Korean GPA Calculator

The 4.5-max scale - A+ 4.5, A0 4.0, down by halves - credit-weighted, computed live.

Course recordSouth Korea - 4.5 scale

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Korean universities top the scale at 4.5: A+ carries 4.5, A0 4.0, B+ 3.5, stepping down by 0.5 to D0 at 1.0, with F a 0 - all weighted by credits. Enter your courses below and the GPA updates live. (KAIST and a few others cap at 4.3; if that is your transcript, the 0.5 steps differ - use your university's own table.)

Korean GPAs travel badly when the scale is left off: a 4.2/4.5 is roughly a 3.7/4.0-equivalent A- average, not a near-perfect record, and a 3.8/4.5 is a solid B+. Always state the maximum. Korean transcripts increasingly print percentile rank alongside the GPA, and foreign graduate offices weigh that rank heavily precisely because Korean grade curves are strict and enforced.

The scale this page uses

Grade	Grade points
A+	4.5
A0	4.0
B+	3.5
B0	3.0
C+	2.5
C0	2.0
D+	1.5
D0	1.0
F	0.0

The 4.5-max scale used by many Korean universities: A+ = 4.5, A0 = 4.0, stepping down by 0.5 to D0 = 1.0, credit-weighted. Check your maximum before you use this table, because the other common Korean scale caps at 4.3 and is not a minor variant - Seoul National University uses it, read directly, and it has thirteen grades including A-, B-, C- and D-, so a B+ is 3.3 there rather than 3.5. When applying abroad, state the maximum: a 4.2/4.5 reads very differently from a 4.2/4.3. SNU truncates rather than rounds, cutting off the third decimal place of the average.

No authority publishes this scale. Korea has no national grading instrument, so each university sets its own scale. The 4.5 maximum here is the one many of them use. Seoul National University uses 4.3 with thirteen grades instead, which is a different scale rather than a rounding difference, and we name it for that reason. The closest document we hold is Seoul National University, credit and grading (Office for Global Affairs). Click for the document we hold. We read it on 3 October 2026. We have read grading documents from all over the world and could not find one that settles this. If you have a link to an official source, send it to us and we will read it and say so here.

Worked examples

A strong semester

A+, A0 and B+ in three 3-credit courses and B0 in a 2-credit course. Multiply each grade point by the credits, add them up, and divide by the 11 credits: (4.5 × 3 + 4.0 × 3 + 3.5 × 3 + 3.0 × 2) ÷ 11 = 42 ÷ 11 = 3.82. On a 4.5 scale that's a solid B+ to A0 average.

A semester that triggers a warning

C0, D+ and F in 3-credit courses and C+ in a 2-credit course: (2.0 × 3 + 1.5 × 3 + 0 × 3 + 2.5 × 2) ÷ 11 = 15.5 ÷ 11 = 1.41. The F adds no points but keeps its 3 credits in the total. At Hallym University a semester average under 1.75 brings an academic warning (학사경고), and this one is well under.

A pass/fail course on the transcript

A0 and B+ in two 3-credit courses, plus a 1-credit course graded P. A P/N course earns credit but has no grade point, so it stays out: (4.0 × 3 + 3.5 × 3) ÷ 6 = 22.5 ÷ 6 = 3.75. Leave it out of the calculator too. If you're applying abroad, write it as 3.75/4.5, because the same number on a 4.3 scale would mean something different.

How this scale works

On the 4.5 scale this page uses, courses are graded A, B, C, D and F, and each passing letter is split into a + and a 0. Hallym University, for one, does exactly this. On that scale A+ is 4.5, A0 is 4.0, B+ is 3.5, B0 is 3.0, and so on in half-point steps down to D0 at 1.0, with F at 0. The "0" in A0 just means a plain A.

Your average (평점평균) is weighted by credits: multiply each course's grade point by its credits, add them up, and divide by the credits you took. At Hallym University, for example, the result is rounded to two decimals, D0 or better passes a course, and pass/fail courses earn credit without counting in the average.

Not every university uses 4.5. KAIST's scale tops out at A+ 4.3, so always say which scale your average is on. A 3.8 out of 4.5 and a 3.8 out of 4.3 aren't the same result.

Where these rules come from

Read from the institution's own rules, quoted below in their own words.

A 4.5-scale university's rules. Hallym University's grading rules list each grade's mark range and grade point: A+ 95-100 and 4.5, A0 90-94 and 4.0, B+ 85-89 and 3.5, down to D0 60-64 and 1.0, and F 0-59 and 0. They say "학업성적은 'D0' 이상 및 'P' 등급을 '이수'로하고, 'F'와 'N' 등급은 '낙제'로 한다" (D0 or better and P complete a course; F and N are fails), that the average is the credits times the grade points, summed, "신청학점 합계로 나누어 소수점 이하 셋째자리에서 반올림한다" (divided by the credits taken and rounded at the third decimal place), that a P/N course's credits are recognised but not included in the average, and that a semester average "1.75 미만" (under 1.75) brings 학사경고, an academic warning. Source: Hallym University, 학사안내: 성적.

A 4.3-scale university. KAIST's grade table starts at A+ 4.3, and it says "For research courses and S-U subjects, the grade is not considered when calculating the GPA." Source: KAIST, Academic Policies: Grades.

Checked on 2026-10-01 against the sources linked above.

Questions this calculator gets asked

How is GPA calculated in Korea?

Each grade's points (A+ = 4.5, A0 = 4.0, B+ = 3.5, and so on down to D0 = 1.0) are multiplied by course credits, summed, and divided by total credits. This calculator applies the standard 4.5 table live.

What is a good GPA on the 4.5 scale?

4.0+ (an A0 average) is excellent; 3.5-3.99 is strong. Because many Korean universities enforce grade curves capping the share of A grades, a 4.2+ typically signals top-of-class performance.

How does a 4.5-scale GPA convert to the 4.0 scale?

No official formula. The common working conversion multiplies by 4.0/4.5 (a 4.05/4.5 → 3.6/4.0), but evaluators often prefer the percentile rank printed on Korean transcripts. Always report the scale maximum with the number.

Why do Korean universities curve grades?

Most enforce relative grading - a capped percentage of A grades per course, often around 30% - which keeps GPAs comparable across sections and makes high averages genuinely scarce. Retaking courses to replace grades (재수강) is common and governed by per-university limits.

Which universities use 4.3 instead of 4.5?

Seoul National University is the clearest case: thirteen grades, with A+ at 4.3, A at 4.0, A- at 3.7, B+ at 3.3 and on down to D-. KAIST also caps at 4.3. If your transcript says 4.3, use your university's table, because the 4.5 grid here will not match your registrar.

Is this Korean GPA calculator free and private?

Yes. No sign-up, nothing uploaded - the GPA is computed in your browser and courses stay on your device.

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