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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Good day sir,
Please I’m a little bit confused right now in calculating the MEXT GPA.
Example on my transcript:
course|History of Architecture(ARC 211)
Score| 77
Grade| A (i.e 70 to 100)
Credit unit| 2
My question:
(1) Are my to work with my score in this course to ascertain the grade according to the table you provided? Where by “79-70”= C with 2points.
(2) Or are my to calculate with my already existing grade (A above) where A = 3points on Mext scale or table?
(3)We use A,B,C,D,E,F in my university.
70 to 100=A
60 to 69=B
50 to 59=C
45 to 49=D
40 to 44=E
0 to 39=F
Please how would you advice me to calculate this?
Thanks 🙏
Hi Ifu,
I think you asked almost the exact same question using a different name. I answered that already, but since this has more detail, I will add a comment:
1./2. Refer to the letter grade. In your case, you should ignore the percentages on the MEXT scale. So the conversion for an A/77 is 3.
3. I would need to know what the minimum passing grade is and what the minimum cumulative average for graduation is in order to suggest how to convert the letters. A and B would both be “3”, but beyond that, there can be some variance depending on how your university considers the grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your answer, Sir!
However, in my university, one has to make a minimum grade of “E” in a course to pass.
Also, in cpga:
4.5 to 5.0 = first class honor
3.5 to 4.49 = second class upper division
2.40 to 3.49 = second class lower division
1.50 to 2.39 = Third class (Minimum CGPA to graduate)
Less than 1.5= fail
Hi Ifu,
I cannot figure out from your posts how the CGPA values are related to the letter grades or percentages.
If you would like to submit a scan of the grading system explanation or a link to where I can find the explanation on your university website, I can try to interpret it. In that case, please submit it through the form below:
https://mymext.com/submitgrades
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you so much for the article in such depth and detail.
I’m from Nigeria. Our grading system is very weak. From 70 to 100 = A in our 5 scale grading system and we have A,B,C,D,E and F grades.
A=5 points(70 to 100)
B=4 points(60 to 69)
C=3 points(50 to 59)
D=2 points(45 to 49)
E=1 point(40 to 44)and
F=0 (30 to 39)
Using the MEXT scale where 90 to 100 is A etc, it’ll be almost impossible for a Nigerian university graduate to be eligible for this scholarship (even a Nigerian first class graduate might not be eligible). I graduated with a 2.1 honor (second class upper devision) with a CGPA of 3.66. Please Travis, what is your advice? Your advice is highly appreciate sir!
Thanks for your good work🙏
Hi Onye Igbo,
In your case, you should ignore the percentages and focus only on the numbers. The percentages that apply to different letter grades vary from country to country. I have a more detailed breakdown of various systems in my book How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship and I am working on another article that will show more examples too.
In the meantime, just use the letters. Since you have more letters than the MEXT chart does, you’ll need to know what is the minimum passing grade and what is the minimum overall average required to graduate, in order to figure out which letters compare to which MEXT GPA values.
Remember, you have to convert your grades course-by-course. Justconverting your overall average will not give you an accurate result!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I have a question for you, please answer me. I have disire to study overseas at a Japanese University, I will apply to Mext scholaship. But I don’t know how to calculate my GPA according to 3.0 score scale. Could you please tell me know ?, my university uses 4 score scale, they are A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, F. Thank you so much !
Hi HaNguyen,
Unless your university has other instructions in its explanation of the grading system, you should ignore the “+” (i.e. treat “A+” and “A” as the same thing) and use the line of the chart for A, B, C, D, F grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sorry for my mistake. My university use 4.0 scale with:
A+, A : 4.0
B+ : 3.5
B : 3.0
C+ : 2.5
C : 2.0
D+ :1.5
D : 1.0
F : 0
Hi HaNguyen,
Thank you for your explanation. In that case, my previous conversion suggestion stands. Ignore the “+” and just look at the letters, then convert using the chart for ABCDF grades in the article.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much, TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First, I’d like to say that I really appreciate your guides as they have been a huge resource for me when gathering information about this scholarship and what mindset I should have when making applications, they’re especially useful when there is a sneaky requirement like this that is not explicitly stated.
I was wondering how this requirement works for the Undergraduate scholarship. Do you know what grades count toward this requirement? Just high school and university grades or everything from middle school as well? I got a 3.5 GPA in high school and currently have a 4.0 GPA in university (undergrad associates degree), should I even be worried about making the requirement?
Hi Phoenix B.,
Thankyou for your kind words!
Typically, it is only the grades from your most recent program that count. So middle school wouldn’t matter.
Most undergrad applicants have only high school grades, so those would be the relevant ones. In your case, assuming that you plan to finish your associate’s degree before starting the MEXT Scholarship, I think that only the Associate’s degree grades would count.
But in either case, it doesn’t sounds like you will have any problems with eligibility or competitiveness once you convert your individual grades to the MEXT system!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis
I have a doubt that if I made a mistake in calculating the CGPA and send the application form, does it cause rejection of my application? I am quite afraid of this …. Please help me
Hi Elsa,
Did the embassy/university ask you to calculate your GPA and submit that with your documents? It is quite rare for them to ask, in my experience. I usually suggest that applicants calculate their GPAs themselves so that they can be confident that they are qualified and not wasting their time.
In any case, they should double-check your calculation and use their calculation, not yours, to determine your eligibility for the scholarship. If their calculation reveals that you are not eligible, then you would be rejected. But if it is just a matter of the results being a little off, it should not cause a rejection by itself. (Hopefully, you are not applying for a STEM degree, though. . . in that case, they might be judging your math skills.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the information..
I thought that I have to submit my GPA, but i found in the guidelines that it is not needed. Thank you so much for your response!!!
Hello Travis,
To start with the obvious, your meticulous blog along with the additional resources you’ve provided are an absolute godsend. Thank you for giving us such an incredibly convenient hub of information to come back to (not forgetting the efforts to update new info as often as possible). I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say you’re awesome for doing what you do.
To take one for the team I suppose, time to ask the potentially dumb question – your article talks in detail about calculating and/or converting grades to a 3.0 GPA scale, but the application forms ask for a calculation/conversion to a 4.0 CGPA scale instead (at least it does for the ones found in the official embassy page of my country, Malaysia). How/ What would you advise me to go about this?
I have a qualifying law UK law degree from the University of Hertfordshire (Second Class Upper), if that info helps somewhat with context.
Hi Joshua Mohan,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Converting grades from the UK honors system to the 4.0 GPA system (commonly used in the US) is a much more common process than MEXT’s esoteric 3.0 system, so there are a lot of other sites out there with information on how to do it.
The 4.0 GPA system is used in Malaysia and the US, so perhaps the most reliable resources would be US or Malaysian universities pages for international Masters’ applicants that show how to convert UK grades to their systems. Alternatively, you could look for UK universities web pages with information for international Master’s applicants from the US or Malaysia. Either of those types of university pages should explain the conversion between UK and 4.0 GPA systems.
Another source would be websites that provide resources for international Masters’ applicants, general, such as Mastersportal.com
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Duly noted on the information, thanks so much. A quick follow-up question if I may. Do I need to take any steps to show that the calculation is accurate/genuine, i.e. get it affirmed by a notary public etc.?
Hi Joshua Mohan,
No, that should not be necessary unless they specifically direct you to do so! The calculation to a 4.0 GPA is purely a local requirement and nothing official that would need to be submitted to MEXT. (Even if it was, you wouldn’t need a notary!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hallo Travis
Is the conversion of our self-calculation GPA acceptable, or are there any legitimate conditions procedures that I have to follow in order to acquire the legal converted GPA as a prospective student by the PGP of MEXT?
Hi Nugraha,
Calculating your GPA is only for your own reference to make sure that you are eligible and see how competitive your application is. The university will do the official calculation itself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello. I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for your very helpful articles.
Regarding the GPA, my country uses a system scored out of 20. Here is their equivalence in US grade.
Scale Grade Description US Grade
18.00 – 20.00 Highly Honorable with Praise A+
16.00 – 17.99 Very Good – Highest Honors A
14.00 – 15.99 Good – High Honors A-
12.00 – 13.99 Fairly Good – Honors B
10.00 – 11.99 Satisfactory C/D/S
0.00 – 9.99 Fail F
How to get the equivalence in MEXT GPA ?
HI Trace00,
Here’s how I would convert the grades:
18.00 – 20.00 Highly Honorable with Praise A+ = 3
16.00 – 17.99 Very Good – Highest Honors A = 3
14.00 – 15.99 Good – High Honors A- = 3
12.00 – 13.99 Fairly Good – Honors B = 2
10.00 – 11.99 Satisfactory C/D/S = 1
0.00 – 9.99 Fail F = 0
If you just compare it to the US grades, that’s a pretty rough conversion, but the lack of variety in available grades at the lower levels makes this the only solution I can think of.
Do keep in mind that this is just my guess and is not official, so if the conversion comes out ineligible, it might still be worth applying in the hope that the official conversion is a little more lenient.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, please does your overall grade in my undergraduate degree affect my changes of getting the scholarship? For instance, if I got an E(pass) in a major course does it my chances?..How do I convert my mext gpa if
A- 5.00point
B- 4.00
C- 3.00
D- 2.00
E- 1.00
F- 0.00
My overall cgpa is 3.94/5…. That is 2nd class upper will I be affected because I didn’t get a first class honors? I’m applying for university recommended in Grips
Hi Bunmi,
You need to convert your grade one-by-one to the MEXT scale then take the average, so your overall cGPA is not enough information.
Is this an ECTS grading system? With 6 grades it is hard to be certain, but here is how I would convert it:
A = 3
B = 3
C = 2 (or 3 if this is ECTS)
D = 1 (or 2 if this is ECTS)
E = 1
F = 0
Courses are not weighted more for being major courses, they are only weighted differently if there were a different number of credits for the course.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis..I got 2.68/3 as the cumulative point I hope the will be enough to help aid my chance for the university recommended next scholarship
Hi Bunmi,
That’s not particularly high for a general category slot, but it shouldn’t be impossible with that GPA. You’ll need a strong Field of Study and Research Program Plan, though.
Of course, if you can find a PGP program in your field that you are eligible for, that would increase your chances significantly!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
No sir, it’s not an ECTS grading system..all grades (A-E) are remarked as “passed”
Hi Travis,
Thanks for sharing this helpful infomation. I wonder if I fail a class (with 2 credits for example), will they count its credits in the Total Credits in the GPA calculation formula ?
Hi Chau,
Yes, that would count, as far as I know, unless there is a system in place at your university (and stated on your transcript) to allow you to retake and replace the grade without it counting.
When calculating your GPA yourself, I recommend that you count it to make sure that you qualify even under the strictest conditions!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your time. My sincere thanks for sharing such imortant information through this post.
Could you please help me with the following questions?
1. My University’s grading system is as follows:
First class : 60% & above
Second class: 45% & above but less than 60%
Third class: 36% & above but less than 45%
How should I check my GPA according to MEXT?
2. If someone already has a Master’s degree of own/foreign country, is the person eligible for choosing Master’s degree through MEXT (University recommendation)?
3. Does long study gap after graduation have any effect on the eligibility for MEXT application? (For Master’s or PhD)
Thank you in advance!!
Hi Mahbeen Ara,
Thank you for your kind feedback.
1. You have to convert the grades of each of your courses to MEXT’s scale one by one (even if your local grading system refers to the total percentages), and I would convert them as follows:
First class: 3
Second class: 2
Third class: 1
*If you have a system where Second class is divided into upper and lower, then the “upper” could be grouped in with the 3 score.
2. Yes, you are eligible to apply for a second Master’s, but you would have to make it clear in your application why that is a better degree for you than a PhD would be.
3. A study gap does not affect your eligibility (as long as you still meet the age requirement), but if you have a long gap with no education, research, or work, then reviewers may look at that poorly. They want to select applicants who are proactive and making a contribution to society, so showing activity is a good thing.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your kind reply. It cleared my doubts on the mentioned points.
Look forward to going through all of your valuable articles.
Thank you once again!!
I am Indian I am pursuing a bachelor’s (honours) in Physics.
I am currently in the second year(Third semester) of my degree.By the time the application window for the mext scholarship (embassy recommendation) for the year 2025 is expected to begin as far as previous records are concerned,I would only have the degree certificates of past three semesters, whereas my undergraduate program has a total of 6 semesters.
I would like to know if I am still eligible to apply.Apart from that I achieved a 76.92%(8 sgpa on a scale of 10)in my first semester and a 67.64%(7.10 sgpa on a scale of 10) in my second semester.I will receive my third semester results by February.I would like to know if my percentage will be an average of the three percentages of the past semesters or will the percentages be individually evaluated according to the minimum 70% threshold as mentioned by the embassy of Japan in India.
Kindly let me know if I am eligible to apply
Hi Poulomi Dey,
The important thing to consider is not how many semesters of grade transcripts you have at the time of application, but rather whether or not you will finish your degree in time to arrive in Japan. It sounds like you will be in your 4/6 semester when you apply and should finish all six semesters/complete your degree in time to arrive in Japan for Fall 2025, so you would be eligible. (When you apply, just submit the grade transcripts for all of the semesters you have available.)
Your semester averages do not matter. All individual course grades/marks will be converted one-by-one to the MEXT scale then averaged together.
In addition to the MEXT threshold of 2.3/3.0, you will have to meet the embassy in India’s requirement, as well.
I cannot tell you if you are eligible based on semester averages, since they are irrelevant. But in terms of degree completion, it should not be a problem!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for this.I really appreciate it.Anyways,my university uses a 10-scale grading system as follows:
O(Outstanding)-10
A+(Excellent)-9
A(Very Good)-8
B+(Good)-7
B(Above Average)-6
C+(Average)-5.5
C(Below Average)-5
P(Pass)-4
F(Fail)-0
How will this reflect on the MEXT scale?
I got A’s in all my courses.Am I elligible?
Hi Poulomi Dey,
The short answer is, if you have all As, then your grade should convert to 3.0/3.0 (perfect score).
Here is my suggestion for how to convert your grades:
O/A+/A/B+/B = 3
C+/C = 2
P = 1
F = 0
If you take a stricter look at it, based on the descriptions instead of the letters, then a “B” might drop down to 2, and a “C” might drop down to 1. But in your case, that shouldn’t be a factor!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I want to express my gratitude for taking the time to address my doubts. Your help means a lot to me.Your articles are very detailed and helpful.Looking forward to more of them.Once again,thank you.
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your detailed instruction. I’m taking the double degrees program (4 years in Vietnam + 2 years in France), I’ll have 2 seperated degress after graduated. I intend applying to Mext scholarship (University-recommended) for doctoral program. I wonder in my case if they will count all the academic years or only the last 2 years in France? Actually, my GPA in France can not meet 2.3 threshold :(((
Thank you in advance.
Chau
Hi Chau,
It sounds like your double degree comes at two different levels. Am I correct in assuming that you earn a bachelor’s degree from the university in Vietnam then a Master’s from France? In that case, only the Master’s degree grades would count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university uses a 7-scale grading system as follows:
A (score of 4.0) means excellent
AB (score of 3.5) means between good and excellent
B (score of 3.0) means good
BC (score of 2.5) means between moderate and good
C (score of 2.0) means moderate
D (score of 1.0) means almost moderate
E (score of 0.0) means fail
Would you please let me know the MEXT equivalent grading points for this classification?
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi MirrorDark,
Grades like “BC” can be the hardest to figure out where they fall. But given the numerical figures that you included, I would convert your grades as follows:
A, AB, B = 3
BC, C = 2
D = 1
E = 0
It is possible that the BC could be converted to a 3, but I think 2 is more likely, since the associated number is below 2.7, which would typically be the cut off for a B- grade (the lowest to possibly convert to a 3) in a 4.0 GPA system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Your post is really helpful, as well as your answers, I can’t do anything besides saying thank you very much. Thank you very much Mr. TranSenz.
Hello,
I’m a medical student who has graduated after studying for 6 years of undergraduate level in my home country. In my academic transcript, there are two grade systems: 10 scales and 5-level system in letter: ABCDF. With grade of each course, my uni writed mark in 10 scales and in letter besides (ABCDF). And all courses of my undergraduate level have credits. However, besides it there are some courses with pass/fail condition.
Such as:
* Anatomy course: 3 credits – Grade: 7 (10 scale) – B (in letter)
* physical education: 2 credits – Grade: Pass (10 scale) – Pass (in letter).
After reading your post about caculating MEXT GPA, I have some questions for you.
Question 1:
I have calculated MEXT GPA for each year or for all over 6 years of my undergraduate level?
Question 2:
My all total credits is 233 credits (containing credits of courses with pass/fail condition are 16 credits). Therefore 217 credits of courses with ABCDF grade in letter. So when I calculate my MEXT GPA for all courses of undergraduate level, which I have to choose to deceide on my total credits? 217 or 233 credits?
Hi Hoang,
Thank you for the explanation. It made your question easy to understand and answer!
Question 1: Calculate your MEXT GPA for the entire degree. You do not need year-by-year calculations.
Question 2: You will not include pass/fail courses in the calculation, so your “total credits” for the calculation should exclude any pass/fail credits, as well. In your case, that means the total credits would be 217 (just the courses with letter grades).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the guide! I have a question regarding which grades count for the GPA calculation. I transferred to my current university from a community college. Do I have to provide transcripts from both institutions? And will my gpa be calculated using both transcripts or only the transcipt of my current institution. Those community college classes appear on my home university transcipt but are only given Pass credit.
Thank you so much!
Hi Jamie,
You will have to submit both transcripts, but your GPA calculation will only be based on the grades shown on the transcript of the university you graduated from. So, since the community college grades show up as “Pass” only, they will not count for the eligibility calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the reply! Another question: Under my schools grading system, would you ignore the plus and minuses then use a 5 bucket system according the the letter grades (ABCDF)?
Percentage (%) Letter Grade
90-100 A+
85-89 A
80-84 A-
76-79 B+
72-75 B
68-71 B-
64-67 C+
60-63 C
55-59 C-
50-54 D
0-49 F (Fail)
Hi Jamie,
If there is no other description of your grading system (for example, qualitative descriptions showing “excellent”, “good”, “satisfactory”, etc., then yes, I would simply drop the + and – and consider this a five-bucket scale.
The exception would be if there was a table showing the qualitative description and it grouped the grades differently. For example, I have seen systems that grouped “B+” and “B” as “good”, but grouped “B-” together with “C+” and “C” as “satisfactory”, so in that case, a B- would be a 2.
If that is the case for you, it should be mentioned deliberately in the grading system description on the transcript.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis!
Thank you for the write-up on MEXT’s GPA requirements.
I went ahead and calculated my GPA with all of the classes that I’d taken, and with this last semester, my GPA would be 2.21 at best. I’d applied for academic forgiveness at my university for the first couple of years, since they weren’t so great and I had changed my major. My GPA would be above the 2.3 threshold if I negate the forgiven courses, but I’m not sure if MEXT would make those same negations. Is that a consideration that would vary by embassy, or is it still every course taken that is counted?
Hi Sean B.,
There is no clear rule on forgiven grades in the calculation process, so it would be an embassy decision, or they might consult MEXT for guidance. Unless your transcript specifically marks forgiven courses and explains that they are not calculated in your GPA, then they would be counted. If the transcript does explain forgiven courses and state that they shouldn’t be counted, there’s a possibility that the embassy would leave them out, but I can’t be certain. They are going to be most concerned with being fair to all applicants, so they would have to be able to justify why they are not including your lower grades but are counting other students’ who might not have asked.
Even if they don’t count the grades, though, it probably would affect their assessment, so it might be a challenge to pass the primary screening, even if there are no issues with your eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Thank you for the post, It is very helpful!
I have a question about the convertion of my uni grades to gpa considered in mext.
My uni does not go by credits and it’s a semester system, the only scale that we have is the following:
0 – 50 fail
51 – 60 Regular
61 – 70 good
71- 80 very good
81 – 100 excellent
How can I convert them? Since in this post is said that ” 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” and I can’t quite understand. Please, I’d really appreciate your answer.
Hi Andy,
In your case, you don’t need to worry about credits, then. Consider each course to have 1 credit.
Based on your scale, I would convert the grades as follows:
0 – 50 fail = 0
51 – 60 Regular = 1
61 – 70 good = 2
71- 80 very good = 3
81 – 100 excellent = 3
Convert each of the grades individually, then simply average them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
My gpa is 3.77 out of 4 but when I converted this into mext scale gpa it’s only 2.31.
Am I doing wrong?
Please let me know how can I do this properly? if you want I can send you my transcripts numbers..can you please calculate this for me?
Hi Irisha,
It does sound like something is wrong. The only thing I can think of is that you might not be using a conversion scale that is appropriate for your GPA scale or you might not be factoring in the credits properly. A 2.31 GPA on the Japanese scale would be between “average” and “good” in terms of quality. It does not seem like there is enough room to fit “good” and “excellent” between 3.77 and 4!
But if you have a 3.77 GPA on your local scale, I do not think that there is any question whatsoever that your GPA will be qualified and high on the MEXT scale, so you probably do not need to bother calculating it or worrying about it!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, does the GPA only used as a tool to know whether I’m eligible or not, or does it affect my entire application? Because currently I have a 2.32 GPA after conversion, which is quite slim. Do I still have a chance if I maximize the quality of my other required documents (research plan, essay, etc.) ?
Hi Andrea,
I cannot say for sure how it works at the Embassy, since I was never part of the internal evaluation system there, but when I processed applications for a university, the GPA was an important part of the overall ranking. The university had fewer factors to consider (no tests and no interviews), so it was an even bigger factor there and it would have been very difficult to compete with a borderline GPA, but you might have a better chance at the Embassy.
(And there’s always the chance that their calculation of your GPA could be different).
I certainly recommend that you do everything possible to make your Field of Study and Research Program Plan and other documents as strong as possible, though!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, turns out I miscalculated my GPA! I have AB (between A and B) and B scores and considered them as 2.0. Looking at your reply in earlier comments, I think they are supposed to be 3.0. I have a follow up question, for the explanation of each scores in the transcript, does it need to be a detailed explanation, or does a simple list will do? For example, in my university’s case it’s something like: A (4.0) : Exceptional, AB (3.5): Excellent, etc. Thanks again!
Hi Andrea,
That’s great news!
For the grade descriptions, a short list like the one you described is perfect. That’s exactly what they’d be looking for.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Your article is super helpful but I have a question I hope you can answer. I am having trouble converting my GPA as I took 7 years to finish my degree and switched degrees so I have taken many classes (and my understanding is we calculate all of our credits and grades). My math doesn’t seem to be adding up so I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I have 135 credits with an overall GPA of 2.47 out of a 5 point system (A-F). Unfortunately my first couple years were bad compared to my last years so I know my overall GPA is low but I can’t convert it properly to see if its too low for the 3.0 system. I have earned 135 credits out of 150 and my mext score should be 62 (for adding the varying grades I received A,B & C and if I understand correctly my D’s & F’s would be counted as 0). Can you shed some light on what I am doing wrong for the calulations? Thanks!!!
Hi Hilary,
It does sound like something went wrong in your calculations. Your total score should never be lower than the number of credits you earned. For each course, you should multiply the converted grade value by the number of credits for that course (It sounds like that might be the step you missed?). Add all the products then divide by the total number of credits.
It depends on your grading system in your country, but Ds should convert to a MEXT grade of 1, unless a D is a failing grade. For a typical ABCDF scale where C is average and F is the only failing grade, then A/B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0. Your specific scale may be different, but without seeing the transcript myself, I’m afraid I can’t be sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for all the articles you have put up. It helps a lot.
I was wondering when calculating GPA, should I calculate the average of each academic year aside and then calculate the average of those years to be above 2.3 or does each year have to be above 2.3 by itself.
I hope my question is clear.
Thanks in advance
Best Regards
Nassir
Hi Nassir,
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad to hear that you’ve found the articles to be helpful!
For the GPA calculation, you should not calculate the GPAs for individual years at all. Convert each of the course grades to the MEXT scale then take the average of all of your courses all at once.
Calculating the averages for individual years then calculating the average of those 4 years could give you an inaccurate result and the average for individual years does not matter.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university uses a 10-scale grading system as follows:
9.6 – 10.0 = O(Outstanding)
9.0 – 9.5 = S(Excellent)
8.0 – 8.9 = A++(Distinction)
7.0 – 7.9 = A+(Very good)
6.0 – 6.9 = A(Good)
5.5 – 5.9 = B+(Satisfactory)
5.0 – 5.4 = B(AVERGAGE)
4.0 – 4.9 = C(Below Average)
<4.0 = F(Failed)
So in this scale what should be cut off for MEXT(2.3 out of 3)?
Thank you.
Hi Arijit,
It is not possible to say what the cut off would be in another grading system. You need to convert all of your grades one-by-one to the Japanese system and then take the average. (If you try to convert 2.3 to your system or try to convert just your overall GPA, it will not give an accurate result. I have tried this with many different systems and have an example in my book.)
Your grades look fairly straightforward to convert using the letter grades:
O/S/A = 3
B = 2
C = 1
F = 0
(Ignore plusses and count those as being the same as the letter).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for the reply.
On the embassy website in my country(India), they asked for a minimum 65% marks. So can I assume 65% marks in my country’s grading system maps to 2.3 out of 3 in MEXT grading system?
Hi Arijit,
In that case, it should be approximately around the same range, but that does not guarantee that if you have 65% marks that you will have at least a 2.3 MEXT GPA. As I mentioned before, there is no way to accurately convert a cumulative GPA. If you want to be sure, the only way is to convert the grades one-by-one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you for your continued support for all aspiring students arpund the world.
I have a question about rounding up the GPA.
I am current Mext bassy recommend masters student and i submitted for extension to PhD.
My Gpa was 2.88 out of 3.0 to be exact. I rounded it to 2.9. Can i do that? Would it be a problem?
Thank you.
Hi Hsu,
Your GPA should be calculated to three decimal places, so you cannot round to 2.9. But on the other hand, there is no problem with a 2.88 GPA. The minimum requirement is 2.50 and you are well above that!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your reply. I didn’t know that and I submitted with 2.9. Could I lose the scholarship because of this?
Hi Hsu,
No, you shouldn’t lose the scholarship over rounding. Usually, it is the university, not the scholar, that is responsible for the GPA calculation. So, even if they ask you to calculate it, they are going to double-check it. They may correct the calculation themselves or ask you to correct and resubmit, but in any case, I don’t think it will be a problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have been following your guides and I could say that it has been very helpful for my apps. I would just like to ask for the conversion of my current grading scale to the MEXT 3.0 scale.
Grade Point Description
4.0 Excellent
3.5 Superior
3.0 Very Good
2.5 Good
2.0 Satisfactory
1.5 Fair
1.0 Passed
0.0 Failed
Thank you in advance!
Best,
Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Thank you for your kind words.
For your grading scale, I would convert it as follows:
4.0 – 2.5 = 3
2.0 – 1.5 = 2
1.0 = 1
0.0 = 0
There is a possibility that 2.5 would be converted to a MEXT 2 and 1.5 would be converted to a MEXT 1, so if you want to give yourself a harsh conversion to make sure you still qualify under those conditions, that could be a useful reference. (I chose to convert them to the higher grade because the qualitative description of 2.5 was “Good”, but both cases could be a judgement call.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the article in such depth and detail.
I am following your articles while preparing for my application and it helped a lot.
Now, at this point, I need your help to confirm the grading system of my university to the MEXT grading system. Would you please let me know the MEXT equivalent grading points for this classification?
Distinction – 75% and above
First Division – 65% and above
Second Division – 50% and above
Fail – 50% below
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi Andreas Hoffman,
If there are no other breakdowns of grading category (like Third Division or Second Division (Upper)/Second Division (Lower)), then it would be a severe calculation, indeed. Without any other way to distinguish between grades, the only conversion method I can think of.
Distinction – 75% and above = 3
First Division – 65% and above = 2
Second Division – 50% and above = 1
Fail – 50% below = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey dear thank you for your information , and l have some quarry
1) my university use the same scale as the first one i.e 4 scale system with some difference that is 90-100 is A+ , 85-89 A , 80-84 is A- and so on …and I got 30 A+ , 32 A and 3 A- with CGPA of 3.99…my confusion is is the A- is taken as 3 in front of MEXT ? if yes is it mean l have 3 out of 3 .?
2) I am fresh graduate and l was gold medalist and trophy at the time of graduation for that reason my university hire me as assistant lecture immediately after graduation but due to cost sharing l did not got my official transcript instead l send copy of my grade sheet / grade report of each semester. so do you think they accept it and call me for exam and interview ? if so what would you advise me ? you replay will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Mekuriaw,
1. I do not have enough information to give you a certain answer. I would need to see the complete grading scale information. In most systems, an A- would be converted the same way as an A, but I have seen some systems where an A- is instead grouped with B+ and B. If your grading system shows the “quality” explanation for each grade, it should be easy to figure out.
2. I recommend that you go back to your university and ask them to issue you an official transcript covering all semesters of study for your application. If they understand what you need it for, they ought to be willing to help you.
If they refuse to issue you your transcripts, then you should contact the Embassy to see what can be done in your case. It will be up to their discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz