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Although it represents a long-term commitment, and longer than studying for a doctorate in the UK, I think the academic, career and 'new culture' advantages are more than sufficient incentive....
Meet John Marshall
at Harvard University
(2010-2015)
Transcript
Getting a Transcript - How Your Marks Will Be Evaluated - US GPA and Class Rank - How to Convert UK Results to a US GPA - Credential Evaluators
US universities or scholarship programmes usually ask for a transcript, or document listing your academic qualifications and marks. Read on for more information on getting a transcript, how your marks will be evaluated, what are a US GPA and class rank, how to convert UK results to a US GPA and credential evaluators.
Getting a Transcript
Most UK universities have the ability to create a transcript or provide a diploma supplement for students. Ask your registrar’s office, or if unsuccessful there, your academic department or college.
At a minimum, the transcript should list your final (or predicted) degree result and be printed on official university lettering head. US universities use a model of continual assessment with marks given at the end of each module (class) and averaged over time into a Grade Point Average (GPA). Therefore, if possible, US universities would prefer to receive more information about what modules you took, any assessment during your course, how your performance changed over time and how you rank against other students.
If your university is unable to create a transcript automatically or if you do not feel the diploma supplement shows the full picture of your academic history, we provide a sample transcript.
Please note you will be expected to have transcripts from each postsecondary institution you have attended showing all of the postsecondary qualifications you have completed (ie undergraduate study and above).
How Your Marks Will Be Evaluated
There are three ways US universities will evaluate your qualifications:
- Some universities will assess your qualifications holistically, knowing what it means to have a First, 2:1 or 2:2 from particular UK universities and what they are looking for.
- Other universities will convert your UK results to a US GPA using a publication or internal chart similar to the one below.
- Some universities however will require applicants to use a credential evaluation service, which converts international qualifications into their US equivalents and verifies the authenticity of your qualification.
What are a US GPA and class rank?
In the US, students are assigned a cumulative grade point average, usually on a 4.0 scale, for all courses taken throughout their four-year course of study. To determine their Grade Point Average or GPA, US universities convert a percentage grade for each class into a letter grade. The following is a general percentage/letter grade scale for classes taken at US universities:
| US Percentage | US Grade | US GPA |
| 90-100 | A | 4.0 (A+ = 4.33; A- = 3.67) |
| 80-89 | B | 3.0 (B+ = 3.33; B- = 2.67) |
| 70-79 | C | 2.0 (C+ = 2.33; C- = 1.67) |
| 60-69 | D | 1.0 (D+ = 1.33; D- = 0.67) |
| 0-60 | F | 0 |
They then take the letter and assign a grade point (typically 4 points for an A, 3 points for a B and so on). These are weighted by credit (or contact) hours and averaged together to form a GPA from 0 - 4 (4 being the best). Students are then ranked amongst their department or cohort in the university.
How do I convert a UK result to a US GPA?
In one of the fields on the application form, a US university will likely request that you report your GPA, or Grade Point Average. As there is no official direct conversion between UK marks and a US GPA, we recommend that students leave this field blank. US admissions officers will understand the reason for this omission and will instead consult your transcript for detailed information about your academic performance.
That said, it may be useful to convert your results to a US GPA to gauge your relative competitiveness for admission and funding. To help, below is an unofficial chart with approximate grade conversions between UK results and US GPA.
| UK | US |
| First Class Honours | A (4.00) |
| 2:1 | A-/B+ (3.33 - 3.67) |
| 2:2 | B (3.00) |
| Third Class Honours | C+ (2.30) |
| Pass | C (2.00) |
Credential Evaluators
Some universities may ask that you pay to have your qualifications assessed by a professional credential evaluator before submitting your application. This service converts international qualifications to their US equivalents and verifies the authenticity of your qualification. Most universities will specify the credential evaluation service they prefer; however, if the university does not specify an evaluation service, you may wish to consult the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website for a list of recognised organisations.