Convert Argentine Grades to US GPA

Scale: Argentine universities use a 1–10 integer scale (nota numérica). The passing grade is typically 6 or 4 depending on the institution and assessment type.  |  Range: 1–10 integer scale
US GPA Equivalent
4.00
Excellent
US Letter Grade
Argentina Grade
10 — Sobresaliente
Score Range
10
Classification
Outstanding — Summa Cum Laude

How Argentine University Grading Works

Argentina has one of South America's most distinguished higher education systems, with the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) consistently ranked among the top universities in Latin America. The national university system is regulated by CONEAU (Comisión Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación Universitaria) and is largely tuition-free for public institutions.

Argentine universities use a distinctive 1–10 integer grading scale (nota numérica) without decimals (though some institutions allow half-points like 7.5 in practice). The grades are named: 10 — Sobresaliente (Outstanding, 4.0 equivalent); 9 — Distinguido (Distinguished, 3.7); 8 — Muy Bueno (Very Good, 3.3); 7 — Bueno (Good, 3.0); 6 — Aprobado (Approved/Pass, 2.0); 4–5 — Insuficiente (Insufficient/Low, 1.0); 1–3 — Reprobado (Failed, 0.0).

The minimum passing grade varies: for most regular exams it is 4 (Aprobado) with a minimum of 6 needed to exempt the final exam (examen parcial vs. examen final). At some institutions and for certain evaluation types, a 6 is the minimum pass. Argentine degrees are typically longer than US equivalents — a licenciatura takes 5–6 years (including thesis), while tecnicaturas are 2–3 year technical qualifications.

Academic performance is tracked via the promedio — either a simple arithmetic average or a weighted average of all subject scores. Promedio con aplazos (including failed attempts) versus promedio sin aplazos (excluding fails) can differ significantly. US graduate programmes typically request the promedio con aplazos for a full academic picture.

Argentina to US GPA Conversion Table

Score Classification US GPA US Equivalent
10 Sobresaliente 4.00 A / Excellent
9 Distinguido 3.70 A- / Very Good
8 Muy Bueno 3.30 B+ / Good
7 Bueno 3.00 B / Good
6 Aprobado 2.00 C / Pass
4–5 Insuficiente 1.00 D / Low Pass
1–3 Reprobado 0.00 F / Fail

Conversion Example

Student: Valentina studies Economics at UBA (Universidad de Buenos Aires) and is applying to US economics PhD programmes.

Her recent subject scores: Microeconomics 9 (Distinguido), Macroeconomics 8 (Muy Bueno), Econometrics 10 (Sobresaliente), Statistics 8 (Muy Bueno), Thesis 9 (Distinguido).

Promedio: (9 + 8 + 10 + 8 + 9) / 5 = 44 / 5 = 8.8 promedio

US GPA conversion (weighted average): (3.7 + 3.3 + 4.0 + 3.3 + 3.7) / 5 = 18.0 / 5 = 3.60 GPA

US equivalent: 3.60 / 4.0 — Strong profile from UBA for US economics PhD programmes.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 1–10 numerical scale is a tradition inherited from Spanish and Latin academic systems, used across primary school through university. It allows fine-grained differentiation without letter grade ambiguity. Most countries in Latin America (also Colombia, Uruguay, Chile) use similar 1–10 or 0–10 scales.
Promedio con aplazos (with failures) includes all subject attempts including failed ones (scores of 1–3) in the average calculation. Promedio sin aplazos (without failures) calculates only passed subjects. US programmes typically request the full promedio con aplazos. A significant gap between the two may raise questions in applications.
The Argentine licenciatura (5–6 years) is generally considered equivalent to a US bachelor's plus some master's level work, given its longer duration and mandatory thesis. WES evaluations typically rate a licenciatura as equivalent to a US bachelor's degree for admission purposes, though some evaluators note the additional academic content.
Most US graduate programmes require WES or ECE evaluation for Argentine transcripts to produce a US GPA equivalent from the promedio. Spanish-language transcripts also need certified translation. Allow 6–10 weeks for the full evaluation process.
A promedio of 8.0 or above (Muy Bueno, ~3.3 US GPA equivalent) is generally competitive for US master's programmes. For PhD programmes at research universities, a promedio of 8.5–9.0 or higher (equivalent to 3.5–3.7 US GPA) is typically expected, particularly in competitive fields like economics, engineering, and mathematics.

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