what you have described, but I would not want to give a certain judgement at this point.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
And what would this grading chart be? i don’t think that such a thing exists in my university.
i think i have found an answer, on this link:
http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/guide/international_students/inbound/exchange/faq-x/steps/q13
It shows a grading chart which is identical to the one provided by mext. Based on this i think the brazilan grades would be converted this way:
Brazilian grades letter grades mext grades
10.0 – 9.0 = S = 3
8.9 – 8.0 = A = 3
7.9 – 7.0 = B = 2
6.9 – 6.0 = C = 1
5.9 – 0.0 = F = 0
Hi Josue Lopes,
I fixed the link based on your follow-up comment.
Unfortunately, that chart is not useful without knowing the breakdown of the grades at your home university. I am familiar with the MEXT chart, the information you would need to be sure your conversion is accurate would have to come from your university.
I tried to find information on the Brazilian grading system, but I learned that it was different at different universities (for example, in some cases a 4.0 is a failing grade and in some cases a 7.0 is a failing grade), so I’m afraid I still don’t have enough information to make a guess.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Josue Lopes,
A grading chart (or explanation of the grading system) shows what each grade at your university means. For example, it would show if an “Outstanding” (or “A”) grade is 9.0 – 10. or 8.0 to 10.0.
Showing the breakdown between the grades is most important. Without that, I can’t be sure where to fit your grades into the MEXT conversion scale.
If that information is not printed on your transcript itself, then I recommend that you ask your registrar or your student exchange office if they can help you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
sir my overall cgpa is 2.873. My last 2 years cgpa is as follows 2.98, 2.92, 3.2, 3.4. but I have improved some subjects due to which my CPA got low if I don’t consider those subjects then my gpa will does it matter kindly tell me my mext gpa
Hi Muhammad Mehboob Elahi,
It is not possible to calculate your MEXT GPA based on CGPAs. You need to convert each class’ grade or mark individually and average those.
The conversion is also based on your individual grading system, so I am afraid I do not have nearly enough information to help, but you should have everything you need to do the calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
A bundle of thanks for sharing such helpful guidance. I am facing a problem in GPA conversion. Could you help me please ? My university has below given criteria
marks percentage Grade points Letter Grade
90-100 4.00 A+
80-90 3.5 – 4.0 A
70-80 3.0 – 3.5 B
60-70 2.5 – 3.0 C
59- below Fail F
I shall be very grateful to you.
Thanks
Regards
Hi Muhammad Asif,
I can give you my best guess, but without seeing the transcript myself, it is just a guess.
Based on what you have described above, I would convert your grades as follows:
90-100 4.00 A+ = 3
80-90 3.5 – 4.0 A = 3
70-80 3.0 – 3.5 B = 3
60-70 2.5 – 3.0 C = 1
59- below Fail F = 0
Remember to convert the grades course-by-course and factor in the weights (relative credit values), if any.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
sir i am studying msc physics 3rd semester in gcuf Pakistan.i want to get m.phill through MEXT scholarship.sir give me information about my m.phill plan????
Hi Abdul Hameed,
I’m afraid I’m not sure what your specific question is. I have dozens of articles offering advice about the MEXT scholarship, as well as a book.
You can find all the free articles at this link, so please start there and read whichever one is more relevant to what you want to know.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Could you please advise me, if i have incompete graduate degree ( phd and mba courses) but i dropped out for financial reasons, should grades for these be considered? I have a perfect diploma from the US with honors for the undergraduate studies but had problems in graduate school. Basically financing was cut and i was left with a failing grade for thesis credits which ruined my new gpa. The other classes are all good. Do i need to show the transcript for abandonded graduate degree when applying for MEXT? To clarify, my graduate studies were also from the US
Hi Hopeful,
It should only be your grades from your last earned degree that count for MEXT. If you have completely abandoned the program you mentioned and do not intend to resume it or complete the degrees, you would not need to enter that in your academic history. Your “most recent university” would be the last university that you earned a degree from, so your letter of recommendation would also come from your undergraduate program.
You should not deny your participation in that other program, as that would be lying, but if it comes up (for example, if the reviewers ask what you have been doing in the meantime or if it is relevant to mention in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan), you can simply mention that you started studies, but had to abandon them due to financial reasons.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
If my GPA does not make the cut, does it automatically mean I won’t get accepted ever? I mean, does it ever happen that students with the same circumstance I have get the scholarship?
Hi Kristelle,
First of all, I would recommend that you don’t assume that your GPA is below the requirement, even if you calculated it with the formulas here. The official calculation may be higher than you expect.
If your application is below the minimum requirement, there will never be an exception for that under any circumstances. The only thing you could do is go back to school in your country and earn another degree (taking at least two years) with a good enough GPA then apply to MEXT afterward.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i’m kinda confused now, should i apply even if my GPA is below 2.3 according to that formula?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
2.3 is the minimum eligibility threshold, so if your grades are below that, you would not be able to qualify for the scholarship and in general, lower grades closer to the threshold will put you at a disadvantage in comparison to other applicants with higher grades.
However, the calculation method I have suggested above is only based on my experience and is not official. The actual calculation may be different, so I would not recommend that you rely on your calculation using the system I suggested as your only decision point to determine whether or not to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Based on my country requirements for MEXT scholarship, I need to get minimum 3.4 out 4.0 CGPA to be eligible for the scholarship. Do I still need to convert it to 3.0 GPA? Or do they still count the 4.0 CGPA?
I would be very grateful if you can help me with this issue.
Thank you
Hi Hamra,
Yes, you would still ultimately have to meet the 2.30 out of 3.00 GPA requirement, because that is the only requirement recognized by MEXT. It sounds like your embassy has calculated that a 3.4 out of 4.0 is good enough that it will almost always convert to a 2.3, so they are using that as an initial cut-off requirement to make a first cut of applicants.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Could you please help me with converting my university’s grading system into the MEXT system? I found the following information in the guidelines of my university’s( University of Delhi) website.
Letter Grade Grade Point
O (Outstanding) 10
A+ (Excellent) 9
A (Very Good) 8
B+ (Good) 7
B (Above Average) 6
C (Average) 5
P (Pass) 4
F (Fail) 0
Hi Astha,
I am basing my answer only on the information you have provided, so I can’t be completely sure that this would be correct, but my understanding is that the grades would be converted according to the 5-point table I mentioned in the article, with “O” in place of “S”.
O (Outstanding) 10 = 3
A+ (Excellent) 9 = 3
A (Very Good) 8 = 3
B+ (Good) 7 = 2
B (Above Average) 6 = 2
C (Average) 5 = 2
P (Pass) 4 = 1
F (Fail) 0 = 0
However, please understand that there would not be an established rule and that this would be open to interpretation by graders. The B+ grade, in particular is a little gray. B might be bumped up to count among the 3s in some cases, but it’s really going to be up to the embassy or university’s interpretation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks! This was very helpful.
Hi proof how are you ?
i applicant from Sudan
i know there are cross way to achieve my dream like language in embassy here i know i have knowledge to bass and be hold in any subject and research but how can i pass exam English in your embassy
Hi adil mohamed ali edris!
I’m afraid that I was not able to understand most of your question. But as for passing the language exam, it all depends on your language ability and how much you have studied!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
You have been so much helpful my brother, may God bless you abundantly…it was God’s blessing stumbling into this blog.. have followed every step of yours in applying and I pray it turns out successful, thanks a lot for your informations! Hop to see you some day
Hi travis !
Your blogz are really helpfull .appreciated your efforts. Let me clear one thing ( Any intersession courses, such as summer courses, on your transcript during that time would count, but an intersession that falls just outside the 2 years would not count.)
1:~ summer conted as one smester while counting last four smester ??
2:~ while if not counted as aa semester nd last smester gonna end after completion of aplication process than can we get from minor courses smester no#4 (last semester of 1st two years )??
3:~ done 7 semester from (8~semestr degree) .8 th semestr going to be completed soon.
4:~if( f) grades .reappear in summer
Of 6th semeater that what should i count grades either from summer portion or regular semester ??
Thanx in advance #stay blessed
Hi Vickyy,
Thank you for your kind words.
1- Summer sessions do not count toward the number of semesters. So it would be four regular semesters regardless of whether or not there are intersession classes in there.
2- You would calculate based on the last four semesters printed on your transcript at the time of application. If you are in the middle of the semester or will have semesters after the application process, those do not count.
3- In that case, you would calculate your GPA based on semesters 4-7 (the most recent 4 completed).
4- F grades in summer would also count, unless it is clear that they are from a pass/fail course. (F grades in pass/fail courses should never count).
In your situation, you would count any grades earned in summer sessions after semester 4, but the summer sessions do not count as semesters. Just the grades count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey transenz ! I’m very very thankfull of ur rply !! This answer made me more easier nd confident !!one thing more i’ve to discuss with yew that what if i’ve no certificate of elementary untill middle school this time for academic record !! Thankyew very much for ur kindness nd time !!
Hi Vickyy,
I saw that you asked the same question on another post and I answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hay Travis
Do you mean by credit is hour
In my transact for each course there are number of hours most of it are 3
And grade A,B,C,D
And point
Hi Iman,
Yes, it might be called hours instead of credits in your country. Whatever it is that determines how much each course counts toward your graduation requirements!
Grades can be A B C D or numbers. It depends on what system your country/university uses. Points are the converted value on the MEXT system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
The same rule applies for one year masters of UK. Thanks
Hi Amir Khan,
Thank you for sharing that! I assume you are referring to calculating GPA for the last two years. If your master’s program is only one year, then you would have to also calculate the final year of your undergraduate degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Your blog has been really helping me formulate my MEXT embassy application well. I had a doubt regarding the section of “Present field of study”. I am an Indian student currently enrolled for a masters degree at an Indian university. I do not have a bachelor thesis as our university did not require us to do one and there was no provision to carry out the same. And right now, in my masters program, the thesis project work would start in late November and so I do not have an abstract yet. So I can’t figure out as to what to write under the “Present field of study” section. I would be grateful for your guidance regarding this matter.
Hi Prerna Singh,
You would write about your Master’s field of study in that section, so your bachelor’s degree field does not matter at this point.
If you cannot be specific about your thesis topic, then at least describe your field of study as narrowly as possible, and include any information you might have about your potential thesis subject, if possible.
I would also recommend that you focus on the areas of your field of study that are closely related to the field that you want to study in Japan! In your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, you want your current field of study to be your research background that leads into your study plan in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for all the information! All your articles are very helpful! 🙂
However, I faced one problem in calculating my GPA score. Grade system in my country has 6 grades (from 10 to 5, where 5 (50% or less) means failed) so I am not sure how to convert my grades to 3.00 GPA system. I couldn’t find any conversion chart that converts 6 – Level System to MEXT System. Could you give me your opinion about this? Would it be correct if I do it as shown below? It is based on what you described that works for UK grades – 71% or more is equal to 3.
Grade Points Meaning GPA
10 100-91 Outstanding 3
9 90-81 Excellent 3
8 80-71 Very Good 3
7 70-61 Good 2
6 60-51 Sufficient 1
5 50-0 Insufficient/Failed 0
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Olivera,
Thank you for your kind words!
I can’t make a guess at how to convert your grading system without seeing an official explanation of the grading system, itself. Do you have something like that? In many cases, you might be able to find it on the transcript or in your university’s handbooks or on their webpage.
If I could see an explanation of the grading system, I could help.
If you can’t find an explanation anywhere that I suggested above, you could try asking your study abroad office if they have a conversion chart, too. They should have to deal with that for converting exchange students’ grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for replying.
I have found only this explanation on the university’s webpage http://bg.ac.rs/en/education/study-rules.php ,
but Wikipedia also explains it well
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Serbia).
If it’s not a problem, I would be grateful if you could give me your advice about how to convert the grades.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Olivera,
I found this resource on your university’s website that describes grading comparisons for international students:
http://www.bg.ac.rs/files/en/international/Information-guide-for-international-students.pdf
Based on the grading chart on page 4, I would suggest the following conversion scale. Keep in mind that this is not official, just my impression from how I have seen similar scales converted in the past
10 to 8 (100 to 71) = 3
7 (70 – 61) = 2
6 (60 – 51) = 1
5 to 0 (50 – 0) = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis from TranSenz
what about if i have been admitted after the second session of the year ?
Hi Abdou2004,
I’m afraid I don’t understand your question. Are you saying you have fewer than 2 years of grades?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
TY for replying but i guess our grading system that follows the trash path of the french system made my calculation a lot sophisticated. So I’m now stuck at how to calculate 2 things [image removed] in this pic there is the first try on the left and second try on the right for example 5.44 which is the average of 2 grades and then i retried taking both of the grades to make it 11.39. does it calculate as I took it for the first try? the second is what credit to use when i calculate. Is it grade by grade or module per module ~ 2 grades per 2 grades?
Hi Abdou2004,
Without seeing the grading system that goes with those grades, I’m afraid I cannot help you calculate how they would translate to the MEXT system. Is there some place on the document (or another official document) that shows your grading system and what the relative value of each grade is?
I would calculate your grades based on the individual marks on the right hand side. If you’re using the module-by-module approach, then your credits would be the coefficient corresponding to each module. In course attempts where you earned zero credits because your grade was below the passing mark, you would still count the credits as being equal to the coefficient for that module.
*For the sake of your privacy, I have removed the image so it is not publicly visible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you very much <3 that was very encouraging and here the awkward grading system and ty again https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Tunisia
Hi Abdou2004,
Using the scale that you linked, I would recommend converting your grades as follows to see if you are eligible:
11.00 – 20.00 = 3
10.00 – 10.99 = 2
5.00 – 9.99 = 1
0.00 – 4.99 = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
… Only two years of your grades count? That’s pretty strange criteria. For instance I was part time the last two years and only took a handful of classes. While my overall university marks are with honors, by the last two years (a total of maybe 8 courses) I don’t think I would qualify for the GPA component. :-/
Hi JD,
If you are taking a degree full-time, then typically, the final years of your degree would be the years you spent taking the most advanced courses related to your major, so those are the grades MEXT is most interested in seeing, as they will be the best predictor of your performance in an advanced degree.
If you were part-time during those years, they might factor in earlier grades, too, but the guidelines do not allow much room for discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Following up, as I decided to apply this year regardless. I changed majors as a senior, but was over the unit cap to complete my degree and not allowed to take extra time at my school, they agreed to allow me to finish at a local community college, if I could find the courses I needed. My last year I took one class outside of my school in the Fall, and another in the spring for a total of 2 classes across an entire school year (was working full time and the classes were only offered fall and spring respectively). The year before that was part time as well. So instead of ~16 or so classes across two years of study (four classes per semester), I have ~7 for 2 years. If GPA is calculated solely off those 7 classes, it is significantly more impactful to have even 1 B or C grade (American grading system). I graduated with honors, but when I did the conversion for the last two years alone did not make the GPA cut off. I’m going to apply anyway, as the situation is strange and maybe they’ll look at my full time course work since I had so few classes in the last two years (averaging less than 2 per semester). Can’t do anything but try!
Hi JD,
I assume you are applying in the major that you changed to after your senior year and that you earned your final degree from the four-year university, not the community college, correct?
Were the community college course grades reflected on your final transcript from the university where you earned your degree? Only the grades on the transcript where you graduated would be counted. (If the others transferred in as pass/fail, then my understanding is that your GPA would be calculated based on the last four semesters where you earned letter grades from the university you graduated from).
If the transfer credits did include grades, I would recommend that you submit a supplementary letter with your transcript explaining your situation and why your last two years of coursework had only 7 courses (offering schedule/need to finish at another university because of major change) and indicate which semesters were your final two semesters of full-time study. That might influence the embassy to go back and calculate all grades from those last four semesters of full-time study onward.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz