Convert Taiwanese Grades to US GPA
How Taiwanese University Grading Works
Taiwan's higher education system is administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部). Universities in Taiwan use a percentage-based system mapped to letter grades and a 4.3 GPA scale (績點), which is the standard format for international applications. Most universities follow MOE guidelines closely, though minor variations exist.
The standard grading scale: A+ (4.3) for 90–100% — outstanding; A (4.0) for 85–89% — excellent; A- (3.7) for 80–84% — very good; B+ (3.3) for 77–79%; B (3.0) for 73–76%; B- (2.7) for 70–72%; C+ (2.3) for 67–69%; C (2.0) for 63–66%; C- (1.7) for 60–62%; and F (0.0) for below 60%. The minimum passing score is 60.
Credits in Taiwan are measured in 學分 (xuéfēn), comparable to US credit hours. A typical undergraduate programme requires 128 credits over four years. The GPA is the credit-weighted average of all graded courses and appears on official transcripts alongside percentage scores.
Taiwan's leading research universities have strong international reputations, particularly in engineering, computer science, and natural sciences. National Taiwan University (NTU) consistently ranks in the QS World University Rankings top 70–100. National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) are particularly renowned in engineering and technology.
Taiwan to US GPA Conversion Table
| Grade | Score % | TW GPA | US GPA | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90–100 | 4.30 | 4.00 | Outstanding |
| A | 85–89 | 4.00 | 4.00 | Excellent |
| A- | 80–84 | 3.70 | 3.70 | Very Good |
| B+ | 77–79 | 3.30 | 3.30 | Good |
| B | 73–76 | 3.00 | 3.00 | Fairly Good |
| B- | 70–72 | 2.70 | 2.70 | Satisfactory |
| C+ | 67–69 | 2.30 | 2.30 | Adequate |
| C | 63–66 | 2.00 | 2.00 | Pass |
| C- | 60–62 | 1.70 | 1.70 | Minimum Pass |
| F | < 60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Fail |
Conversion Example
Student: Wei-Ting studies Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University (NTU) and is applying to MS/PhD programmes in the United States.
His courses: Signal Processing A (3 credits, 88%), Semiconductor A- (3 credits, 82%), Algorithms B+ (3 credits, 78%), Linear Algebra A+ (3 credits, 92%), Thesis Research A (3 credits, 86%).
TW GPA: (3×4.0 + 3×3.7 + 3×3.3 + 3×4.3 + 3×4.0) / 15 = (12 + 11.1 + 9.9 + 12.9 + 12) / 15 = 57.9 / 15 = 3.86 TW GPA
US GPA equivalent (capping A+ at 4.0): ≈ 3.80 / 4.0 — Outstanding profile for US EE PhD programmes.