The two Korean scales
4.5 scale, for example at Korea University: A+ 4.5, A 4.0, B+ 3.5, B 3.0, C+ 2.5, C 2.0, D+ 1.5, D 1.0, F 0. P and S grades are not counted.
4.3 scale, at Seoul National University and Yonsei, with plus and minus grades. SNU also publishes the percentage each grade stands for:
| Grade | A+ | A0 | A− | B+ | B0 | B− | C+ | C0 | C− | D+ | D0 | D− | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0 |
| SNU % | 100 | 96 | 93 | 89 | 86 | 83 | 79 | 76 | 73 | 69 | 66 | 63 | 0 |
Converting to a US 4.0 GPA
US evaluators convert each course separately. Korean letters line up with US letters, so a reasonable estimate is to convert letter by letter (A+ and A0 → A, B+ → B+ and so on) and enter those letters in the GPA calculator, where A+ counts as 4.0. Simple scaling (GPA ÷ 4.5 × 4) is shown above only as a rough number.
UK requirements for Korean degrees
| Country | University group | 2:1 | High 2:1 | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Well-ranked university (Cambridge list) | 85% or GPA 3.2/4 or GPA 3.3/4.3 or GPA 3.5/4.5 | 88% or GPA 3.4/4 or GPA 3.5/4.3 or GPA 3.75/4.5 | 90% or GPA 3.6/4 or GPA 3.7/4.3 or GPA 4/4.5 |
| Other recognised university | 88% or GPA 3.4/4 or GPA 3.5/4.3 or GPA 3.75/4.5 | 90% or GPA 3.6/4 or GPA 3.7/4.3 or GPA 4/4.5 | 92% or GPA 3.8/4 or GPA 3.9/4.3 or GPA 4.25/4.5 |
Source: University of Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions, “International qualifications”, checked 6 November 2026. Cambridge is among the most demanding UK universities; most others ask for less.
Questions
Is 3.8/4.5 a good GPA?
Yes. At Cambridge it meets the high 2:1 equivalent for well-ranked Korean universities (3.75/4.5) and the 2:1 for others.
What is A0?
A plain A, written A0 to set it apart from A+ and A−. It is worth 4.0 on both Korean scales.
Sources
- Korea University Registrar, grades (4.5 scale): registrar.korea.ac.kr/eduinfo/info/grade_overview.do (checked 2026-11-06)
- Yonsei University, grading (4.3 scale): yonsei.ac.kr/en_sc/2274/subview.do (checked 2026-11-06)
- Seoul National University, grading and percentage table: en.snu.ac.kr/academics/records/certificates (checked 2026-11-06)
- University of Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions, International qualifications: www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/international-qualifications (checked 2026-11-06)
- KMK, agreement on the overall grade of foreign university entrance qualifications (12 September 2013), modified Bavarian formula: www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/ZAB/Hochschulzugang_Beschluesse_der_KMK/GesNot05.pdf (checked 2026-11-06)