Convert Indonesian Grades to US GPA
How Indonesian University Grading Works
Indonesia's higher education system operates under the oversight of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemdikbudristek). Universities nationwide use a standardised 4.0 GPA system known as Indeks Prestasi Kumulatif (IPK) — the cumulative performance index. Each semester also produces an Indeks Prestasi Semester (IPS), the semester-only GPA.
Course credits are measured in Satuan Kredit Semester (SKS), roughly equivalent to US credit hours. A full undergraduate programme typically requires 144–160 SKS completed over eight semesters. Graduate programmes usually need 36–48 SKS.
Letter grades are tied to percentage scores: A (85–100) earns 4.0 points, B+ (80–84) earns 3.5, B (75–79) earns 3.0, B- (70–74) earns 2.5, C+ (65–69) earns 2.0, C (60–64) earns 1.5, D (50–59) earns 1.0, and E (below 50) earns 0.0 and is a failing grade. Some universities use slightly different thresholds — for instance, certain universities set the A threshold at 80 rather than 85 — so always check the specific institution's grading policy.
Graduation classifications in Indonesia typically follow this IPK scale: Cumlaude (summa cum laude) requires an IPK of 3.51–4.00 with no D or E grades; Sangat Memuaskan (magna cum laude) is 3.01–3.50; and Memuaskan (cum laude) covers 2.76–3.00. An IPK of 2.00 or above is the minimum graduation requirement at most institutions.
Indonesian to US GPA Conversion Table
| Grade | Score | IPK Points | US GPA | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 85–100 | 4.00 | 4.00 | Sangat Baik (Excellent) |
| B+ | 80–84 | 3.50 | 3.50 | Baik Sekali (Very Good) |
| B | 75–79 | 3.00 | 3.00 | Baik (Good) |
| B- | 70–74 | 2.50 | 2.50 | Cukup Baik (Fairly Good) |
| C+ | 65–69 | 2.00 | 2.00 | Cukup (Satisfactory) |
| C | 60–64 | 1.50 | 1.50 | Kurang Cukup (Marginal) |
| D | 50–59 | 1.00 | 1.00 | Kurang (Poor) |
| E | < 50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Gagal (Failing) |
Conversion Example
Student: Rizki studies Electrical Engineering at Universitas Indonesia (UI), one of Indonesia's top research universities, and is applying to MS programmes in the United States.
His transcript shows: Calculus A (4 SKS, grade A), Physics B+ (3 SKS), Programming B (4 SKS), Circuits B+ (3 SKS), Statistics B (3 SKS).
IPK calculation: (4×4.0 + 3×3.5 + 4×3.0 + 3×3.5 + 3×3.0) / (4+3+4+3+3) = (16 + 10.5 + 12 + 10.5 + 9) / 17 = 58 / 17 = 3.41 IPK
US GPA equivalent: ≈ 3.41 / 4.0 — competitive for many US MS engineering programmes. Rizki would also need TOEFL/IELTS and GRE scores for most programmes.