Philippines GPA Converter

The Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia with multiple distinct university grading systems in simultaneous active use. The three most common are: the University of the Philippines (UP) inverse numerical scale of 1.0 to 5.0 where 1.0 represents the highest academic achievement; the percentage-based system used by the majority of Philippine private universities where grades are expressed as values from 0 to 100 with 75 percent as the standard minimum passing mark; and institutional letter grade systems such as the Ateneo de Manila University 4.0 scale. This three-system landscape makes Filipino transcript interpretation genuinely complex for international evaluators and necessitates careful identification of which system applies before any GPA conversion is attempted. Use the GPA Calculator to compute your weighted average before converting.

The University of the Philippines system — comprising UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and other campuses — is the national university system of the Philippines and uses an inverse numerical scale of 1.0 to 5.0. On this scale 1.0 represents the highest academic achievement, 3.0 is the minimum passing grade at most UP campuses, 4.0 is a conditional pass at some campuses requiring remediation or re-examination, and 5.0 is an outright fail. Intermediate grades of 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.25, 2.50, and 2.75 are used to provide granularity between the integer values. This inverse scale — where lower numbers are better — is counterintuitive to international audiences familiar with the US GPA system and must be clearly explained in any international application.

The majority of Philippine private universities — including De La Salle University (DLSU), the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Mapúa University, and thousands of regional colleges and universities — use a percentage-based grading system. Under the standard Philippine percentage system, 75 percent is the minimum passing mark, though this threshold varies: some institutions use 70 percent and others use 60 percent. This variation means that a grade of 72 percent may represent a fail at a 75 percent threshold institution but a pass at an institution using a 70 percent threshold — a critical distinction for international evaluators. The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is the government body overseeing Philippine higher education quality assurance and its recognition status is a primary criterion in WES and other credential evaluation processes.

Most Philippine Bachelor's degrees are four years in duration. Professional degrees are longer: Medicine (MD) takes six years after secondary school, Law (LLB) is typically four years after a Bachelor's, and Engineering programmes range from four to five years. Unlike European universities, the Philippines does not use the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) — Philippine universities use a unit credit system where one unit corresponds to one hour of class per week per semester. Convert your units using the Credit Hours to ECTS Converter.

The University of the Philippines (UP) system — comprising UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and other campuses — is the national university of the Philippines and is consistently the highest-ranked Philippine institution in global rankings including the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. UP is particularly distinguished in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, law, and medicine. The UP College of Engineering and the UP College of Natural Sciences are widely regarded as the leading programmes of their kind in the Philippines, and UP graduates are well-regarded by US and international graduate programmes, particularly those familiar with Philippine academia. The UP System's research output and its graduate programmes — including the UP National Graduate School of Engineering — are recognised by major US and UK institutions.

Ateneo de Manila University is a prestigious Jesuit university with strong international recognition in business, law, humanities, and social sciences. Ateneo uses a 4.0 letter grade scale directly comparable to US university grading, which makes Ateneo graduates' academic records more immediately interpretable by US admissions committees than transcripts from UP or other Philippine institutions. The Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and the Ateneo School of Law are particularly well-regarded. De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila is a strong institution particularly in engineering, business, and sciences with growing international recognition — DLSU consistently ranks among the top five Philippine universities and its engineering and business programmes attract competitive international applicants.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST), founded in 1611, is the oldest existing university in Asia and has strong recognition in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and the humanities. The UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery is the largest medical school in the world by enrollment and UST medical graduates are well-regarded internationally, particularly for USMLE and UK GMC registration. Mapúa University is the leading engineering university in the Philippines and holds ABET accreditation for several of its engineering programmes — ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation is an internationally recognised quality standard and significantly strengthens Mapúa engineering graduates' credentials for US engineering graduate admissions.

The Philippines has a unique relationship with the United States in the context of higher education that distinguishes Filipino students from virtually all other international applicants to US graduate programmes. The Philippine university system was significantly shaped by the American colonial period (1898–1946) — the University of the Philippines was founded in 1908 under American administration — and the medium of instruction in Philippine higher education remains predominantly English. Filipino students are therefore linguistically prepared for US graduate study without the English language barrier that affects the majority of other international applicants. Philippine university curricula, credit systems, and academic structures also closely mirror the US model, making Filipino students culturally and academically well-prepared for the transition to US graduate study. For guidance on English language testing requirements, see the English Language Test Guide.

The large Filipino-American community in the USA — one of the largest Asian-American communities, numbering approximately four million — means that US universities are generally familiar with Philippine academic credentials and that Filipino students applying to US graduate programmes are in an advantageous position relative to many other international applicants in terms of English proficiency, academic system compatibility, and cultural familiarity. TOEFL or IELTS waivers are available at many US institutions for graduates of English-medium Philippine universities. Policies vary: some US schools automatically waive the requirement for Philippine graduates, while others require a letter confirming English as the official medium of instruction from the applicant's Philippine university registrar. Students should check each institution's specific exemption policy carefully and obtain the necessary documentation in advance.

World Education Services (WES) evaluates Philippine credentials from institutions recognised by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and uses system-specific conversion methodology — applying the correct approach for the UP inverse scale (where 1.0 = 4.0 US GPA), the percentage system (where 75 is the minimum pass), and institutional letter grade systems such as the Ateneo 4.0 scale. WES maintains a database of Philippine institutions and their grading systems, and evaluators are trained to correctly interpret the UP inverse scale without confusing it with the US GPA scale. Use the WES GPA Calculator to estimate your evaluated GPA before submitting to WES.

WES requires official transcripts sent directly from the Philippine institution's registrar's office — transcripts must include the official university seal and the registrar's signature, and must be enclosed in a sealed envelope also bearing the registrar's signature across the seal. One of the significant advantages of Philippine credentials for WES evaluation is that Philippine transcripts are issued in English — one of very few countries globally where this is the case — eliminating the need for certified translation that adds time and cost for most other international credential evaluations. CHED recognition is the primary quality assurance credential for Philippine institutions, and WES verifies CHED recognition status as part of its standard evaluation process.

The UP system and Ateneo de Manila University are immediately recognisable to WES evaluators and typically require minimal additional documentation beyond official transcripts. For graduates of less internationally known Philippine institutions, it may be helpful to include a Institutional Profile Letter from the university's registrar and any available CHED accreditation documentation. WES Document-by-Document evaluations typically take seven business days and course-by-course evaluations take approximately three weeks. WES evaluation fees for Philippine credentials follow standard international pricing — check wes.org for current fee schedules.

Most US graduate programmes require a minimum GPA equivalent of 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. For Philippine students this translates to different thresholds depending on the grading system used. On the UP inverse scale, a minimum equivalent of 3.0 US GPA corresponds to a weighted average of approximately 2.00 to 2.25 — meaning UP students with a weighted average better than 2.25 generally meet the minimum GPA requirement for US graduate admissions. On the percentage system, 3.0 US GPA corresponds to approximately 85 to 88 percent. Students with a UP weighted average between 1.5 and 2.0 or a percentage average above 88 to 90 percent from recognised institutions are competitive for strong US graduate programmes. Use the University Match Calculator and College Admission Chance Calculator to assess your profile against specific programmes.

Philippine students from specific elite institutions are particularly well-positioned for relevant US graduate programmes. UP graduates in engineering, computer science, and natural sciences are competitive for STEM graduate programmes at major US research universities, particularly given the strong research culture at UP Diliman and UP Los Baños. Ateneo graduates in business and law are well-regarded for MBA and law graduate programmes in the USA. UST graduates in medicine and pharmacy are established pathways for USMLE and US pharmacy licensing. Mapúa engineering graduates with ABET-accredited degrees have a significant advantage in US engineering graduate admissions as ABET accreditation is directly recognised by US licensing boards and many US engineering graduate programmes.

GRE scores remain valuable for Philippine applicants — while GRE is becoming optional at many US programmes a strong GRE score can meaningfully strengthen an application, particularly for students from less internationally known Philippine institutions or students whose weighted average falls in the 2.25 to 2.75 range on the UP scale or 80 to 87 percent on the percentage system. English language test requirements are often waivable — see the IELTS Band Calculator and TOEFL Score Calculator if your target institution requires a score.

UK universities typically convert Philippine UP scale grades using the following general equivalence framework: UP grades of 1.0 to 1.5 are considered equivalent to First Class Honours; grades of 1.51 to 2.25 are treated as Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) equivalent; and grades of 2.26 to 3.0 correspond to Lower Second Class Honours (2:2). For percentage system institutions: 85 percent and above is typically treated as a First Class or 2:1 equivalent, while 75 to 84 percent is typically considered 2:2 equivalent. These are indicative ranges — individual UK institutions apply their own conversion frameworks and international students should consult the specific admissions requirements of each target institution. Use the UK University Grade Calculator and UK Grades vs US Grades for more detail.

Most UK Master's programmes require a minimum 2:1 equivalent for standard admission and a 2:2 equivalent for conditional admission. For Filipino students on the UP scale this means a weighted average of approximately 2.25 or better is the target for competitive UK postgraduate entry — and a weighted average of 1.75 or better substantially strengthens applications to Russell Group universities. For percentage system students, approximately 80 to 85 percent and above is the competitive range for most UK postgraduate programmes. Philippine-medium English instruction typically satisfies UK English language requirements — students should obtain a Medium of Instruction letter from their Philippine registrar to support any IELTS waiver request.

The Fulbright Philippine programme — administered through the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) — is the most prestigious scholarship opportunity for Filipino students pursuing graduate study in the United States. It has funded Filipino scholars for Master's and PhD study in the USA since 1948 and covers tuition, living stipend, health insurance, and return travel. The typical academic minimum for competitive Fulbright applications is a UP weighted average of 1.75 or better, or a percentage average of 88 percent and above. The DOST-SEI (Department of Science and Technology — Science Education Institute) offers government-funded scholarships for Filipino graduates in STEM fields pursuing international postgraduate study — these are one of the most significant sources of government-funded overseas education for Filipino STEM graduates and are particularly relevant for UP engineering and science graduates.

The Chevening Scholarship — administered through the British Embassy in Manila — funds outstanding Filipino students for one-year Master's programmes at UK universities and is one of the most competitive UK scholarships available to Filipino applicants. The Australian Awards Scholarships fund outstanding Filipino students for postgraduate study in Australia — funded by the Australian Government, these scholarships target students in development-relevant fields and typically require a strong academic record equivalent to a 2:1 UK degree or US GPA 3.0 and above. The CHED Faculty Development Programme scholarships support Filipino academic staff pursuing doctoral study abroad, covering both foreign and local university partnerships for full PhD funding.

University-specific merit fellowships and teaching assistantships at US and UK institutions represent another significant source of funding for Filipino graduate students — UP and Ateneo alumni networks in the USA are particularly active and can provide guidance on institution- specific funding opportunities. DAAD scholarships from Germany and MEXT scholarships from Japan are also available to Filipino students for study in those countries. Use the Scholarship Eligibility Calculator to assess your eligibility across multiple programmes.