MEXT Scholarship Minimum GPA Requirement
To be eligible for the MEXT scholarship for graduate students, you need to have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.30 on a 3.00 scale.
This is a sneaky eligibility criteria, as I discussed in my articles about eligibility requirements (Ref: Embassy Eligibility, University Eligibility). You will not find it in the application guidelines for students, either at the Embassy or the University. However, it does appear in the guidelines that MEXT issues to those organizations. They cannot nominate you for the scholarship unless you meet the minimum GPA requirement.
Since the requirement is not clearly stated, and I’m certain your GPA is not calculated on a 3.00 scale, it’s possible that you might end up applying for the scholarship without ever realizing that you are not eligible. Sadly, I saw this situation over and over when I evaluated MEXT application for my former university.
By the end of this article, we will make sure that does not happen to you.
Although we will calculate your GPA, this is not an official calculation. Ultimately, the university and embassy are responsible for calculating the official scores themselves and they are not going to accept your calculation.
How to Convert Your Grades to MEXT’s GPA Scale
The problem is that no university in the world – not even in Japan – uses a 3.00 GPA scale. That means you have to convert whatever grade or marks system your country uses to the MEXT scale.
Unfortunately, converting your overall average from one system to the other does not work. If you convert the overall average, the result will not be accurate. You need to convert each course grade one-by-one. If you want proof of why this is true and a sample of how converting an overall average can go horribly wrong, I have included one in my book, How to Win the MEXT Scholarship, but you don’t need to read that to believe me.
What grades count for the calculation?
All grades earned in your current degree-seeking program, or in the degree program you graduated from most recently, if you are not currently enrolled in a degree.
Note: It used to be that only your last two years of grades counted for the calculation, so you may see some explanations that say that only two years count, but that is out of date!
Degree-Seeking Program
Only grades earned in a degree program count. If you are attending university as a non-degree student, attending a language program, or attending a language school, those grades do not count.
If you studied abroad during your degree, your study abroad semester(s) may or may not count, depending on how it is reflected on your transcript. If your grades from study abroad are reflected on your home university transcript, then those grades count. If your grades are not reflected – if they only show up as pass/fail credits – then those grades do not count.
If you transferred universities during your current degree, then only the grades earned after your you transfer (i.e. grades earned at the university that will issue your degree) count, unless the grades from your previous university also appear on your transcript. Note that you will need to submit your transcripts from all universities attended, even if the grades there don’t count for the conversion.
Calculating Pass/Fail Grades
In general, grades earned in pass/fail courses do not count. However, if you earned a “fail” grade in a pass/fail course and it is impossible to distinguish that grade from a failing grade in a graded course, then it may be counted.
Calculating Your MEXT GPA: Grading Systems
In order to calculate your grades, you will need an explanation of your grading system. An explanation of the grading system is generally a chart that shows all of the possible grades that can be earned and, ideally, the descriptive value of each one.
Typically, this will appear on the transcript itself, or it may be available from your university’s website. In How to Win the MEXT Scholarship and in this article, I include images and conversion charts for dozens of grading system I have worked with in my career.
Without a grading system, your grades are impossible to interpret.
Grading systems vary wildly from country to country, so the same grade could be a good score in one country and a terrible score in another. For example, a 71% in Japan is below average (2.00 on the MEX 3.00 scale), but in the UK it is at excellent grade (3.00 on the 3.00 scale). A “D” grade in the US is just one place removed from failure (1.00 on the 3.00 scale), but in Australia, D stands for Distinction (3.00 on the 3.00 scale).
You need your grading system to be able to convert your grades. If it is not printed on your transcript, then talk to the international office at your university or a graduate school admissions office. Either of those offices would need to be able to convert foreign grades to your university’s system in order to accept students, so they should have access to conversion charts.
Calculating Your GPA: Grading Buckets
Based on your grading system, you need to determine how to fit your grades into grading “buckets.” A grading bucket is a group of grades that all convert to the same value on MEXT’s chart.
MEXT’s official conversion chart is as follows:
| System | Grades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Level System | Excellent | Good | Average | Fail | |
| 4-Level System | A | B | C | F | |
| 4-Level System | 100 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 | |
| All other grading systems with 4 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
| 5-Level System | S | A | B | C | F |
| 5-Level System | A | B | C | D | F |
| 5-Level System | 100 – 90 | 89 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 |
| All other grading systems with 5 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
| MEXT System Grade | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Each column in the table above is a Grading Bucket, whether that’s a single letter, description, or range of scores. But these are not the only options. You might have a system with pluses and minuses, with more than 5 letters, or other variations, such as different percentage cut-offs.
It is important that you find the conversion that works for your grading system. Your grading system will tell you how to fit your grades into the buckets above.
Once you have done that, I recommend that you make a copy of your transcript so that you can write directly on it. You can also do your calculations in a spreadsheet, or however you prefer. (I have a grading conversion spreadsheet that I offer as a bonus to readers of How to Win the MEXT Scholarship.)
Whatever system you are using, write your MEXT GPA score next to your score for each course that you took at your last university.
Calculating Your Grades: Credits
Next, we need to multiply each MEXT grade by the number of credits you earned in the class, if you have a credit system.
A credit system is when you need to obtain a specific number of credits in order to graduate. Most courses will be worth multiple credits in this kind of system, depending on the number of hours spent in class and on work outside of class.
Here are a few common credit systems:
- In Japan, many universities assign 2 credits per lecture course
- Many semester-system universities in the US assign 3 credits per lecture course
- Another credit system in the US and Canada is to assign 0.5 credits per semester course and 1 credit for a year-long course
- In the ECTS system in Europe, courses may be worth 6 credits (if you take 5 per semester), or more for a university where you take fewer courses.
If you have credits for each class, the number of credits will be printed next to each class on your transcript. Multiply that number by your MEXT grade for each course to get your Quality Points for that class.
What if Your University Doesn’t Use Credits?
There are a few alternative systems you may see.
The first, and easiest, is if there are no credits at all. In this system, you simply have to pass a certain number of courses. None are weighted more than the others. In that case, each course has a credit value of 1 and your quality points for the course would be equal to the MEXT grade.
Semester and Year Courses
If your university distinguishes between semester-long courses and year-long courses, but does not specify credits, then treat a year-long course as 2 credits and a semester-long course as 1 credit for the sake of calculating your grade.
Average Marks
I have seen average marks systems where each course was worth a maximum number of marks and students had to acquire a specific number of total marks across all courses in order to graduate.
In such a system, you still need to convert your grades for each individual course. You would get your converted grade based on the percentage of available marks that you earned and the number of “credits” would be equal to the total number of marks available.
Calculating Your MEXT GPA: Moment of Truth
By this point, you should have your MEXT GPA for each course, the number of credits for each course, and the number of quality points (GPA x credits) for each course.
Divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credits to get your overall MEXT GPA.
How did you do? Did you clear the 2.30 threshold?
In most cases, I find that applicants’ GPAs are higher than they expect, especially if you come from a country with a harsh grading system.
If your grades are higher than 2.30, then you are eligible to apply, and there is nothing that should stop you. If you want to learn more about creating an application strategy and adopting a professional mindset to increase your chances of success, you can find advice and worksheets to improve your chances in How to Win the MEXT Scholarship.
What If You Don’t Have Grades
There are some degree programs out there that do not award grades such as research-only graduate programs. In this case, you cannot calculate your GPA, so what do you do?
If you are applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then please contact the Embassy for more details to be sure, but the instructions below may apply to you.
For the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, if you have no grades, then your Letter of Recommendation (from your Dean or President, as required in that application process), must explicitly state that you are in the top 30% of your graduating class within the faculty or the university as a whole.
The top 30% letter only works if you have no GPA. If you have a GPA below 2.30, you cannot override that low GPA, even if you are in the top 30% of your class.
My book, How to Win the MEXT Scholarship, will help you understand the scholarship and its purpose from the reviewers’ perspective, master the successful applicant mindset, and develop an application strategy that will give your application focus and give you the highest chances of success.
Also available on all online retailers or request it via your local library or book store!
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Hello Travis,
First of all, I really want to say thank you for your hard work in writing all these articles that provide very detailed information about all the process for applying MEXT scholarship.
I have invested in finishing all your books because not only for the information it provided, but I also get very motivated and confident by motivation words or encouragement you give in the book.
I have this one issue related to grades transcript. My official grade transcript from university consists all grades from all courses, but doesn’t show in which year each of the course taken. I want to ask if it still be acceptable for the selection process?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Rachel Tefania Yulaistomo,
Thank you for your kind words and feedback. I am thrilled to hear that you have found the books to be helpful and encouraging!
Regarding your certificate of grades, unfortunately, MEXT does require that the document you submit show the year in which you took each of the courses. Since the official transcript doesn’t show that, you could submit an additional supporting document with the information. That could be a course registration record from your university, or even a letter signed by your registrar that lists the courses by year.
If your university provides an unofficial document that shows the year that you took each course, then that might be acceptable, too, if your registrar or another university official can sign it to show that it is an accurate record.
Good Luck!
– Travis
Hello, I have a question for you, please answer me. I have disire to study overseas at a Japanese University, I will apply to Mext scholaship. But I don’t know how to calculate my GPA according to 3.0 score scale. Could you please tell me know ?, my university uses 4 score scale, they are A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, F. Thank you so much !
Hi HaNguyen,
Unless your university has other instructions in its explanation of the grading system, you should ignore the “+” (i.e. treat “A+” and “A” as the same thing) and use the line of the chart for A, B, C, D, F grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sorry for my mistake. My university use 4.0 scale with:
A+, A : 4.0
B+ : 3.5
B : 3.0
C+ : 2.5
C : 2.0
D+ :1.5
D : 1.0
F : 0
Hi HaNguyen,
Thank you for your explanation. In that case, my previous conversion suggestion stands. Ignore the “+” and just look at the letters, then convert using the chart for ABCDF grades in the article.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much, TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First, I’d like to say that I really appreciate your guides as they have been a huge resource for me when gathering information about this scholarship and what mindset I should have when making applications, they’re especially useful when there is a sneaky requirement like this that is not explicitly stated.
I was wondering how this requirement works for the Undergraduate scholarship. Do you know what grades count toward this requirement? Just high school and university grades or everything from middle school as well? I got a 3.5 GPA in high school and currently have a 4.0 GPA in university (undergrad associates degree), should I even be worried about making the requirement?
Hi Phoenix B.,
Thankyou for your kind words!
Typically, it is only the grades from your most recent program that count. So middle school wouldn’t matter.
Most undergrad applicants have only high school grades, so those would be the relevant ones. In your case, assuming that you plan to finish your associate’s degree before starting the MEXT Scholarship, I think that only the Associate’s degree grades would count.
But in either case, it doesn’t sounds like you will have any problems with eligibility or competitiveness once you convert your individual grades to the MEXT system!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis
I have a doubt that if I made a mistake in calculating the CGPA and send the application form, does it cause rejection of my application? I am quite afraid of this …. Please help me
Hi Elsa,
Did the embassy/university ask you to calculate your GPA and submit that with your documents? It is quite rare for them to ask, in my experience. I usually suggest that applicants calculate their GPAs themselves so that they can be confident that they are qualified and not wasting their time.
In any case, they should double-check your calculation and use their calculation, not yours, to determine your eligibility for the scholarship. If their calculation reveals that you are not eligible, then you would be rejected. But if it is just a matter of the results being a little off, it should not cause a rejection by itself. (Hopefully, you are not applying for a STEM degree, though. . . in that case, they might be judging your math skills.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the information..
I thought that I have to submit my GPA, but i found in the guidelines that it is not needed. Thank you so much for your response!!!
Hello Travis,
To start with the obvious, your meticulous blog along with the additional resources you’ve provided are an absolute godsend. Thank you for giving us such an incredibly convenient hub of information to come back to (not forgetting the efforts to update new info as often as possible). I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say you’re awesome for doing what you do.
To take one for the team I suppose, time to ask the potentially dumb question – your article talks in detail about calculating and/or converting grades to a 3.0 GPA scale, but the application forms ask for a calculation/conversion to a 4.0 CGPA scale instead (at least it does for the ones found in the official embassy page of my country, Malaysia). How/ What would you advise me to go about this?
I have a qualifying law UK law degree from the University of Hertfordshire (Second Class Upper), if that info helps somewhat with context.
Hi Joshua Mohan,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Converting grades from the UK honors system to the 4.0 GPA system (commonly used in the US) is a much more common process than MEXT’s esoteric 3.0 system, so there are a lot of other sites out there with information on how to do it.
The 4.0 GPA system is used in Malaysia and the US, so perhaps the most reliable resources would be US or Malaysian universities pages for international Masters’ applicants that show how to convert UK grades to their systems. Alternatively, you could look for UK universities web pages with information for international Master’s applicants from the US or Malaysia. Either of those types of university pages should explain the conversion between UK and 4.0 GPA systems.
Another source would be websites that provide resources for international Masters’ applicants, general, such as Mastersportal.com
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Duly noted on the information, thanks so much. A quick follow-up question if I may. Do I need to take any steps to show that the calculation is accurate/genuine, i.e. get it affirmed by a notary public etc.?
Hi Joshua Mohan,
No, that should not be necessary unless they specifically direct you to do so! The calculation to a 4.0 GPA is purely a local requirement and nothing official that would need to be submitted to MEXT. (Even if it was, you wouldn’t need a notary!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hallo Travis
Is the conversion of our self-calculation GPA acceptable, or are there any legitimate conditions procedures that I have to follow in order to acquire the legal converted GPA as a prospective student by the PGP of MEXT?
Hi Nugraha,
Calculating your GPA is only for your own reference to make sure that you are eligible and see how competitive your application is. The university will do the official calculation itself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Pingback: How to Apply for the 2023/2024 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship | TranSenz: MEXT Scholarship and Visa Information for Moving to Japan
Hello. I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for your very helpful articles.
Regarding the GPA, my country uses a system scored out of 20. Here is their equivalence in US grade.
Scale Grade Description US Grade
18.00 – 20.00 Highly Honorable with Praise A+
16.00 – 17.99 Very Good – Highest Honors A
14.00 – 15.99 Good – High Honors A-
12.00 – 13.99 Fairly Good – Honors B
10.00 – 11.99 Satisfactory C/D/S
0.00 – 9.99 Fail F
How to get the equivalence in MEXT GPA ?
HI Trace00,
Here’s how I would convert the grades:
18.00 – 20.00 Highly Honorable with Praise A+ = 3
16.00 – 17.99 Very Good – Highest Honors A = 3
14.00 – 15.99 Good – High Honors A- = 3
12.00 – 13.99 Fairly Good – Honors B = 2
10.00 – 11.99 Satisfactory C/D/S = 1
0.00 – 9.99 Fail F = 0
If you just compare it to the US grades, that’s a pretty rough conversion, but the lack of variety in available grades at the lower levels makes this the only solution I can think of.
Do keep in mind that this is just my guess and is not official, so if the conversion comes out ineligible, it might still be worth applying in the hope that the official conversion is a little more lenient.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, please does your overall grade in my undergraduate degree affect my changes of getting the scholarship? For instance, if I got an E(pass) in a major course does it my chances?..How do I convert my mext gpa if
A- 5.00point
B- 4.00
C- 3.00
D- 2.00
E- 1.00
F- 0.00
My overall cgpa is 3.94/5…. That is 2nd class upper will I be affected because I didn’t get a first class honors? I’m applying for university recommended in Grips
Hi Bunmi,
You need to convert your grade one-by-one to the MEXT scale then take the average, so your overall cGPA is not enough information.
Is this an ECTS grading system? With 6 grades it is hard to be certain, but here is how I would convert it:
A = 3
B = 3
C = 2 (or 3 if this is ECTS)
D = 1 (or 2 if this is ECTS)
E = 1
F = 0
Courses are not weighted more for being major courses, they are only weighted differently if there were a different number of credits for the course.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis..I got 2.68/3 as the cumulative point I hope the will be enough to help aid my chance for the university recommended next scholarship
Hi Bunmi,
That’s not particularly high for a general category slot, but it shouldn’t be impossible with that GPA. You’ll need a strong Field of Study and Research Program Plan, though.
Of course, if you can find a PGP program in your field that you are eligible for, that would increase your chances significantly!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
No sir, it’s not an ECTS grading system..all grades (A-E) are remarked as “passed”
Hi Travis,
Thanks for sharing this helpful infomation. I wonder if I fail a class (with 2 credits for example), will they count its credits in the Total Credits in the GPA calculation formula ?
Hi Chau,
Yes, that would count, as far as I know, unless there is a system in place at your university (and stated on your transcript) to allow you to retake and replace the grade without it counting.
When calculating your GPA yourself, I recommend that you count it to make sure that you qualify even under the strictest conditions!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your time. My sincere thanks for sharing such imortant information through this post.
Could you please help me with the following questions?
1. My University’s grading system is as follows:
First class : 60% & above
Second class: 45% & above but less than 60%
Third class: 36% & above but less than 45%
How should I check my GPA according to MEXT?
2. If someone already has a Master’s degree of own/foreign country, is the person eligible for choosing Master’s degree through MEXT (University recommendation)?
3. Does long study gap after graduation have any effect on the eligibility for MEXT application? (For Master’s or PhD)
Thank you in advance!!
Hi Mahbeen Ara,
Thank you for your kind feedback.
1. You have to convert the grades of each of your courses to MEXT’s scale one by one (even if your local grading system refers to the total percentages), and I would convert them as follows:
First class: 3
Second class: 2
Third class: 1
*If you have a system where Second class is divided into upper and lower, then the “upper” could be grouped in with the 3 score.
2. Yes, you are eligible to apply for a second Master’s, but you would have to make it clear in your application why that is a better degree for you than a PhD would be.
3. A study gap does not affect your eligibility (as long as you still meet the age requirement), but if you have a long gap with no education, research, or work, then reviewers may look at that poorly. They want to select applicants who are proactive and making a contribution to society, so showing activity is a good thing.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your kind reply. It cleared my doubts on the mentioned points.
Look forward to going through all of your valuable articles.
Thank you once again!!
I am Indian I am pursuing a bachelor’s (honours) in Physics.
I am currently in the second year(Third semester) of my degree.By the time the application window for the mext scholarship (embassy recommendation) for the year 2025 is expected to begin as far as previous records are concerned,I would only have the degree certificates of past three semesters, whereas my undergraduate program has a total of 6 semesters.
I would like to know if I am still eligible to apply.Apart from that I achieved a 76.92%(8 sgpa on a scale of 10)in my first semester and a 67.64%(7.10 sgpa on a scale of 10) in my second semester.I will receive my third semester results by February.I would like to know if my percentage will be an average of the three percentages of the past semesters or will the percentages be individually evaluated according to the minimum 70% threshold as mentioned by the embassy of Japan in India.
Kindly let me know if I am eligible to apply
Hi Poulomi Dey,
The important thing to consider is not how many semesters of grade transcripts you have at the time of application, but rather whether or not you will finish your degree in time to arrive in Japan. It sounds like you will be in your 4/6 semester when you apply and should finish all six semesters/complete your degree in time to arrive in Japan for Fall 2025, so you would be eligible. (When you apply, just submit the grade transcripts for all of the semesters you have available.)
Your semester averages do not matter. All individual course grades/marks will be converted one-by-one to the MEXT scale then averaged together.
In addition to the MEXT threshold of 2.3/3.0, you will have to meet the embassy in India’s requirement, as well.
I cannot tell you if you are eligible based on semester averages, since they are irrelevant. But in terms of degree completion, it should not be a problem!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for this.I really appreciate it.Anyways,my university uses a 10-scale grading system as follows:
O(Outstanding)-10
A+(Excellent)-9
A(Very Good)-8
B+(Good)-7
B(Above Average)-6
C+(Average)-5.5
C(Below Average)-5
P(Pass)-4
F(Fail)-0
How will this reflect on the MEXT scale?
I got A’s in all my courses.Am I elligible?
Hi Poulomi Dey,
The short answer is, if you have all As, then your grade should convert to 3.0/3.0 (perfect score).
Here is my suggestion for how to convert your grades:
O/A+/A/B+/B = 3
C+/C = 2
P = 1
F = 0
If you take a stricter look at it, based on the descriptions instead of the letters, then a “B” might drop down to 2, and a “C” might drop down to 1. But in your case, that shouldn’t be a factor!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I want to express my gratitude for taking the time to address my doubts. Your help means a lot to me.Your articles are very detailed and helpful.Looking forward to more of them.Once again,thank you.
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your detailed instruction. I’m taking the double degrees program (4 years in Vietnam + 2 years in France), I’ll have 2 seperated degress after graduated. I intend applying to Mext scholarship (University-recommended) for doctoral program. I wonder in my case if they will count all the academic years or only the last 2 years in France? Actually, my GPA in France can not meet 2.3 threshold :(((
Thank you in advance.
Chau
Hi Chau,
It sounds like your double degree comes at two different levels. Am I correct in assuming that you earn a bachelor’s degree from the university in Vietnam then a Master’s from France? In that case, only the Master’s degree grades would count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university uses a 7-scale grading system as follows:
A (score of 4.0) means excellent
AB (score of 3.5) means between good and excellent
B (score of 3.0) means good
BC (score of 2.5) means between moderate and good
C (score of 2.0) means moderate
D (score of 1.0) means almost moderate
E (score of 0.0) means fail
Would you please let me know the MEXT equivalent grading points for this classification?
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi MirrorDark,
Grades like “BC” can be the hardest to figure out where they fall. But given the numerical figures that you included, I would convert your grades as follows:
A, AB, B = 3
BC, C = 2
D = 1
E = 0
It is possible that the BC could be converted to a 3, but I think 2 is more likely, since the associated number is below 2.7, which would typically be the cut off for a B- grade (the lowest to possibly convert to a 3) in a 4.0 GPA system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Your post is really helpful, as well as your answers, I can’t do anything besides saying thank you very much. Thank you very much Mr. TranSenz.
Hello,
I’m a medical student who has graduated after studying for 6 years of undergraduate level in my home country. In my academic transcript, there are two grade systems: 10 scales and 5-level system in letter: ABCDF. With grade of each course, my uni writed mark in 10 scales and in letter besides (ABCDF). And all courses of my undergraduate level have credits. However, besides it there are some courses with pass/fail condition.
Such as:
* Anatomy course: 3 credits – Grade: 7 (10 scale) – B (in letter)
* physical education: 2 credits – Grade: Pass (10 scale) – Pass (in letter).
After reading your post about caculating MEXT GPA, I have some questions for you.
Question 1:
I have calculated MEXT GPA for each year or for all over 6 years of my undergraduate level?
Question 2:
My all total credits is 233 credits (containing credits of courses with pass/fail condition are 16 credits). Therefore 217 credits of courses with ABCDF grade in letter. So when I calculate my MEXT GPA for all courses of undergraduate level, which I have to choose to deceide on my total credits? 217 or 233 credits?
Hi Hoang,
Thank you for the explanation. It made your question easy to understand and answer!
Question 1: Calculate your MEXT GPA for the entire degree. You do not need year-by-year calculations.
Question 2: You will not include pass/fail courses in the calculation, so your “total credits” for the calculation should exclude any pass/fail credits, as well. In your case, that means the total credits would be 217 (just the courses with letter grades).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
Thanks for the guide! I have a question regarding which grades count for the GPA calculation. I transferred to my current university from a community college. Do I have to provide transcripts from both institutions? And will my gpa be calculated using both transcripts or only the transcipt of my current institution. Those community college classes appear on my home university transcipt but are only given Pass credit.
Thank you so much!
Hi Jamie,
You will have to submit both transcripts, but your GPA calculation will only be based on the grades shown on the transcript of the university you graduated from. So, since the community college grades show up as “Pass” only, they will not count for the eligibility calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the reply! Another question: Under my schools grading system, would you ignore the plus and minuses then use a 5 bucket system according the the letter grades (ABCDF)?
Percentage (%) Letter Grade
90-100 A+
85-89 A
80-84 A-
76-79 B+
72-75 B
68-71 B-
64-67 C+
60-63 C
55-59 C-
50-54 D
0-49 F (Fail)
Hi Jamie,
If there is no other description of your grading system (for example, qualitative descriptions showing “excellent”, “good”, “satisfactory”, etc., then yes, I would simply drop the + and – and consider this a five-bucket scale.
The exception would be if there was a table showing the qualitative description and it grouped the grades differently. For example, I have seen systems that grouped “B+” and “B” as “good”, but grouped “B-” together with “C+” and “C” as “satisfactory”, so in that case, a B- would be a 2.
If that is the case for you, it should be mentioned deliberately in the grading system description on the transcript.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis!
Thank you for the write-up on MEXT’s GPA requirements.
I went ahead and calculated my GPA with all of the classes that I’d taken, and with this last semester, my GPA would be 2.21 at best. I’d applied for academic forgiveness at my university for the first couple of years, since they weren’t so great and I had changed my major. My GPA would be above the 2.3 threshold if I negate the forgiven courses, but I’m not sure if MEXT would make those same negations. Is that a consideration that would vary by embassy, or is it still every course taken that is counted?
Hi Sean B.,
There is no clear rule on forgiven grades in the calculation process, so it would be an embassy decision, or they might consult MEXT for guidance. Unless your transcript specifically marks forgiven courses and explains that they are not calculated in your GPA, then they would be counted. If the transcript does explain forgiven courses and state that they shouldn’t be counted, there’s a possibility that the embassy would leave them out, but I can’t be certain. They are going to be most concerned with being fair to all applicants, so they would have to be able to justify why they are not including your lower grades but are counting other students’ who might not have asked.
Even if they don’t count the grades, though, it probably would affect their assessment, so it might be a challenge to pass the primary screening, even if there are no issues with your eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Thank you for the post, It is very helpful!
I have a question about the convertion of my uni grades to gpa considered in mext.
My uni does not go by credits and it’s a semester system, the only scale that we have is the following:
0 – 50 fail
51 – 60 Regular
61 – 70 good
71- 80 very good
81 – 100 excellent
How can I convert them? Since in this post is said that ” In that case, each course has a credit value of 1 and your quality points for the course would be equal to the MEXT grade” and I can’t quite understand. Please, I’d really appreciate your answer.
Hi Andy,
In your case, you don’t need to worry about credits, then. Consider each course to have 1 credit.
Based on your scale, I would convert the grades as follows:
0 – 50 fail = 0
51 – 60 Regular = 1
61 – 70 good = 2
71- 80 very good = 3
81 – 100 excellent = 3
Convert each of the grades individually, then simply average them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
My gpa is 3.77 out of 4 but when I converted this into mext scale gpa it’s only 2.31.
Am I doing wrong?
Please let me know how can I do this properly? if you want I can send you my transcripts numbers..can you please calculate this for me?
Hi Irisha,
It does sound like something is wrong. The only thing I can think of is that you might not be using a conversion scale that is appropriate for your GPA scale or you might not be factoring in the credits properly. A 2.31 GPA on the Japanese scale would be between “average” and “good” in terms of quality. It does not seem like there is enough room to fit “good” and “excellent” between 3.77 and 4!
But if you have a 3.77 GPA on your local scale, I do not think that there is any question whatsoever that your GPA will be qualified and high on the MEXT scale, so you probably do not need to bother calculating it or worrying about it!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, does the GPA only used as a tool to know whether I’m eligible or not, or does it affect my entire application? Because currently I have a 2.32 GPA after conversion, which is quite slim. Do I still have a chance if I maximize the quality of my other required documents (research plan, essay, etc.) ?
Hi Andrea,
I cannot say for sure how it works at the Embassy, since I was never part of the internal evaluation system there, but when I processed applications for a university, the GPA was an important part of the overall ranking. The university had fewer factors to consider (no tests and no interviews), so it was an even bigger factor there and it would have been very difficult to compete with a borderline GPA, but you might have a better chance at the Embassy.
(And there’s always the chance that their calculation of your GPA could be different).
I certainly recommend that you do everything possible to make your Field of Study and Research Program Plan and other documents as strong as possible, though!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, turns out I miscalculated my GPA! I have AB (between A and B) and B scores and considered them as 2.0. Looking at your reply in earlier comments, I think they are supposed to be 3.0. I have a follow up question, for the explanation of each scores in the transcript, does it need to be a detailed explanation, or does a simple list will do? For example, in my university’s case it’s something like: A (4.0) : Exceptional, AB (3.5): Excellent, etc. Thanks again!
Hi Andrea,
That’s great news!
For the grade descriptions, a short list like the one you described is perfect. That’s exactly what they’d be looking for.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Your article is super helpful but I have a question I hope you can answer. I am having trouble converting my GPA as I took 7 years to finish my degree and switched degrees so I have taken many classes (and my understanding is we calculate all of our credits and grades). My math doesn’t seem to be adding up so I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I have 135 credits with an overall GPA of 2.47 out of a 5 point system (A-F). Unfortunately my first couple years were bad compared to my last years so I know my overall GPA is low but I can’t convert it properly to see if its too low for the 3.0 system. I have earned 135 credits out of 150 and my mext score should be 62 (for adding the varying grades I received A,B & C and if I understand correctly my D’s & F’s would be counted as 0). Can you shed some light on what I am doing wrong for the calulations? Thanks!!!
Hi Hilary,
It does sound like something went wrong in your calculations. Your total score should never be lower than the number of credits you earned. For each course, you should multiply the converted grade value by the number of credits for that course (It sounds like that might be the step you missed?). Add all the products then divide by the total number of credits.
It depends on your grading system in your country, but Ds should convert to a MEXT grade of 1, unless a D is a failing grade. For a typical ABCDF scale where C is average and F is the only failing grade, then A/B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0. Your specific scale may be different, but without seeing the transcript myself, I’m afraid I can’t be sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for all the articles you have put up. It helps a lot.
I was wondering when calculating GPA, should I calculate the average of each academic year aside and then calculate the average of those years to be above 2.3 or does each year have to be above 2.3 by itself.
I hope my question is clear.
Thanks in advance
Best Regards
Nassir
Hi Nassir,
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad to hear that you’ve found the articles to be helpful!
For the GPA calculation, you should not calculate the GPAs for individual years at all. Convert each of the course grades to the MEXT scale then take the average of all of your courses all at once.
Calculating the averages for individual years then calculating the average of those 4 years could give you an inaccurate result and the average for individual years does not matter.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university uses a 10-scale grading system as follows:
9.6 – 10.0 = O(Outstanding)
9.0 – 9.5 = S(Excellent)
8.0 – 8.9 = A++(Distinction)
7.0 – 7.9 = A+(Very good)
6.0 – 6.9 = A(Good)
5.5 – 5.9 = B+(Satisfactory)
5.0 – 5.4 = B(AVERGAGE)
4.0 – 4.9 = C(Below Average)
<4.0 = F(Failed)
So in this scale what should be cut off for MEXT(2.3 out of 3)?
Thank you.
Hi Arijit,
It is not possible to say what the cut off would be in another grading system. You need to convert all of your grades one-by-one to the Japanese system and then take the average. (If you try to convert 2.3 to your system or try to convert just your overall GPA, it will not give an accurate result. I have tried this with many different systems and have an example in my book.)
Your grades look fairly straightforward to convert using the letter grades:
O/S/A = 3
B = 2
C = 1
F = 0
(Ignore plusses and count those as being the same as the letter).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for the reply.
On the embassy website in my country(India), they asked for a minimum 65% marks. So can I assume 65% marks in my country’s grading system maps to 2.3 out of 3 in MEXT grading system?
Hi Arijit,
In that case, it should be approximately around the same range, but that does not guarantee that if you have 65% marks that you will have at least a 2.3 MEXT GPA. As I mentioned before, there is no way to accurately convert a cumulative GPA. If you want to be sure, the only way is to convert the grades one-by-one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you for your continued support for all aspiring students arpund the world.
I have a question about rounding up the GPA.
I am current Mext bassy recommend masters student and i submitted for extension to PhD.
My Gpa was 2.88 out of 3.0 to be exact. I rounded it to 2.9. Can i do that? Would it be a problem?
Thank you.
Hi Hsu,
Your GPA should be calculated to three decimal places, so you cannot round to 2.9. But on the other hand, there is no problem with a 2.88 GPA. The minimum requirement is 2.50 and you are well above that!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your reply. I didn’t know that and I submitted with 2.9. Could I lose the scholarship because of this?
Hi Hsu,
No, you shouldn’t lose the scholarship over rounding. Usually, it is the university, not the scholar, that is responsible for the GPA calculation. So, even if they ask you to calculate it, they are going to double-check it. They may correct the calculation themselves or ask you to correct and resubmit, but in any case, I don’t think it will be a problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have been following your guides and I could say that it has been very helpful for my apps. I would just like to ask for the conversion of my current grading scale to the MEXT 3.0 scale.
Grade Point Description
4.0 Excellent
3.5 Superior
3.0 Very Good
2.5 Good
2.0 Satisfactory
1.5 Fair
1.0 Passed
0.0 Failed
Thank you in advance!
Best,
Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Thank you for your kind words.
For your grading scale, I would convert it as follows:
4.0 – 2.5 = 3
2.0 – 1.5 = 2
1.0 = 1
0.0 = 0
There is a possibility that 2.5 would be converted to a MEXT 2 and 1.5 would be converted to a MEXT 1, so if you want to give yourself a harsh conversion to make sure you still qualify under those conditions, that could be a useful reference. (I chose to convert them to the higher grade because the qualitative description of 2.5 was “Good”, but both cases could be a judgement call.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the article in such depth and detail.
I am following your articles while preparing for my application and it helped a lot.
Now, at this point, I need your help to confirm the grading system of my university to the MEXT grading system. Would you please let me know the MEXT equivalent grading points for this classification?
Distinction – 75% and above
First Division – 65% and above
Second Division – 50% and above
Fail – 50% below
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi Andreas Hoffman,
If there are no other breakdowns of grading category (like Third Division or Second Division (Upper)/Second Division (Lower)), then it would be a severe calculation, indeed. Without any other way to distinguish between grades, the only conversion method I can think of.
Distinction – 75% and above = 3
First Division – 65% and above = 2
Second Division – 50% and above = 1
Fail – 50% below = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey dear thank you for your information , and l have some quarry
1) my university use the same scale as the first one i.e 4 scale system with some difference that is 90-100 is A+ , 85-89 A , 80-84 is A- and so on …and I got 30 A+ , 32 A and 3 A- with CGPA of 3.99…my confusion is is the A- is taken as 3 in front of MEXT ? if yes is it mean l have 3 out of 3 .?
2) I am fresh graduate and l was gold medalist and trophy at the time of graduation for that reason my university hire me as assistant lecture immediately after graduation but due to cost sharing l did not got my official transcript instead l send copy of my grade sheet / grade report of each semester. so do you think they accept it and call me for exam and interview ? if so what would you advise me ? you replay will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Mekuriaw,
1. I do not have enough information to give you a certain answer. I would need to see the complete grading scale information. In most systems, an A- would be converted the same way as an A, but I have seen some systems where an A- is instead grouped with B+ and B. If your grading system shows the “quality” explanation for each grade, it should be easy to figure out.
2. I recommend that you go back to your university and ask them to issue you an official transcript covering all semesters of study for your application. If they understand what you need it for, they ought to be willing to help you.
If they refuse to issue you your transcripts, then you should contact the Embassy to see what can be done in your case. It will be up to their discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi, i have 116 credits in grades that go from 0 to 10 and 96 credits in pass/fail, how do i calculate my gpa?
Hi Matheus Miquelini,
Pass/fail credits do not count for your GPA calculation, so ignore those and calculate the conversions for each of your graded courses (0 to 10), only, and then take the average of those.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, I really don’t know how to calculate my MEXT GPA since my university follows a percentage scale (65-100). It goes like this, 75 is our passing grade, 65 is the lowest attainable grade and 99 is the highest grade attainable. Can you help me out on how should I calculate my MEXT GPA?
Also, am I going to consider the numerical grades that I failed in the calculation of the GPA?
Hi Ramsis Rico Pimentel Bayo,
Unless the explanation of your grading system explicitly says that failed/repeated grades are not counted in the GPA calculation, then yes, you would count them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Ramsis Rico Pimentel Bayo,
You would need to find out what the breakdown of grades is within those percentages. For example, what is considered an “excellent” grade, what is considered a “good” grade, etc.
If there is a scale on your transcript, that would be the best reference. Otherwise you can ask your registrar or study abroad office how they convert grades into another country’s system (like the US GPA system, etc.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Can you please help me figure out the grading system for my university and how I can use it to know if I am eligible for the MEXT scholarship or not.
It is as follows:
A* — Excellent — 4.00 — 95-100%
A — Excellent — 4.00 — 90-94.9%
A- — Excellent — 3.60 — 85-89.9%
B+ — Very Good — 3.30 — 80-84.9%
B — Very Good — 3.00 — 75-79.9%
B- — Very Good — 2.70 — 72-74.9%
C+ — Good — 2.30 — 70-71.9%
C — Good — 2.00 — 65-69.9%
C- — Pass — 1.70 — 63-64.9%
D+ — Pass — 1.30 — 62-62.9%
D — Pass — 1.00 — 60-61.9%
F — Fail — 0.00 — Less than 60%
Thank you very much!
Hi Hossam Rashed,
In this case, I recommend that you convert the grades based on the quality description, not the letters, numbers, or GPAs (because of the way that the C- is handled). So:
Excellent = 3
Very Good = 3
Good = 2
Pass = 1
Fail = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
I’m Sowndarya Raji S from India. I want to convert my 10 point scale GPA into 3 point scale GPA. but I am so confused, It would be great if you can help me with this. Thank you in advance.
O = 91-100 = 10
A+ = 81-90 = 9
A = 71-80 = 8
B+ = 61-70 = 7
B = 56-60 = 6
C= 50-55 = 5
RA = <50 = 0
Hi Sowndarya Raji S,
This scale is the same as one of the ones I use in the example above. Ignore the numbers and the “+”s and you can convert it as follows:
S = 3
A+/A = 3
B+/B = 2
C = 1
RA = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I want to convert my 7 point scale GPA into 3 point scale GPA. but I am unable to calculate it based on my university criteria, It would be great help for me if you could suggest 3 point scale parameters for the same. Thank you in advance.
O = 7
A+ =6
A =5
B+ =4
B =3
C+= 2
C = 1
Hi Ankita Kandalkar,
I recommend using the letter grades for your conversion. If you do that, it is quite simple:
O=3
A+/A=3
B+/B=2
C+/C=1
Assuming those are all passing grades, then there would be no grade that converts to a “0”
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am graduated from university of agriculture faisalabad pakistan. My overall 8th semester cgpa is 3.55 out of 4. My university based on 4 grading system. What will be my cgpa according to MEXT 3 scale?
Recently I got Acceptance letter from professor of japan from tokyo university. But this is email format. Is this acceptance?
Hi Muhammad Shuban,
It is not possible to convert your CGPA. You must convert the grades of each of your courses individually and then take the average of those grades.
Regarding the Letter of Acceptance – is this for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application for this year? If so, and that is the letter that you have to submit to the Japanese Embassy in Pakistan, then you should check with the embassy to see if they will accept the digital copy (or a printout of it). The policy can be different from country to country.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have two bachelor’s degrees. A 4-year Biology degree and a 3-year Asian studies degree. I did the Asian studies degree more recently, but I would want to do a masters in biology. Do you think they would still use my Asian Studies degree to calculate my GPA? Would they exclude my Asian studies degree because it’s only 3 years?
Thanks for all of the great info you have on your site, it’s been a huge help!
Hi Casey,
Thank you for your kind words!
They should use only your more recent degree to calculate your GPA for eligibility, but they will also refer to your performance in your biology degree, as well, to see how well you performed in that field.
The length of the Asian Studies degree would not effect the calculation. (Later on, they will probably ask you about the switch to and from Asian studies during the interview, etc., too.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Would you be able to help me convert my university grades to MEXT’s gpa?
GRADES GRADE POINT PERCENTAGE (%)
O 10 90 and above
A+ 9 85-89
A 8.5 80-84
B+ 8 70-79
B 7 60-69
C 6 50-59
P 5 45-49
F 0 Less than 45
Hi Kit,
6-bucket systems are always a little bit of a challenge to figure out where the cut off is.
Is the “P” grade part of the letter grade system as a passing grade, or does that exist for only some courses?
If there are descriptions of the different grades (e.g. “excellent”, “above average”), a minimum passing grade, or a standard distribution, that would be helpful to determine the cut offs. Do you have any other information like that, or would you be willing to share the name of your university so that I can do some more research?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Yes, the P stands for Pass(just pass) and is used for all subjects. our minimum passing mark is 45/100 in the external university exam. It also has a total 150 mark distribution to assign final grade (which I still haven’t understood well). so if you get 135 out of 150 (which amounts to 90%, you get the O grade.) My university is called APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.
Hi Kit,
Thank you for the additional information about the “Pass” grade and the name of your university. I was able to find the full grading scale in your student handbook, which included the quality descriptions (Outstanding, excellent, average, etc) that made it easier to interpret.
Based on that description, I would convert your grades as follows:
O Outstanding = 3
A+ Excellent = 3
A Very Good = 3
B+ Good = 3
B Above Average = 3
C Average = 2
P Pass = 1
F Fail = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Can you please help me with the grading in the MEXT 3 point GPA system.
My University grading system is as follows
A : 4
A- : 3.67
B+ : 3.33
B : 3
B- : 2.67
C+ : 2.33
C : 2
C- : 1.67
D+ : 1.33
D : 1
F : 0
Where,
A= Excellent
B= Good
C= Adequate
D= Minimum Acceptable
F= Failure
Also, unfortunately I got F grade in 2 courses in my degree which I later repeated and got good scores in them. Now both the F grade courses and their repeated/improved grades are written on my transcript. Should I count the F grdae courses or just the improved scores while calculating.
Another thing is that should I calculate the gpa of each semester indvidually or just calculate gpa from first to last semester together.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Rusher,
Your grading scale is a simple 5-level scale, as described in the article above. Ignore all the plusses and minuses and it should be straightforward!
If the F grades remain on your transcript, I recommend that you calculate your grades both ways, just to be sure. If the Fs are not included in the final calculation of your GPA (and it is explained in the grading system that Fs are not considered in the case of retakes), then they shouldn’t be counted for MEXT either, but it’s better to be safe.
You don’t need to calculate semester-by-semester GPA. Just convert each of the grades individually and take the overall average.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for your website. I am interested in applying for MEXT as research student in Titech. I did my calculations to convert my GPA, and thankfully I should pass the 2.3/3 mark. I just want to make sure, in here (https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/international-student-exchange/pdf/mext-university-appendix.pdf), it says “The student’s grade point average should be calculated using only grades obtained as a student in a degree program”.
Now, does that mean the same as the last 2 years of my school years? Are there universities that use different calculations for their GPA requirement? I just want to confirm.
Thanks in advance!
Hi A.F.,
In the past, only the previous two years of grades were used to calculate your GPA, but now they use all of the grades from your most recent degree program, so that could be 4 years, if your most recent degree was a bachelor’s degree. Examples of grades that wouldn’t count would be if you took a certificate program after graduation that didn’t lead to a degree, or if you enrolled in a language school, etc.
The GPA calculation method is determined by MEXT, so all universities should use the same one.
One thing to be aware of, though, is that the scholarship is very competitive, so having just a 2.3 GPA is likely not going to be enough. You would be eligible at that point, but not competitive.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,thanks for this awesome post. I have a question, I calculated for each semester coventing from 4 scale GS to the 3 scale, in one of my results in 2020, I got 2.1/3.0 in that semester didn’t do to well (corona year) although I got no Fs, got 3A, 1B, 2C, 3Ds. I’m currently in 300l second semester with 4.04/5.0 cgpa and my overall scale as calculated is 2.5/3.0. I’m preparing ahead of mext 2023/2024… I’m scared that semester may affect my chances… Please sir will it?
Hi Bunmi,
To convert your GPA, you need to convert each grade separately and take the average after the conversion. You would never be looking at a semester GPA, year GPA, etc, just the overall.
Of course, any poor grades are going to bring down your overall GPA, but it doesn’t make a difference if they’re all in one semester or spread out across several years.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis…. I will nail my final year by God’s grace.
Please can you help me on how to convert to mext gpa scale from my university gpa scale?
This is my university grading system bellow
80-100; A
70-79; B+
60-69; B
55- 59; C+
50-54; C
0-49; F
Hi Ronaldo,
This looks like a straightforward 4-level conversion.
Assuming there is no description of the grades (e.g. “excellent”, “good”, “poor”, etc.) then ignore the “+” and you have ABCF as your grades. In that case, they would convert as follows:
A = 3
B = 2
C = 1
F = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
This is my university grading system and how can i convert it to Mext grading system
80-100; A=4 ; Excellent
70-79; B+=3.5 ; Very Good
60-69; B=3 ; Good
55-59; C+= 2.5 ; Fair
50-54; C=2; Average
45-49; D+=1.5; Below Average
40-44; D=1; Poor
0-39; F=0; Fail
Hi Ronaldo,
This is a basic 5-level system like I described in the article above. Ignore the “+” and you have an ABCDF system. So, in that case:
A/B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am hoping you can help me figure out how to convert my GPA to the 3.0 scale. My Univerity’s grading system is a bit odd it would seem. They use GPA quality points on a 4.5 scale:
A+=4.5
A=4
B+=3.5
B=3
C=2
D=1
F=0
The problem is that the percentages are not equivalent for each grade. For instance, some courses would award an A+ for 95% while others would give one for 90%. Likewise, some courses award A for 90% while others give A’s for 80%. It really depends on the professor teaching the course. I’ve even seen different sections of the same course with different marking schemes because one professor has higher expectations than the others. The percentages do not show up on my transcript though so I’m thinking only the quality points as stated above would be taken into consideration.
Also, I seem to maybe have a unique situation in that I have two bachelor’s degrees. I have a four-year degree in science and a three-year degree in arts. Do you know if they would only assess my most recent degree? I have also considered that there is a chance that they may use the GPA from whichever degree is more relevant to the Master’s degree I plan to pursue, or that they may use my entire transcript including both degrees. Would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
Hi Kaitlyn,
Since your percentages aren’t shown on your transcript, you don’t need to worry about those.
You can also ignore the GPA figures and just focus on the letter grades (ignore “plusses” too). That gives you a nice, simple ABCDF system that converts as follows:
A/B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0
When you have multiple degrees, whether they are the same level or not, only the most recent degree counts for calculating your eligibility. Your letter of recommendation should also come from the appropriate person at the most recent degree program. But you’re going to have to submit proof of graduation and your transcript of grades from each of the degrees. If your older degree is more relevant to the studies that you want to pursue in Japan, then the reviewers may consider that in evaluating your application, even if it isn’t used for the eligibility calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the information! It helps a lot!
I have one more question about my transcript. So on my transcript, my university doesn’t show which courses were applied to a degree, it only shows the GPA total for that degree and then lists all of the courses I have ever taken by term. I have two degrees and I have taken additional courses that have not been applied to either degree. However, there is no way to see which courses were applied to a degree on my transcript. Would this mean that MEXT may have to use my CGPA because there is no way for them to know which courses were included in my degrees?
Should I be contacting my university to see if there is any way they can provide me with a more specific transcript?
Thanks again Travis!
Hi Kaitlyn,
I’m afraid I had misunderstood your situation. I had assumed you completed one degree, graduated, then enrolled in a separate degree, so that you would have two completely separate sets of academic records.
Instead, it sounds like you have an intertwined record, so that would be a different case.
In that case, I think all of the courses from when you initially enrolled until when you earned the last degree and graduated would count. It would be a similar situation to changing majors midway through your degree (all courses count for the calculation, even those that don’t count toward the degree you eventually earn), except that you actually completed the degree requirements before changing.
So, I think all grades will count, but they won’t simply convert your CGPA, they will have to convert each course individually then take the cumulative average of the converted scores.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thanks for the prompt response.
I was afraid this would be the answer. It sucks because I failed a bunch of courses in my first year (back in 2010) which could now come back to haunt me… If I was able to use only the grades included in my most recent degree I would have had a perfect 3/3 for my MEXT GPA too… But I guess it can’t be helped. Using your calculation method on my entire transcript I’ll have a 2.4/3.
Do you know if transfer credit from other institutions would be included in the calculation? I have credits from my high school IB courses and a few courses I took online from other universities over the years that were transferred to my home university to apply to my degrees. It’s a long shot but those may boost my GPA a little haha…
Thanks again Travis.
Hi Kaitlyn,
I’m sorry that the conversion didn’t work out in your favor.
Transfer credit from other institutions is not counted in the calculation unless your degree-granting institution also counted those grades on its transcript and included them in your GPA calculation. You would, however, be required to submit the transcripts from any other universities where you took classes that were transferred to your degree, for reference.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Also may I know The chances of my application being Rejected?
Hi Praveen,
Unfortunately, there is no way to know. It all depends on the quality of your application and the quality of the applications of the other students competing for the scholarship. There are many steps along the way, too, from the application forms to the tests and interviews.
But your chances of success depend on how hard you are willing to work to prepare and perfect your application. Of course at this time, you cannot change your grades, but everything else is in your power.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Case 1:
I’ve studied 10th Grade at 2017(written 93.6%), after that I’m unable to Attend High school due to financial situations for 2 years in a row, then in 2019 I continued my studies, I passed 11th Grade with 63.3 %(written),
In 2020 dude to COVID,our Exams were cancelled but 12th Grade marks calculated Based Upon 10th and 11th grade Marks By Government, which is 88.8%(not written), Am I Eligible To apply?
Case 2:
If I Filll my application by typing on The computer except the part of pasting a photo and Signature, and consider that as Original and then make a copy of it and consider this as Copy,will that be alright? Cause the UG Application Guidelines says We needed to submit complete set of copy and Original documents, also the application has four pages, do I have to pin them or tie them with thread?
I hope you reply soon,
Hi Praveen,
For case 1, as explained in the article, you cannot just convert your overall percentage for the year, you need to convert each grade individually. In order to convert the grades, you will also need to know the grading scale for your system so that you can convert them to the MEXT scale. I recommend that you try to convert your grades that way, one-by-one.
For case 2, for a document to be “original” means that the signature must be handwritten on that document. You can fill in everything else digitally (even the photo can be added digitally), print it, then sign by hand. Then you can make your copies after you sign.
I recommend using paperclips to keep your documents together. Avoid using anything like staples or pins that will poke holes in the paper!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’ve been searching for so long about Italian grading system converted to Mext scale, but it’s difficult to find it! So I tried myself based on yoir resources:
In all cases, in the Italian grading system, students are graded according to a scale ranging from 0 to 30, with 18 as a passing mark. A cum laude may be added to the highest grade (30 e lode), as a special distinction. The lowest passing grade is 18. The grades from 18 to 30 are all used.
Given this,
I tried this way:
30 and 30 cum laude- 3
29- 3
28- 3
27- 3
26- 3
25- 2
24-2
23-2
22-2
20-1
19-1
18- 1
17 and below- 0
With this and the calculation I made with credits I’m 2.28.. but with an added 3 I would be over 2.5.. it’s so confusing I don’t know if it’s worth it or not for the research plan and at 33 years old.. this would be my only chance due to my age but even if my scores are not that bad I have low points on high credits.
Can you help on this to understand if it’s worth it or not?
Thank you
Alessia
Hi Alessia,
I checked the World Education Systems conversion table that we use at my university to see how they convert grades from the Italian 30-point system, and here’s the breakdown:
25-30/30 cum laude = 3
21-24 = 2
18-20 = 1
0-17 = 0
The WES system actually converts to an ABCD scale, but that makes it easy to convert to MEXT’s 3.0 scale. In most cases, there is no direct conversion to MEXT, so we often end up converting to ABCDF scale first, and from there to MEXT.
The differences between the system above and your scale from your comment are grades of 25 and 21. I’m not sure it that’s enough to push you above the threshold or not.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I need your verification on my conversion.
So, my institution’s grading system is as followed:
A (85-100%) =4.0 = Excellent
B+ (80-84%) = 3.5 = Very Good
B (70-79%) = 3 = Good
C+ (65-69%) = 2.5 = Fairly Good
C (50-64%) = 2.0 = Fair
D (45-49%) = 1.5 = Poor
E (40-44%) = 1.0 = Very Poor
F (<40%) = 0 = Fail
Thus, how would my MEXT grading would look like. If the passing score on a course would be 50%. Does that mean my Ds and Es is as equal as an F or is it pretty much the same as 1.0?
Thanks in advanced!!
Hi Panhaneath Phann,
If a C is the minimum passing grade (often, I only see that being the case for postgraduate degrees), then anything below that would be the same as an F, or 0 on the MEXT Scale.
So, that would leave:
A = 3
B+/B = 2
C+/C = 1
On the other hand, if your grading system does not specify that 50% is the minimum passing grade, then I would have converted the system as follows:
A/B+/B = 3
C+/C = 2
D/E = 1
F = 0
The top conversion seems quite strict, but with the specification of the minimum passing grade, I think that is what it would be.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the reply. Well, this grading system is for undergrad program. In addition, getting Ds or Es here does not necessarily mean you gain no grade point out of the course OR fail the entire semester. As the system I mentioned above, Ds and Es still give grade point as long as the overall grade point of that mentioned semester is well above 50/100, and that gives a pass to that semester. Therefore, is it more accurate if I use the second system you mentioned?
Sincerely,
Panhaneath
Hi Panhaneath Phann,
Without more details about your grading system, I can’t say for sure. But MEXT converts on a course-by-course basis, so I don’t think “passing a semester” or not would be a factor. In Japanese universities, there is no system of passing or failing semesters, each course is graded separately.
Let me ask this instead, if you got a D or E in a course that was required for your major, would you need to retake that course in order to graduate, or would it still be counted? I’m trying to figure out what the role of D and E grades is, if they are not passing grades.
If you can find an official comparison between your university’s grading system and something like the US system or ECTS system, that would be helpful to help understand it, too.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for your time. Anyways, I do not need to retake the course to graduate if getting Ds and Es as long as the accumulated grade point of the whole semester is above 50/100. For instance, I did not need to retake any course on my D or E subject or ever retake any subject at all.
Hi Panhaneath Phann,
It sounds like there’s an argument to be made for the “second system” where D/E = 1 and C = 2, but I am still concerned that if your grading system specifically says that C is the minimum passing grade, that they will use the stricter conversion.
Unfortunately, without examining a transcript and explanation of the grading system directly, I’m not sure I can offer any more specific advice or suggestions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Your article was really amazing and helpful. Thank you for taking your time.
I am applying for MEXT Graduate Scholarship. My previous university follows following grading system.
80-100 % (4 GPA/A Grade)
79.99-65 % (3-3.99 GPA/B Grade)
64.99-50 % (2-2.99 GPA/C Grade)
49.99-40 % (1-1.99 GPA/D Grade)
Less than 40% (Fail)
As per this grading system, what values for MEXT GPA should I use?
I have 15 A’s (>80%), 5 B’s (>65%), and 1 C (>50%). I am confused while assigning the MEXT GPA to my B and C grades.
Please help me in this regard.
Hi Naveed Ul Hassan,
For your grading system, you would use the 5-level ABCDF system described in the article. You can ignore the fact that the percentages are different in your system.
So:
A=3
B=3
C=2
D=1
F=0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz, this is the method of grading that is used in my school and if my grades were calculated according to what you said I meet the cut off GPA but our A-70 and above
B- 60-60 all the way to F. Would it affect it?
Hi Minty,
How the grades are converted depends on the scale used by your university. If they use letter grades, then that will be the basis for the conversion, regardless of what percentages are associated with the letter.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I would like to ask you something
The applications are currently open and my GPA is exactly 2.291, but I’m still pending my undergraduate project grade, which could raise my GPA above 2.3.
Is it possible to update grades in the middle of the application? Otherwise I am afraid that I will most likely not be eligible this year 🙁
Hi Quimisagi,
You will be evaluated based on the documents you have submitted as of the deadline. Once the application deadline passes, the university/embassy will not accept replacement/updated documents as far as I know.
You would have to get the updated version of your certificate of grades with the undergraduate project reflected in it by the time you submit your application, if you want it to be considered. Otherwise, assuming that you have calculated your GPA correctly, I’m afraid you would not be eligible. Frankly speaking, even though 2.30/3.00 is the minimum requirement, this is a very competitive scholarship so in most cases you would need a higher GPA to have a serious chance in the application process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
First of all, thanks for sharing all of this info with us! Now, I have a confusion that I want to clarify. Actually, our university follows a relative grading system. Meaning, we do get assigned the letter grades, i.e, A,B,C,D.F, but it is not based on a specific percentage of marks, but rather on our standing in the class, relative to the class average. So, would the grading system that you mentioned, apply to our case too? As an example, we might be assigned an A grade in a subject for as low as 70% marks, but in another subject, we may only manage just a B for even 80% marks. So it is totally dependent on our teachers.
It would be great if you can clarify this!
Hi Muhammad Abdullah,
I’ve actually never seen a system like that and I would have to see a copy of the transcript and explanation of grading system to be sure. I think it would depend on which system (the percentage of marks or letter grades) is considered primary and used to calculate your eligibility for graduation.
Your grade conversion should only reference one of the two systems (the percentage of marks or the letter grades), but I can’t be sure which one it would use without knowing more about the system and graduation requirements at your university. If you can share a link to your university’s grading system information, etc., I could check.
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
So basically, we do get assigned the letter grades, and they correspond to a GPA out of 4. However, it doesn’t directly correspond to a specific percentage of overall marks, but rather to the standard deviation from the average of the whole class. You can look up “relative grading” and you’ll understand. My guess is, the letter grades can be assumed to be corresponding to a qualitative scale from excellent to fail, and should be treated the same way as any 5-level system of grading.
in our system, the letters correspond to following grades:
A > 4
B+ > 3.5
B > 3
C+ > 2.5
C > 2
D+ > 1.5
D > 1
F > 0
So, in mext scale, it should mean:
A, B+, B > 3,
C+, C > 2
D+, D > 1
F > 0
Would this work?
Hi Muhammad Abdullah,
I understand the concept of relative grading, but what I need to know in order to answer your question is which system is primary in your university. Of the two systems, which is used to consider your qualification for graduation? For example, do you need to earn a C or better in a certain number of courses, or do you need to obtain a specific number of overall marks (with different numbers of marks determining the class of your final degree)? I think the MEXT grade conversion will be done based on whichever system is primarily used for graduation requirements.
If it is the letter grade system, then the conversion you wrote should be accurate. But if it is the mark system, then a different scale would be necessary.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
My school follows the grading system of Pakistan.
In this system:
80-100% = A += 4 70-79% = A = 4
60-69% = B = 3 50-59% = C = 2
My score for my latest academic (Grade 11) year is:
Subject (1)= 66% Subject (2)=78% Subject (3)=64% Subject (4)=72% Subject (5)=72
Subject (6)=72%
Mext GPA is:
80-100% = 3 70-79% = 2 60-69 = 1
Then, my GPA on a 3 scale will be:
Subject (1) = 1 Subject (2) = 2 Subject (3) = 1 Subject (4) = 2 Subject (5) = 2 Subject (6) = 2
GPA = 1+1+2+2+2+2/6 = 10/6 = 1.6 (So I don’t qualify for mext, am I right?)
One more question regarding the mext GPA requirement
Is the GPA of the latest year required or of all high school years.
My GPA for grade 9 = 2.75/3
Subject (1)= 68% Subject (2)=95% Subject (3) = 100% Subject (4) = 92% Subject (5) = 89% Subject (6) = 87% Subject (7) = 86% Subject (8) = 92%
and grade 10 = 2.87/3
Subject (1)= 70% Subject (2)=97% Subject (3) = 100% Subject (4) = 94% Subject (5) = 92% Subject (6) = 89% Subject (7) = 90% Subject (8) = 94%
Kindly let me know if I qualify to apply for mext undergraduate scholarship or not
Hi Isabella Shahid,
The grading conversion I describe here is primarily for the graduate scholarship. While I think the same conversion applies in the undergraduate scholarship, too, I can’t be completely sure, so I do not recommend that you give up!
For your grading system, based on the grades you described, I would convert your scores as follows:
A+/A (70-100%) = 3
B (60-69%) = 2
C (50-59%) = 1
I’m assuming that “C” isn’t a failing grade!
Your grade conversion should include all years of your high school. So, I recommend you try the calculation again with the new conversion and including all years to see what result you get.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I am from Peru and here there are not any calification requirement for the MEXT scholarships process. They ask for your califications but there are not a minimun like in other countries. Is there still a “GAP” requirement in this case? Sorry if is a newbie question, I was happy because I thought I did not have to worry about scores but now this is the first time I hear about GAP. Also, if I study more years I was supossed to (my bachiller program is a 5 years program but I will finished in 6.5 years), do I still have to calculate the GPA only with the last 2 years scores? Greetings.
Hi Kelver Contreras,
As far as I know, the GPA requirement applies regardless of your country. This is a requirement for all Japanese government scholarships. However, some countries do not state a requirement in the guidelines because it is difficult to convert the requirement accurately into the local system.
For the GPA requirement, it used to be only the most recent two years, but now they calculate your GPA across your entire most recent degree, so all 6.5 years would count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Very helpful article! Sadly, my country’s grading system (Chile) is kinda weird so when calculating my GPA I have some doubts. Below are some calcs I did:
6,0 – 7,0 83% – 100% Very Good (7,0) = MEXT 3
5,0 – 5,9 66% – 82% Good = MEXT 3
4,0 – 4,9 50% – 65% Sufficient/Lowest Passing Grade = MEXT 2
3,0 – 3,9 33% – 49% Less than Sufficient = MEXT 1
2,0 – 2,9 16% – 32% Defficient = MEXT 1
1,0 – 1,9 0% – 15% Very Defficient = MEXT 1
However, since I have no other reference of system like ours to compare against, when I google up “Chile GPA to USA GPA”, a handy calculator shows up with this:
Scale Grade Description US Grade Notes
6.50 – 7.00 (Very Good) A
6.00 – 6.49 A-
5.50 – 5.99 B+
5.00 – 5.49 (Good) B
4.50 – 4.99 B-
4.00 – 4.49 (Sufficient) C Lowest passing grade
0.00 – 3.99 (Insufficient) F
-Source: scholaro.com/pro/Countries/Chile/Grading-System
Should I trust my calcs? Or the conversion to US grades table?
By the way I’ve seen that MEXT 3 starts at 60%, which would be 4,5 In my scale.
Hi John Smith,
The word descriptions are most important in considering the conversion, since the meaning of percentages, etc., can vary between countries.
If 4,0 – 4,9 is the “Lowest passing grade” then that would have to be a “1” and anything below it would be a “0”.
That leaves 5,0 – 5,9 as a “2” and 6,0 – 6,9 as a “3”.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your quick response!
Thankfully I still have enough time to get those grades up so I’ll work harder from now on.
Another small question that i forgot to ask is: do extra curricular activities (sports and such), that are not related to my field of study but DO show on my grade compendium sheet with at least 1 credit, count for the total MEXT GPA score?
Note that in my Uni, those activities don’t help me pass any subject and are there just for formation purposes, however they indeed show up with one credit alongside all of my grades.
Hi John Smith,
If the sports appear on your grade compendium with a credit and a grade on the same scale as your other courses, then they should count, based on my experience. If they just show a credit but no grade (or a pass/fail grade, etc.), then they would not be counted.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much!
I can clearly see what I need to work towards from now on, you’re a life saver, Travis!
Dear Travis,
Can you please help me with how do I compare the MEXT scale with my uni’s grading system?
Marks Grade Grade Point Remarks
80-100% A + 4.00 Outstanding
75-79% A 3.75 Excellent
70-74% A- 3.50 Very Good
65-69% B+ 3.25 Good
60-64% B 3.00 Satisfactory
55-59% B- 2.75 Above Average
50-54% C+ 2.50 Average
45-49% C 2.25 Bellow Average
40-44% D 2.00 Pass
00-39% F 0.00 Fail
Hi Nabila,
This looks like a clear 5-Level system from the chart in the article!
Just refer to the letter grades and ignore plusses and minuses.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Do you mean like the following?
All A’s; A+, A, A- counted as 3
All B’s; B+, B, B- counted as 3
All C’s; C+, C counted as 2
D counted as 1
F as 0
Hi Nabila,
Yes, that’s it!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Actually, I am confused with the fact that the mark percentage of each grade assigned by my uni is different than the 5-Level System 100 – 90 89 – 80 79 – 70 69 – 60 59 – 0
My marking as you can see is different than this one. So, do I only have to compare my A, B, C, D & F (no matter how the mark percentage has been assigned) with the MEXT grade directly or do I need to consider marking also?
Hi Nabila,
The letter grades and number grades in the chart above are just meant to be separate examples, read individually. You would use only the letter grades or only the number grades.
Since the scale you shared with me was for letter grades, I recommend using only those and ignoring the mark percentage.
If you were to use the marks, then you would need a scale for that and would ignore the letters.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Okay! Thanks a lot for your help. Now, I am clear with the concept.
Can you please suggest to me an article of yours for the preparation of the written exam offered by the embassy in the candidates home country? Also, a guideline/basic idea regarding the entrance exam after moving to Japan?
Hi Nabila,
JASSO has published past embassy written exams on its official Study in Japan website, so I recommend checking there!
As for the university entrance exam, that will be different for every university and graduate school in Japan, so I recommend you look for resources specific to the school where you will enroll.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks for the detailed article.
I want to know,
For PhD, doctoral candidates, will the embassy recommended MEXT and/or University recommended MEXT consider the Master’s CGPA course by course (as described in the article) on a scale of 3 or as well as the Bachelor also?
For instance, if a candidate doesn’t have min 2.3 out of 3 in BSc but in the MSc, he/she obtained min/above 2.3 out of 3; will that candidate be passed in the criteria of GPA requirement in the embassy recommended MEXT and/or University recommended MEXT?
Summary: I am confused if the embassy & university MEXT follows the same GPA criteria or not?
If yes,
Do they consider the MSc & BSc’s CGPA both for PhD candidates?
Else,
Which one do they consider?
Hi Nabila,
You are required to submit your transcripts from each of your previous university degrees, but as far as I understand, only the most recent degree is counted for the eligibility check.
To the best of my knowledge, this same calculation applies to both the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship and Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship (as well as all other JASSO and MEXT scholarships).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Okay, Travis! Thanks, got the point.
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Hi Travis, my failures don’t show up on my transcript, but they affect my CR (which is like my GPA at my university), so should I only calculate the courses passed on my transcript or the failures too?
Hi Gabriela,
If your failed classes do not show up on your transcript or university records, then the Embassy/University should have no way to calculate them, so they should not affect you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Please I need to make some enquiry from you about MEXT scholarship (University recommended). I graduate at the Federal University of Agriculture in Nigeria. I want you to help me look into the grading system that my University is using;
70-100; A
60-69; B
50-59; C
45-49; D
40-44; E
Below 40; F
Now using MEXT GPA scale, I want to know if I am right with my calculations;
70-100; 3
60-69; 3
50-59; 2
45-49; 1
40-44; 1
Below 40; 0
If I am correct with the ranking of the grade point used for the MEXT 3.0 GPA, I have 2.82 out of 3.00 for the last two academic session and I have 2.69 out of 3.00 in my Bachelor degree transcript overall.
However, I am currently doing my Master’s degree subject to defending of my thesis and I am currently on 68% which might increase to 70%+ after defending my thesis . I want to ask that what is the minimum grade to apply for PhD under MEXT scholarship (University recommended)?
In Nigeria here, the minimum PhD grade is always 60%.
I am finding out this information to know wether I should opt in for another Master’s degree or PhD if I am eligible with the grade I made from my MSc.
I will be awaiting your gracious reply because I already have a Supervisor that has acceoted me as a potential student.
Thanks in anticipation
Hi Olowoniyi Johnson,
Assuming that “E” is a passing grade, I agree that the calculation method you have described seems accurate.
If you are applying for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then the minimum grade is only calculated using MEXT’s scale and it must be 2.3/3.0. However, in practice, the scholarship is extremely competitive and you would have almost zero chance to get the scholarship if your grades were only 2.3. There is no minimum percentage score for your thesis. It would be factored into your GPA calculation like any other grade if it is assigned a credit weight. If you are doing a Master’s by research and your thesis is your only grade, then you would calculate that directly to MEXT’s scale.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I am from India, Could you please convert my grading system to MEXT 3 point GPA system.
My grading system is as follows
Letter Grade | Grade Point | Class Interval (in %)
O | 10 | Above 90 and upto 100
A+ | 9 | Above 80 and upto 90
A | 8 | Above 70 and upto 80
B+ | 7 | Above 60 and upto 70
B | 6 | Above 50 and upto 60
C | 5 | Above 45 and upto 50
P | 4 | Above 40 and upto 45
F | 0 | Less than 40
The Cumulative Point Average(CGPA) obtained by a student shall be classified into the following division:
CGPA | Class/Division
Above 9 and upto 10 | Outstanding
Above 8 and upto 9 | First Class(With Distinction)
Above 6 and upto 8 | First Class
Above 5.5 and upto 6 | High-Second Class
Above 5 and upto 5.5 | Second Class
Above 4 and upto 5 | Third Class
Hi Kushagra Shekhawat,
I can give you my best guess, though please keep in mind I am only basing this off what you shared. The official conversion could be different.
I would convert the grades as:
O/A+/A/B+ = 3
B = 2
C/P = 1
F = 0
This was based on comparing the grades to the CGPA designations. Typically, the grades that would result in a First class degree if you earned all that degree should be a 3.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis.
Thank you for bringing this hidden fact to our attention.
I graduated from the UK where our grading system consists of First Class (70% and above), Upper Second (60-69%), Lower Second (50-59%) and Third/Pass (40-49%). Anything below 40% is a fail.
I managed to slot this into the 5-bucket system as First = 3, Upper Second = 3, Lower Second = 2 and Third = 1.
Unfortunately I did not reach the threshold. Is there any point in trying? I wanted to apply for a Masters scholarship, which I have heard is easier than undergraduate. Also, there are not too many people applying from my country, Botswana.
Do you know if JASSO Scholarships also operate the same? If I can’t make it with MEXT, might as well try them.
Hi Mos,
Your conversion method sounds right to me. If you are sure that you completed the calculation correctly and your grades do not meet the 2.3/3.0 threshold, then I am afraid there is no point in applying. Unfortunately, JASSO uses the same scale to calculate eligibility for their scholarships and the same 2.3 threshold.
I hope you are able to find another alternative.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hello, I am form Kolkata( India ) and my grade system looks like this
O: 90% and Above
A+: 80%-89.99%
A: 70-79.99%
B+:60-69.99%
B: 50-59.99%
C: 40-49.99%
P:30-39.99%
F: below 30%
Will you please convert my number to MEXT scholarship 3 Grading system?
Thank You
Hi Shreetam,
Is there any explanation that goes with the letter grades, such as a Honors system or other statement of quality?
My guess would be (using the 5-bucket system in the article):
O,A+,A = 3
B+,B = 2
C,P = 1
F = 0
But an official description would make it easier to tell for sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis and thank you so much for your help!
I have a question, how much does 3.07 equal to MEXT 3.0 grading system?
I would like to know so I can start applying
Thank you again
Hi Omnia Osman,
Unfortunately, it is not possible to convert an overall GPA, since that will not give you an accurate number. It is also impossible to make any conversion at all without knowing your grading scale. This article explains the process of calculating the conversion values and going through the conversion process, so I recommend following the steps explained above.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis,
does that update which says you have to count all grades apply to the embassy recommendation as well or is it only for the university recommendation?
also do i have to explain the grading system in my university on a separate paper and submit it with the other documents since it isn’t mentioned on my transcripts like how many credits each subject has?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
As far as I know, the same GPA calculation is applicable for the University and the Embassy application.
The explanation of your grading system and description of the credits (if applicable) must be official descriptions from your university, not something that you write yourself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Is last semester students can apply with hope certificate and is there any chance for them?
Hi Ayesha,
Yes, if you haven’t graduated yet, you can apply and submit a “Certificate of Expected Graduation” from your university that shows that you will graduate from your university before the scholarship begins. In that case, you have just as much of a chance as any other applicant!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis,
does that update apply for the embassy recommendation as well?
also will i need to submit a separate document explaining the grading system in my university and how many credits each subject has since none of these are on my transcripts?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
As far as I know, the update should also apply to the Embassy recommendation. However, instructions for that process are not generally made public, so I cannot be sure.
Yes, you will need to submit documentation that shows the grading system at your university. If your courses had different numbers of credits and those credits are not shown on your transcript, you would need to send documentation from your university showing the credit values, too.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I want to know that i have completed my master’s degree without thesis should i eligible for the phD scholarship or not?
Furthermore, that I want to know to do another so shall MEXT consider my bachelor’s CGPA or Masters?
Hi Khurram Shaikh,
Yes, you are eligible to apply for a PhD even if you did not complete a thesis for your master’s.
For the application process, you will need to submit your transcripts from your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but only the master’s GPA should count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I want to ask that I failed some of my courses before. Then, I retook them and passed. Will the old grades be evaluated in the calculation? Also, I extended my undergraduate education for one term to raise my GPA. Would it be a disadvantage for the MEXT application?
Hi Efemdi,
In general, it should depend on your university/country’s grading system. The calculation should follow however the grades are calculated by your university for your cumulative GPA, as long as that calculation method is explained in the transcript.
So, if your home university includes the original grades from retaken courses in your GPA, then they would be included for this calculation, too. However, if your grading system specifically says that original grades are not counted when courses are retaken, then they shouldn’t be counted for the MEXT GPA.
To be honest though, having failing grades on your transcript is probably going to look bad to reviewers even if the grades are not ultimately counted.
Extending your degree to take additional courses and raise your GPA should not hurt your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis,
does that update which says you have to count all grades apply to the embassy recommendation as well or is it only for the university recommendation?
also do i have to explain the grading system in my university on a separate paper and submit it with the other documents since it isn’t mentioned on my transcripts like how many credits each subject has?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
Both the original guidance to only count two years and the change to include all years were targeted at universities. MEXT posts the calculation instructions and other application submission instructions to universities publicly (if only in Japanese), but I have never been able to find the directions for the Embassies. However, the same calculation rules apply to both Embassy and University scholars when applying for scholarship extensions, so I assume they apply at the application stage, too.
If your courses do not have different credit values, that is fine. Each one would be counted as one credit. However, if they have different credit values and that information is not shown in your transcript then you would need to include that information separately.
The explanation of your grading system is not about the credits but rather about the relative value/quality of the grades. If that is not mentioned in your transcript, then you would need to include an additional explanation that is officially issued by your university..
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Can I participate for a master degree if I’m currently studying a master and show my current master grades ?
Hi Carlos Cienfuegos,
Yes! You can apply to MEXT for a second Master’s degree. In that case, you would have to show your records (transcript and certificate of expected graduation) for your current Master’s program as well as your undergraduate. You can also apply if you plan to quit or suspend your current Master’s degree if awarded the MEXT Scholarship. In that case, you would not need the Certificate of Expected Graduation for the Master’s degree, but you would need to explain that you plan to suspend it to study in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis
I have a bachelor’s degree and I want to apply for a bachelor’s degree again in a field close to my previous field, can it increase or reduce my chance of being accepted? I’m still 23, and I have a new high school diploma, too, after I graduated.
Hi Fatima,
All I can say is that you are eligible to apply for the undergraduate scholarship even if you already have a bachelor’s degree. There is no official scoring system that says that it would increase or decrease your chances and a lot of the impact depends on your performance during that degree as well as the case you make for why it is better for you to get a second bachelor’s degree instead of moving on to a graduate degree.
So, in the end, I think whether it increases or decreases your chances depends completely on how you present it during your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis !
Thanks for your website !
All grades will be count ?! Or only the grades that related to my study field that I wish to apply ?! I mean even physical education and these kind of grades will be count or nah ?
Hi Mohanna,
All grades that count toward your degree program and the GPA at your home university should count!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi sir!
I am currently having 3.4/4.0 which is above 80% in pakistan am I eligible to apply ? and also I am supposed to complete my degree in june 2022 can I apply?
Hi Hassan Raza,
Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine if you are eligible based on the MEXT scale by converting your overall GPA. You would have to convert it grade by grade.
However, I saw that the Embassy in Pakistan also requires that your grades be over 80% in the local scale, so it sounds like you meet that criteria.
If you will complete your degree in July 2022, you can apply during this cycle, but you would have to select a September/October 2022 arrival to Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Thank you for all the recommendations and the free content you’re proving for the scholarship. I have calculated my MEXT GPA and it’s slightly below the requirement (2.12/3), do you think that I have no chance of passing the first screening? Should I drop my application process for 2022/2023?
Hi Israa,
If you are certain that your calculation is correct, then I am afraid that as far as I know, there is no chance that you could earn the scholarship. If you are uncertain about your calculation method, then you can try though.
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
First of all thank you for your great article.
I had a question.
only GPA is matter or every single unit must be over 2.3?
Hi Aram,
Only the cumulative GPA (calculated by converting each grade to MEXT’s system then taking the average) has to be over 2.3. If you have individual classes that are lower than 2.3, that is not a problem for your eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Cumulative GPA or Overall GPA? because my cumulative GPA in some semesters is slightly below 2.3! but my last cumulative GPA (or in other words my overall GPA) is 2.5.
thanks in advance !!!
Hi Aram,
Cumulative GPA and Overall GPA are the same thing. (Your cumulative GPA from the most recent semester is the only one that matters).
However, as I explained in the article, you cannot convert your cumulative GPA – it will not give you the correct value. You must convert the courses one by one then take the cumulative grades of the converted score.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you so much for your amazing resource!
I’m currently undertaking a BA in Australia, however, I’m a bit uncertain how to calculate my score as my university both uses letters and scores.
High Distinction (85–100)
Distinction (75–84)
Credit (65–74)
Pass (50–64)
Fail (0–49)
Would it be correct that both “high Distinction” and “Distinction” would be worth 3, while “credit” is 2 and “Pass” is 1? Or do I have to calculate “Distinction” as either a 2 or a 3 depending on the score?
Thanks again for all of your hard work putting together all of this information! I’m planning on getting your book once I know if my grades are good enough to apply.
Kind regards,
Silvana
Hi Silvana,
I would calculate both High Distinction and Distinction as 3, Credit as 2, and Pass as 1. The descriptors are more important than the actual numerical scores, so I do not think there is any situation where you would divide “Distinction” into two categories based on the scores.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis!
I’m Vito, from Indonesia. Would you convert my grading system to MEXT scholarship’s 3point system?
A: 80-100
AB: 70-80
B: 65-70
BC: 60-65
C: 50-60
D: 40-50
E: >40
Thank you.
Hi Vito,
In general, when a grade mentions two letters, I suggest treating it as the lower of the two. That is going to give you a more conservative calculation of your GPA and if the conservative calculation is good, then you should not have any problems. So, in your case, I would convert the grades as follows:
A = 3
B, AB = 3
C, BC = 2
D = 1
E = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I am aks from India ,could you please convert my grade system to MEXT scholarship’s 3point system. My current grading system is given
Grades Grade Point (GP) % of Total Marks obtained in the course
O (Outstanding) 10 90% and above
A+ (Excellent) 9 85% and above but less than 90%
A (Very Good) 8.5 80% and above but less than 85%
B+ (Good) 8 70% and above but less than 80%
B (Above Average) 7 60% and above but less than 70%
C (Average) 6 50% and above but less than 60%
P (Pass) 5 45% and above but less than 50%
F (Fail) 0 Less than 45%
FE 0 Failed due to eligibility criteria
I Course Incomplete
SGPA and CGPA are calculated based on the above grading norms
Hi Akshitha,
This is a tricky one, and I cannot be certain that my conversion would be correct, but in my experience, the most important thing is to prioritize the descriptions, so I would convert your grades as follows:
O, A+, A, B+ = 3
B, C = 2
P = 1
Everything else (except I) = 0
For “I” grades, I don’t think they would be calculated until a final grade was given.
It isn’t often that I recommend splitting two grades with the same letter (B+ and B), so that’s why this is tricky, but since the description changes at that point, it seems appropriate in your case. However, it could also be possible that the embassy/university will take a more lenient approach and convert a “B” as a 3, as well. You might want to try converting your grades both ways to see what the results are.
Your SGPA and CGPA do not matter in the conversion process. You will need to convert your grades course-by-course and then take the average of the converted grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis
Hello Travis,
Thanks for the article, it is well explained. please, i need you to help confirm this grading system to know if i am right with the MEXT system. I graduated from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and the grading system is:
70-100; A+; Excellent
65-69: A-: Very Good
60-64: B+: Good
55-59: B: Good
50-54: B-: Good
45-49: C+: Credit
40-44: C: Credit
0-39: D: Fail
Now, using MEXT Grade, i would like to know if am write with this for right calculation. If No, pls, correct. Thanks in anticipation.
70-100; 3
65-69: 3
60-64: 3
55-59: 2
50-54: 2
45-49: 1
40-44: 1
0-39: 0
Hi Olanrewaju Ayorinde,
In general, I recommend that you ignore “+” and “-” after the letters, unless your grading system specifically groups them differently. So, in your case, I would change the score of the “B+” grade to 2, to match the rest of the “B” grades, as below.
65-100 = 3 (A+, A-)
50-64 = 2 (B-. B, B+)
40-49 = 1 (C, C+)
0-39 = 0 (D)
That is just my interpretation based on the information you shared about your grading system, but I cannot see any reason why a B+ would be grouped together with the As.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thanks for you response, the correction is well noted. Obviously you are very correct. I have calculated my last two academic years in my transcript using the MEXT system, i ended up with 2.5 on a scale of 3.0. Meanwhile when is it most likely for 2022 application be opened because i have been searching for supervisors from different schools as i will be applying through the University recommendation.
Hi Olanrewaju Ayorinde,
Thank you for your reply. It sounds like you are qualified, but you’ll want to make sure that you have a strong Field of Study and Research Program Plan for your application in order to be competitive.
In a typical year, the Embassy Recommendation application starts in April and is due in May or June, while the University Recommendation opens in the fall. Since each university decides the start time of their application, I have seen some significant variation, from a September start in some cases to December in others. I recommend that you try to find out when the application process opened for the specific university that you want to apply to last year and start checking their website regularly a few weeks before that date to look for the start this time around.
In the meantime, unless there is a particular reason that you are avoiding it, the Embassy Recommendation will occur sooner, so it might be a good idea to give that a shot!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis!
I was very sad after I read your comment, because my master transcript wasn’t on my side at all (only one course and it doesn’t meet the 2.3 requirements).
Luckily, after some time waiting, my university finally responded that only scores at the time of the application will be taken into account!
Hence I am officially proceed to be recommended by the University! Thank you so much, I’ve been following your blogs, without your articles, I’m not sure I could get to this point!
Thank you Travis, I did get lucky !
Hi Alex,
I am glad to hear that you found a resolution to your concern!
Yes, your scores would be based on the time that you submit your application, so they wouldn’t go back and recalculate your GPA later. I didn’t realize you were already at that point in the application process.
Thank you very much for your kind words, as well!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for this wonderful work you’re doing.
I graduated from an Indian University and the grading system is as follows:
75-100: A Excellent
65-74: B+ very good
55-64:. B Good
45-54: C Satisfactory
40-44: D Poor
0-39:. F. Failure
Can you help me convert this to Mext scale. Thank you!
Hi Aubrey Sato,
This looks like a standard 5-level system as I described in the article. Simply ignore the “+” and treat B+ and B as the same grade, and you should be able to calculate the results using the ABCDF scale above.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your information!
I would like to ask if you know how grades will be calculated if a applicant is currently in a degree seeking program?
For example they have a Bachelor degree, then immediately join a Master degree seeking program (which they haven’t complete yet, just one semester in).
In this case which scores will be averaged (taken into account)?
1. Just the Master’ scores?
2. 2 Years scores (which would be scores obtain from 1.5 year (Bachelor degree) + 0.5 year (Master program))
3. 4 years scores (Bachelor’ scores only)
4. All scores (4 years from Bachelor degree and 0.5 year from Master program)
This is in the case they want to pursuit Master degree from MEXT.
Thank you so much, I can’t wait to hear your replied!
Hi Alex,
I’m sorry this article is a little complicated to read. I wasn’t completely sure of the change when I first edited it.
As far as I can tell, the grade calculation will based only on the program that you are currently enrolled in (if you are enrolled) or the most recent program that you completed, if you have already graduated. So, in your case, the grades should be based on 1. Just the Master’s scores, assuming that you have at least a semester of scores from that program on your transcript.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
Thank you so much for this great article.
But I might have a question, hehe.
My university basically considers every grade under 50 points as a fail (0-49pts). How would the whole MEXT points change in this situation? Is 50-59 still 0 points or?
Can you please let me know? Thank you in advance!
Hi Diana,
Unfortunately, without knowing what the rest of your grading system looks like (how many other tiers of grades there are, how they are broken down), I’m afraid I can’t answer your question. The important thing to know is how many tiers of grades there are and whether or not there are any other quality descriptions associated with them (e.g. excellent, good, average, etc.)
The specific percentages will change from country to country, so don’t worry about that, just look at the overall classification.
If you want to reply with the full breakdown of your grading system, I would be happy to try to answer again!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your reply!
I didn’t know exactly how many tiers were there in my university, so I had to ask. I apologize for commenting without knowing the full information.
100 – Excellent
90 – Very good
80 – Good
60–70 -Satisfactory
50 – Sufficient
10–40 – Unsatisfactory
These are the tiers. Please let me know if the MEXT points would change for the grading system from my country if you can. Thank you in advance and I’m sorry for the inconvenience!
Hi Diana,
Thank you for replying so quickly.
Please understand that this is only my estimate based on past experience, not an official conversion, but I would convert your grades as follows:
100 – Excellent = 3
90 – Very good = 3
80 – Good = 3
60–70 -Satisfactory = 2
50 – Sufficient = 1
10–40 – Unsatisfactory = 0
It isn’t normal to have three grades that all convert to “3”s, but since “Excellent” requires a full 100 percent, I’m treating that like an “A+” as compared to an “A” for Very Good.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for everything! <3
I wish you all the best!
Hi Travis,
Thank you for this wonderful information.
can you help me in converting my grades? I live in Iran and we have grading system similar to France’s. It is from 0-20 and 10 is the passing grade. when converting to USA’s GPA it is something like this:
16-20: A or 4
14-15.99: B or 3
12-13.99: C or 2
10-11.99: D or 1
0-9.99 : F or 0 —- Fail
Wikipedia has a similar article about it but it’s a little different:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Iran
Hi Hassan,
In order to make an accurate calculation, you are going to need the exact system used at your university. According to your post and the article you linked, there are already variations in how grade conversions can be calculated (although if the Wikipedia article is based on the WES chart, that’s generally a gold standard).
What you will need is some documentation from your university that shows the relative value of each grade, for example, what range of grades is considered “excellent”, “good”, “average”, etc. With that in hand, the conversion should be simple.
In the case of the grades you indicated, that would be a simple 5-bucket system, with A/B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0, but to prove what ranges correspond with what grades, you would need your specific university’s grading system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for replying Travis
Yes, the one I wrote is based on WES’s charts, although the wikipedia one is a little different.
But anyway I got your point.
Thank you again
Hi Travis, thanks for this article!!
I’m having some doubts regarding the scores.
I just finished my masters this year (excellent / 91 out of 100 points overall). And I thought I would only need to submit my masters documents, but it turns out they need the undergraduate as well… And you see, I was pretty average, maybe even less than that (67 out of 100 points total).
I still haven’t done the conversion to MEXT scale, but with only my masters grades, I’m sure to be up for the challenge, however my undergraduate years were nothing more than mediocre. Do they tend to look at that as well when trying for a PhD? Or will only my masters be seriously studied?
I will try for it either way next year, but its just bugging me so much.
Anxiously waiting for a reply,
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
To be honest, I am not entirely sure anymore how your previous degree will be factored in. In the past, there was a clear rule that your academic performance would be calculated based on your last two years of full-time study, which sometimes meant that applicants for a PhD had some of their undergraduate grades considered, if they have less than two years of Master’s grades. However, the specific reference to “two years” disappeared last year.
Logic still suggests that they will value your Master’s grades more than your undergrad and, if they do look at your undergrad, it would likely be only the last year or so, as you were taking your final coursework. At least for any eligibility evaluation, that should be the focus, and your undergrad grades would most likely be a point of reference, only.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thank you for this article.
I read all your articles and I am halfway into your book, but, I have some difficulty with converting my grade points. I am from India and the grade point system isn’t consistent. My university uses a 10 letter grade conversion scale where:
A+-=10= OUTSTANDING
A=9=EXCELLENT
B+=8=VERYGOOD
B=7=GOOD
C+=6=AVERAGE
C=5=BELOW AVERAGE
D=4=PASS
E=2=REPEAT
F=0=FAIL
IF I AM UNDERSTANDING IT RIGHT WAY THEN IS THIS CORRECT
A+,A,B+,B =3
C+,C=2
D=1
I don’t know if you’ll be free to help me, but, I’ll really appreciate your help
Hi JAI,
The conversion scale you suggested looks accurate to me. E and F would then convert as 0.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I WANT TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. MY GPA ACCORDING TO CONVERTION IS 2.7/3. WHAT SCHOLARSHIP SHOULD I APPLY. EVEN I AM IN TOUCH WITH A PROFESSOR IN JAPANESE UNIVERSITY.
Hi JAI,
I have several articles about how to apply for the MEXT scholarship through various means. I would suggest that you start with my article about “What is the MEXT Scholarship and How Do You Apply” and go from there to research the process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTION ABOVE.
Hi
Thank you for this informative Blog.
Please, I have one question:
should we get at least 2.3 in every semester to be accepted in the scholarship? or the average of the last two years should be at least 2.3?
because me i get
2.6 in first semester of the last two years.
2.166 in second semester of the last two years. (LESS THAN 2.3)
2.8125 in the third semester of the last two years.
3 in fourth semester of the last two years.
the average of the 4 semesters is 2.644.
so can I get the mext scholarship?
Thanks in advance
Hi Sulaiman Hamood,
You do not need to average your GPA semester-by-semester, and shouldn’t be doing that at all.
You should convert each grade to the MEXT scale then take the overall average after conversion. Make sure to include your grades from all years of your most recent degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis!
Thank you very much for all the information you have shared with us.
I am not sure whether I do or do not fulfil the GPA requirements. In my undergraduate, I got 4.25. Then in my Master Degree at UCL, I got 70 (Distinction) as an overall score. I still do not know how to convert that grade to the 3.0 MEXT graded system. Would you mind giving me a hand with that? I just got the results from the embassy. They rejected my application, and I do not know why. I would like to know if it has to do with my grades. I would like to try it again, but this time through the MEXT University Recommendation. Could you please help me?
Hi Andrea Lara,
It sounds like you haven’t used the method in this article yet to try to convert your grades to MEXT’s 3.0 scale. I would recommend that you calculate your individual grades from your Master’s degree, one by one, then take the average of your converted grades. It is not possible to convert your overall average. That will not give you an accurate figure. You should only need to convert the grades from your Master’s degree.
How you convert your grades is going to be based on the grading system used at your university, so you’re going to need to refer to that to see what grades convert to different scores on MEXT. If you have an explanation of the grading system (e.g. what scores correspond to which qualitative values), it should be a relatively straightforward process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have two questions regarding MEXT GPA grading, both of which are special cases at my university. Other than this I am able to calculate the rest of my grades. For your reference my university (University of California Santa Cruz) uses the 5 level system with A as the highest letter.
1.) In my undergraduate major, class grades below a C cannot be used to meet major requirements. I got a C- in my first quarter of my first year, and I took the class again the next quarter and received a B. My school replaces the grades of the failed class with the grade of the second attempt, so my GPA of the first quarter was raised after retaking the class. However, although my transcript has the updated GPA, the letter grade used is still the one from my first attempt. This may be a bit far fetched, but will students have the chance to explain certain grades during application?
2.) My school switched to online classes in my most recent school quarter due to Covid. Because of this sudden transition, our department gave us the option to use the Pass/No Pass grading options for major required courses, only for that quarter. I received a P (pass) for one of my major classes. How will this translate to the MEXT grading scale?
Thank you for your time and your resources, I look forward to your reply!
Best,
Jimmy
Hi Jimmy C.,
1. MEXT is going to refer to the grades written on the transcript and you would not get a chance to explain them prior to the document screening. Their reasoning is that if your university leaves the old grade on the transcript, then the university wants that recorded and they should follow the university’s policy.
2. Pass/Fail grades are not counted toward the GPA calculation. It doesn’t matter if they are major courses or not.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, first I want to thank you for all your hard work and information you have given, it has been really valuable. My question is, did you get anymore information on the change of the 2 year GPA calculation? Thank you so much.
Hi Najmaldin,
No, I haven’t heard anything new, and I don’t expect to until the next set of guidelines for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship are released later this year, if at all. In the meantime, I still recommend calculating your grades both ways to make sure that you’re safe.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I read some comments and some are very close to mine but to be sure and one more extra question. how should I translete these and I have master gradute GPA and undergraduate GPA. Which should I use?
Thank you.
MU : Exempt : The grade MU is given to the student who is found successful in the examination for exemption conducted by the department concerned for courses determined by the University Senate.
AA : Excellent
BA :Good – Excellent
BB : Good
CB : Good – Medium
CC : Medium
DC : Weak – Medium
DD : Weak
FF : Unsuccessful
Hi Kagome,
You need to submit your grades from your graduate and undergraduate programs, but as far as I know, only the grades from the most recent program should be considered. They might consider both Masters and part of your Undergraduate grades if you only have one year or one semester of Master’s grades, but given the recent shift away from the strict insistence on 2 years of grades, I am not completely sure.
For the grades you listed, I would suggest the following conversion:
MU : Exempt = Not counted (do not count credits or grade in the conversion process)
AA : Excellent = 3
BA :Good – Excellent = 3
BB : Good = 3
CB : Good – Medium = 2
CC : Medium = 2
DC : Weak – Medium = 1
DD : Weak = 1
FF : Unsuccessful = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
In my master (with 5 level score ) my all grades are AA,BA,BB and today an university student affairs told me that , you cant reach 2.3 with your transcript.
Is it possible ? Please, can you help me about calculate via mail?
Sincerely,
Hi Kagome,
Even if your university refuses to help, you should be able to fit your grades into one of the scales that I have suggested in this article. For an AA, AB, BB system, I would recommend that you consider “AA” to be “A”, “AB” to be “B+” etc. Since you will drop all of the + and – to do the conversion, an “AB” grade” would essentially be lumped in with the “B” grades.
Does that help you fit your grades into the charts above? Hopefully it should be enough for you to convert them on your own.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you for all your hard work with this great blog.
So, upon trying to convert my grades, into the MEXT “buckets”, I noticed that the points interval included in the second highest grade letter from my university’s system fits both as a MEXT grade 3 and 2. Its interval is 89-70, which means that, on average, it would be better represented as 2,5 MEXT grade. Is that right, or should I consider it either a 2 or 3? The real numeric grades aren’t present in transcript, so all I have is the letter grades.
Hi João Pedro,
You should not simply use the numbers in these sample charts to convert your grades. The conversion has to be specific to your country’s grading system. Rather than looking at the raw number itself, it is more important to convert your grades based on whether they fall in the highest letter grade in your system, second-highest in your system, etc. You should be converting your grades based on the total number of letter grades possible in your system and where your grade fits relative to that scale.
All grades would convert to MEXT’s system as whole numbers. So, you would never convert a grade as 2.5. It would be 2 or 3.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks, Travis! So, considering that my university grades in a four letter system in the following intervals: 100-90; 89-70; 69-50; 49-30; and 29-0; I’d say that both the highest and the second highest could be considered a “3” grade. I know that, ideally, I should discuss this with my university’s international affairs department, but they’ve been very hard to reach lately. Anyways, thanks again for the help so far.
Hi João Pedro,
Based on what you have described here, I would agree with you that the highest and second highest would be “3”, the next would be “2” and the 49-30 category would be “1”, so long as it is a passing grade.
If there are qualitative descriptions of the grade buckets (e.g. “execellent”, “good”, etc.) that would be clearer, but this seems like a good approach for the calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
First of all – thank you very much for this blog. It has been extremely helpful in demystifying the process and has helped me progress this far 🙂
I also have questions in relation to the GPA and application process:
I am currently at the final selection stage within my country (in our case this is the interview). The local embassy has already reviewed my transcript and has allowed me to progress this far. Since I have a degree from a foreign university (UK), they asked me to convert my grades to the local grading system. They specifically asked for my overall cumulative grade and the grade I received on my dissertation. When calculated and converted in this way I am above the threshold they said is valid for my country.
However, there are complications: The final grade on my diploma (2:1 Upper Second) is actually calculated on the basis of the final two years through formulas I am not quite aware of and does not correspond to an overall cumulative grade.
I also calculated my GPA based on the process you explained in the article and the results are slightly worrying:
Overall GPA: 2.29
Final 2 years GPA: 2.75
I am wondering what could go wrong at this point of the process? I know in October MEXT will send my documents to the universities of my choice and I am worried that due to insufficient 0.01 grade points I might not be admitted after going through all other admission stages. Do you think this really is a possibility?
Thank you very much for your time and response!
All the best,
Rina
Hi Rina,
First of all, I want to correct one thing about the process. MEXT does not send your application to the universities – you do that. After you pass the primary screening at the embassy, you will contact three universities in Japan to request letters of acceptance.
The universities probably aren’t going to be that concerned about your grade. By that point, you will have already passed the primary screening at the Embassy – and it is the embassy that is responsible for making sure that you met all of the eligibility requirements, so they will most likely assume that is done.
Once you have submitted the Letters of Acceptance to the Embassy, they send your completed application to MEXT for the Secondary Screening, and MEXT will take another look at your eligibility requirements.
I don’t know what will happen at that point. If we assume that your conversion was exactly how MEXT will, and we assume that the GPA calculation is based on the full term of your degree (that information was based on last year’s University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application, so it might be different), then you would not meet the eligibility criteria. But even if that is the case, there is nothing that you can do about it at this point. You have to trust that the Embassy has done the calculation according to the current instructions and that they have cleared you, so my recommendation is that you stick to it and give it all of your effort in the areas under your control.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis! Thank you very much for the clarification and the detailed answer. Hope all will go well 🙂
I hope you wouldn’t mind me asking one additional unrelated question: if I have indicated on the application form that I intend to do research as a non-regular student only (Q 17: Term you wish to study in Japan), could I later change my mind and progress to a Masters degree?
Hi Ekaterina,
Your answer in Question 17 does not bind you to a final answer. You can always change your mind later and apply for an extension of the scholarship after arrival to cover a full degree.
However, it is very rare for someone to say that they just want to be a research student, so in the meantime, you should prepare for questions about that during the Primary Screening and while applying to universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thanks very much writing such incredible guides.
I am currently in the process of writing my thesis for my one year master’s degree but have already obtained official examination results. Will these results count towards my GPA or will I have to fully graduate first?
Hi Jimmy,
Thank you for your kind words.
Your evaluation will be based on the most recent results that you have at the time of application.
If you already have grades issued for part or all of your degree, those will be used. They may also refer to grades from your undergraduate program.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! First of all, great article!
I was very happy when I calculated and saw that my grade is 2.45 (inside the threshold). Right, Do you believe that published articles and competition awards also have value in the MEXT selection process?
Will my GPA be the main deciding factor if I try to apply to some more competitive university like Tsukuba or Osaka?
Finally, any updates while the old system, where only the GPA of the last 2 years was calculated?
I ended up noticing that I was calculating the MEXT GPA in the wrong way and ended up with an even better average: 2.65. This is my average for the whole course, my average for the last 2 years is 2.9. With your experience, do you think this average is interesting for universities like Tsukuba?
I’ve been reading your website for a long time and I’m seriously thinking about buying your books, the research program seems very important, correct? I’ve been in the research area for a few years now, but I have a doubt, which factor is more relevant in the selection process? the MEXT GPA or the research plan? both have the same “weight”?
Hi Victor,
I am sorry that this reply is coming so late.
Regarding your GPA, that’s going to be screened primarily at the Embassy level for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship. I do not think the universities are going to make their decision based on that. Your GPA is used as a criteria to compare you to other applicants to decide who gets selected and who does not. For the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, that selection occurs during the primary screening. The universities are not screening you competitively when you apply for a Letter of Acceptance, so the GPA becomes less important. They still want to see that you have strong academic performance, but it’s no longer a competition where a few points will make a huge difference.
I think the Field of Study and Research Program Plan is a much more important factor at the Letter of Acceptance application point. The universities – and often individual professors – are really trying to determine if your research is well thought-out, fits with them, and can be accomplished there. With a strong research plan, I would say that you should not hesitate to contact any university in Japan, as long as there is a professor there aligned with your research.
Thank you for considering my books, as well. I would say that the research program plan is the most important part of your application, so if that’s an area where you need help, then that would probably be the best one to start with. I also have an article about how I recommend structuring that plan and what to include, so you could start there, first, and only consider the book if you want to go into more detail or want more advice on the process of creating your research question in the first place.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Victor,
Having published works certainly won’t hurt you, but I do not think it is a major factor in the evaluation.
If you are applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then the universities won’t be looking at your GPA too hard. That would be done at the embassy level and once you have passed the Embassy’s primary screening, that is generally good enough for the universities. (If you are applying for the university recommended MEXT scholarship, it would be a much bigger factor, at least used in cutting down the list of applicants in the first step of the review). In that case, I’m afraid to say that a qualifying GPA probably wouldn’t be enough.
I do not know why the system of counting years was changed. It isn’t something that MEXT made an announcement about, it just changed in the guidelines last year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i didn’t get how to convert grades for MEXT kindly guide me.
Hi Yasir Ahmed,
This entire article was about how to convert your grades. Have you followed all of the steps? If you tried and had a problem with a particular part, please let me know which part and what your specific question is so that I can try to help.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!!
I have a question for you about the last two years reference, this year I already graduated for almost two years from my recent grade
but I intend to apply for Mext via University recommendation next year. Could I still have the opportunity to getting it?
Hi Nisa,
The last two years refers to your last two years of study. It does not matter how many years ago it was. Even if you graduated five years ago, it would still mean the last two years that you were enrolled.
However, it seems that the “last two years” rule may have been eliminated last year. I am still trying to confirm, but for now, I would recommend calculating your grades for both the last two years and also all of the grades that you earned at the last university you graduated from.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have 3.61 CGPA but I’m a technology student DAE 3 years and after Bachelors in Mechanical Technology can I apply Masters degree plz tell me???
Hi Asad,
As I described in the article above, it is not possible to simply convert your CGPA. You need to convert the grades for each course individually then take the average.
If you have earned your bachelor’s degree, you should be eligible to apply for a Masters, but please check my article about the Eligibility Criteria to make sure you meet the other requirements, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for ur amazing post, I wanted confirm in case of uk grading system where 70+ is a first = excellent , 69-60 a 2.1 = very good, 59-50 a 2.2 = ok modest performance, 49-40 a Third= Weak answer pass and >39 as fail. If my understanding is correct 100 to 60 = 3, 59-50 = 2, 49-40 = 1 and >39 fail.
Uk university adopt level on their courses, usually first year exams are level 4, and second and third are level 5 and 6, would this apply for the Mext scholarship? ( is quite a hard question I guess).
I’m sorry for the multiple question(and possible additional that will arrive) and I really wanted to thank you for the amazing post, for trying to helping us that wants to go in Japan.
Hi Dilan,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
In the UK system with only First, Upper Second, Lower Second, and Third, yes, the breakdown that you described is the one I would use.
First/Upper Second = 3
Lower Second = 3
Third = 1
Some universities have a “Pass” below the third, which complicates things, but in your case, it seems clear.
I’m not sure what you mean about the exam levels though. That would not affect how MEXT calculates the grades, as far as I know, but if I’m missing something, please let me know!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Trevis,
Thank you so much for your reply, about the level is that some uni in the UK (I’m not sure how many will do in this manner) subdivided the subject into levels (4 to 6). Level 4 usually in the first year and not counted for the degree to level 5 and 6 which usually are the most valuable for ur degree grade(funny fact some level 6 are thought in master courses), but as I contacted my Embassy it seems that they are not really caring about this system, but it seems they want just a weighted average grade based on credits (of each subject).
But I want to thank you again so much because the guide u made really help me a lot through the application (no matter the result).
Thank you
Dilan
Hi Dilan,
Thank you for your kind comments!
In the past, MEXT only considered the last two years worth of grades in your application, but as of last year’s university-recommended MEXT scholarship, they now seem to consider a weighted average of all the grades earned over the course of your degree, regardless of the level.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Many thanks for this great guide, Travis. To confirm and elaborate upon what Dilan asked, I have completed a 1-year master’s degree in the UK with a final grade of 67/100.
I am still not quite sure about how to convert that one while I am doubtful on whether I still need to consider the last 1 or 2 years of my undergraduate degree as well.
Could you please enlighten me about this issue?
Hi Hasan,
You cannot convert your overall grade, you would need to convert your grades to the MEXT scale one-by-one and take the average of the total.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any clear guidance anymore about whether or not you need to convert the last year of your undergrad degree, as well. Up until last year, the instructions were clear that the last two years of grades must be included, even if they came from different degrees, but as of last year, the instructions were simplified. It appears that only your grades (all your grades) from your most recent degree are counted.
My recommendation would be to convert your grades both ways to make sure you meet the requirement in either case.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Do you have any updates on whether the “last two years” criteria still applies for Embassy-recommended applications? The other blog post “2020/2021 Embassy Recommendation MEXT Scholarship” shows only the last two years will be counted. If I only calculate the last two years of my degree, I will be eligible, but if I count all years in my last degree, I am not eligible.
Thanks,
Marei
Hi Marei,
Thank you for pointing that out! I only became aware of the change in the guidelines eliminating the “last two years” wording after I published that eligibility article and I hadn’t updated that one.
All I know for sure is that, as of last year, MEXT stopped telling universities to only calculate the GPA based on the final two years in the instructions that I have access to. I suspect that would apply to the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, too, but I do not know for sure, since I do not have direct access to the guidelines given to embassies.
Ultimately, though, the calculation method I present here is only for your own reference. There could be variations in how embassies factor in GPA, so I would encourage you not to give up just because of your calculation, especially if you’re close!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, i only have 1 year of university transcript as i received 3 years of credits exemption from a diploma programme. Is MEXT going to take into consideration my diploma transcripts as well?
Thank you.
Hi Alicia,
Only the credits earned in your most recent degree program should count, so that would be your 1 year of university grades. You would essentially be treated as a transfer student, so you would have to submit your transcript from the diploma program for reference, but only the university program grades will factor in to your eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis! I think I need a little help from you because I’m confused about the grading system, etc. I’m thinking about applying for the 2021 MEXT Scholarship but I’m having a hard time whether to continue it or not. The last school I’ve attended, which I finished Senior High School, does not actually give grades BUT it has an official marks in the transcript itself. It says that “[SCHOOL NAME] follows the non-graded system of Education. The only instance that a report card is issued to a learner is when he or she transfers to another school after completing a particular course or level. This is done solely to facilitate the evaluation of his or her transfer. [SCHOOL NAME] does not issue the quarterly numerical equivalents as practiced in graded schools.”
Official Marks would be:
• CMS (Completely Mastery of Skills) = 100-95
• SP (Skills Perfected) = 94-90
• SAP (Skills Almost Perfected) = 89-85
• GP (Good Performance) = 84-80
• CONT (Continuing)
• NSA (No Substantial Accomplishment)
Also, they don’t issue another original copy of my “grades”. My previous school is kind of “complicated/not a typical school” that’s why I’m having a hard time whether to submit my documents or not to the Embassy of Japan here in my country. Your answer will be a big help to me! Thank you.
*Applying for MEXT Scholarship in SPECIALIZED TRAINING SCHOLARSHIP
Hi Danah,
My area of expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students, so I am not familiar with high school systems and the exact process required for the Specialized Training Scholarship.
In general, though, whenever you have a special circumstance, I recommend consulting directly with the Embassy to get their feedback. After all, they are the ones that are going to make the judgement call on whether to accept your application and how to evaluate it, so their input is most important.
If you can provide documentation of the official marks system you described, then I do not see why that cannot be used as your grades for conversion. It sounds like a pretty straightforward 4-grade system (CMS/SP = 3, SAP = 2, GP = 1, NSA = 0).
As for your original document, a copy that is certified as being accurate by an official at the school can be considered an original.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again Travis
-If I’m aplying for a second Master, would they take into consideration my previous Master’s degree GPA or just the one of my Bachelor ?
-a second question is related to the way of choosing Universities, I was wondering should I choose high ranked and excellent Universities or stick with the less ranked ones to assure having more chances for admission ?
Thanks a million for your awesome efforts
Hi Imen,
They are going to count your GPA for the last degree you earned, so in this case, it would be for your previous masters.
I recommend that you ignore rank completely when choosing your university. Overall university rank often has nothing to do with the quality of education and might be based on only a specific field.
Instead, I recommend you choose your university based on the availability of the degree program you want to follow and the presence of potential advising professors there who are close to and can advise your research. Ultimately, the most important thing is how well that university can support your research goals.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
In this article says that only the last 2 years of the grades count. Is that really true?
I’ve read the guidelines published by the Monbukagakusho in Japanese, and it just says:
“Your GPA must be 2.30 (out of 3.00) or above in your most recent academic degree. If it is below 2.30, you are NOT eligible.”
But nowhere is it mentioned that only the last two years count.
This detail is pretty important to me. If it only counts the last two years then everything will be alright, but if not, I would have to take various electives to raise my grades.
Electives are counted as well, right?
I’ve recalculated my overall GPA for every grade in my undergraduate degree, and I concluded that there is no possible way to reach the cut off in the remaining semesters.
But if only the grades in the last 2 years count, then my GPA would be considerably high. This detail makes a big difference in my case…
Hi Quimi,
Based on your last comment, I discovered that the “two years” reference had disappeared in last year’s University Recommended MEXT Scholarship instructions, so I went back and updated this article then emailed everyone on my mailing list who might have read it or purchased one of my books in the past.
At the moment, I have no objective evidence to suggest that the “last two years” rule still applies, so it looks like all grades earned in your most recent degree will now be factored into the calculation, but there could be other guidance or clarification not publicly published, as well. (For example, grade calculation instructions to embassies has never been publicly published, only the instructions to universities). MEXT still does require that the submitted transcript show which year each course was taken in, so there may still be some consideration.
Right now, I cannot tell you for certain that you would not be eligible and if you are not applying this year, there is always a chance for another change in the future, so I do not want to encourage you to give up.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for you reply, Travis!
Lastly, I have another question. Do you think taking an extra semester would give a bad impression to reviewers? It’s not exactly due to bad performance, the grades in my lastest semesters are ok. I think it can be difficult to complete my thesis in just one semester, so I’m considering taking another. Also, I think this way I could rise slightly my grades and probably gain some time to make more paper publications.
Hi Quimi,
No, simply taking an extra semester is not likely to make a bad impression by itself. You might be asked to explain why you did it, but if you say that it was because you wanted to spend more time on your thesis research, I don’t think anyone would disapprove of that motivation!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Quimi,
Wow! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The rule about calculating only the last two years was clearly stated in MEXT’s instructions to universities up through the 2019 application cycle, but when I double-checked the instructions from the 2020 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship application, I see that the most recent two years reference was deleted. I had overlooked that change.
For now, it looks like all grades from your current degree will be considered, but there could be other instructions or clarifications provided directly to universities and embassies, so I cannot be completely sure. I will see what I can find out.
In the meantime, I would suggest that you calculate your grades both ways and make sure you qualify.
Yes, electives count in the calculation, though reviewers might notice if you suddenly take a bunch of low-level electives at once in a later year to pad your GPA (I knew people in university who took a bunch of language 101 courses in their final year to boost their grades. . .)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, having calculated my GPA I’m disappointed to see that I’m below the threshold thanks to an ill advised heavily weighted extra module I took on the side and a semester out, despite my degree being awarded merit status on graduation. However, I graduated 7 years ago and since have a fairly successful and high profile career in the specific area I’m looking to study my masters in, and will be able to provide a really strong reference to that effect. Will the embassy and university take that sort of thing into account or will my grades from nearly a decade ago forever put an end to my MEXT dreams do you think? Is it unheard of? Many thanks.
Hi Jemma,
The grade conversion guidelines I have written here are a description of how we did it at the university I worked for. To the best of my knowledge, this is the way it is done at every review stage, but there could be some room for interpretation with how specific grades are converted. Unless you are really certain, I would not recommend giving up solely because of the results of your conversion.
Ultimately, though, if you’re below the threshold, I do not think anything other than grades are going to help overcome that. I would suggest a better approach might be to explain that the extra module was not part of your degree program and see if you can get that ignored in the conversion. (I’m not sure what you mean be a semester out. . . If you were not studying for a semester, then that wouldn’t be one of the semesters used for your conversion. You would need to use the last four semesters that you did earn grades).
If all else fails, then I would unfortunately have to suggest that your way forward might need to include earning another degree elsewhere first, so that those grades are no longer considered in your eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travis,
hope you are doing well, i recently messaged the consulate of japan in my country, and asked them if it is mandatory to have a GPA of 2.3 and above to be able to apply, they answered me and said if it isn’t mentioned in the guidelines then it’s not mandatory, what should i do now?
thanks.
Hi Lawen Sardar,
The GPA requirement is not an eligibility requirement for your to apply. However, this is the standard used by all government funding and scholarships. (although it is higher in some cases).
I do not know the exact process at the Embassy, but I know that at the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, for example, the GPA requirement is never told to the applicants, but universities are not allowed to recommend anyone if their GPA is lower than 2.3. So, it’s not so much an eligibility requirement as it is part of the screening.
So, they are never going to tell you about this requirement, but I would still assume that it exists during the screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you so much for this article. I am not sure how to calculate the GPA with my grading system. Could you help me please ? In my case the grading system is as follow
A+= 100-96
A=95-85
B= 84-76
C= 74-65
D=64-60
If I understood well then A+ and A are equivalent to 3, B=2, C=1, D=0? because I think even with a D you pass the course so maybe I have to think in adding an F as a 0 but then I am not sure how to convert my grading system.
Thank you very much!
Hi Augustina,
In your situation, my best guess is:
A+/A/B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
But, I would have to see an explanation of the grading system that has qualitative indicators or a comparison to another country’s system to be sure.
In general, I recommend ignoring + and – in converting grades, so if you do that, your system becomes a simple A/B/C/D/F five-level system, so that is why I converted it as above.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you so much for your help!
Hello Travis, I’m Alya Dayna. Thank you for your articles and emails regarding MEXT scholarship preparation, I’m currently preparing for MEXT and I must say your emails really enlighten me.
However, I struggled with converting my grades to MEXT’s scale. I wonder if you could help me sort this out?
My university in Indonesia is using this type of grading system for the subjects:
A: EXCELLENT: 4.00
AB: VERY GOOD: 3.50
B: GOOD: 3.00
BC: FAIRLY GOOD: 2.50
C: FAIR: 2.00
D: Conditionally Pass: 1.00
Not forget to mention that my university used a scale of 1 to 3 credit points for each of its subjects.
Which one of the grading systems do you think I should use to convert my grades?
Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your help. I hope you stay safe during this pandemic.
Hi Alya Dayna,
Based on the scale you provided, I would convert your grades as follows:
A, AB, B = 3
BC, C = 2
D = 1
Usually, credits refer to the relative weight/importance of a course compared to the others (or rather, how many hours of instruction and study it required). Is that the case for you, or are the credits a reflection of your performance in the course? For example, do all students get the same number of credits per course, or does it differ based on performance?
If all students get the same number of credits, then you would multiply your converted grade for each course by the number of credits. Then, after you have totaled up all of those scores, divide by the total number of credits to get your final converted GPA.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I’m just wondering about this last 2 years thing. In the last two years I’ve gone in exchange where the grades do not count to my transcript and took a semester off to work. So I only did 7 subjects in the last two years (a normal load would be 16 subjects). How would my GPA be calculated? Would only 7 subjects be used?
Hi Jon,
I’m sorry the explanation wasn’t clear. Your GPA will be calculated based on your last 2 years of grades, not the last two calendar years. So, in a semester system, that would mean the last four semesters of grades on your transcript, even if they didn’t fall within the last two calendar years. (i.e. do not include the study abroad semester or the semester that you took off to work in the four semesters).
You will probably need to also submit a transcript from your study abroad program, though, even though the grades didn’t count toward your degree, so if you do not have a copy, it’s a good idea to try to get one soon.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I’ve noticed that mext rates grades with 69 as an F. Where i live our grading system is rated from 1 to 10. If you receive a 5.5 that means you passed but below that you failed. So does it mean that mext rates a 5.5 as a fail?
Hi Nana,
MEXT is not going to impose a Japanese grading scale on everyone’s grades. For example, there are some grading systems where a 69 is quite a good grade and might be translated as a B. You need to convert the grades from your home university’s system one by one into what the equivalent grade would be in MEXT’s system and then evaluate them.
In your case, if a 5.5 is the minimum passing grade in your system, that would be converted as a “1” and anything below that would be converted as a “0”.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
First of all really appreciating the information you shared in the blog as those are much useful and easy to understand ,
question: can you please tell me when can we apply for this MEXT scholarships?
Hi Shabir Ahmad,
There are two ways to apply for the scholarship: Embassy Recommendation and University Recommendation. (I introduce them more in my introductory article about the scholarship)
The Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application process usually starts in April each year, with the application guidelines being released by MEXT and posted on the Japanese embassy websites some time during that month, so I expect it to start any day now. I would recommend that you check the Japanese embassy’s website every day to see if the application has started yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travais,
so if only last two years count, do i still have to submit all the transcripts i have received as it says in the guidelines? or are the most recent two enough?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
You do have to submit all years, even if only the last two count for the eligibility criteria. Your earlier grades are still part of the consideration of your application as a whole.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travis,
if this is true about the GPA , why do they mention nothing about it in the guidelines?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
It is in the guidance that MEXT gives to universities to make their selections and nominations, but not in the guidance given to applicants. The guidance given to universities is only available in Japanese.
(Note: I do not have access to the guidance given to Embassies about the selection process)
It is possible that this condition does not exist in the guidance to embassies, but it is present in all of the other forms of application guidance I have seen, including the extension application process. Most applicants I saw that successfully received the scholarship were well above the cut-off line, so as a function of competition, I still think it is a good idea to calculate your GPA on this scale to see how competitive your application is on this basis.
However, if your GPA is below the 2.30 cut off and you still want to apply, please do not let me stop you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Thank you for your blog! It’s super helpful.
I have a question. I was an exchange student in Japan in the spring semester during my junior year. Should I include my transcript from japanese university to my calculation?
And on more. My department is Journalism and Mass Communication and it says that it’s better to apply for the same program as your bachelor degree. However, I wonder is it possible to apply for example to Media Design program in one university and to Mass Communication/Journalism program in the other two? Cause I found it interesting and I had different courses about graphic design and visual storytelling during my studies, so I want to do my research in this way. I thought maybe it would be possible to connect media and design since it’s a big part of mass media.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Aziza,
If the grades from your exchange did not transfer back to your home university (often, I see that credits transfer back, but on the home university transcript, they all appear as “pass”), then your grades from your exchange should not factor in to your GPA calculation. IF the grades from your exchange do appear on your home university transcript, then they will be counted.
In either case, the reviewers will definitely want to see your grades from your exchange university anyway, as a reference, so you should certainly include the transcript.
Regarding your major, both Media Design and Mass Communication seem to be related enough to be able to apply to either one. However, you can only submit one Field of Study and Research Program Plan, so you would need to make sure that there is a program and professor at each university you apply to where that FSRPP will work. It matters less what the graduate school name is and more that the contents of the research are the same at each university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travis, how are you doing? i hope you are doing well,if you could help me i would really appreciate it, im in my final year and wont receive a transcript of my final year at the time of the application,so i have to use the grades i have earned in my 3rd and 2nd year of my 4 year bachelor degree course, so in my second year i had 7 subjects 4 of them with 4 credits and the other 3 with 6 credits,in my third year how ever i also had 7 subjects this time 4 of them with 6 credits and the other 3 with 4 credits,this is the scaling system in my university:
0-49 weak/fail
50-59 pass
60-69 medium
70-79 good
80-89 very good
90-100 excellent
these are the grades that i have earned in my second year:
1-pass 6 credits
2-pass 4 credits
3-pass 4 credits
4-medium 4 credits
5-good 4 credits
6-medium 6 credits
7-medium 6 credits
and these are the grade of my third year:
1-pass 6 credits
2-medium 6 credits
3-medium 6 credits
4-good 6 credits
5-medium 4 credits
6-good 4 credits
7- very good 4 credits
Hi Lawen Sardar,
Given your grading system, I would suggest the following conversion:
weak/fail = 0
pass = 1
medium = 2
good, very good, excellent = 3
Use that conversion, multiply each converted score by the number of credits, add all those together and divide by the number of credits, and you’ll have your MEXT converted score.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thanks, but what is total quality points?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
Total quality points is the total number you get from multiplying each course’s number of credits by the grade value and adding them all up. (You then divide that number by the total number of credits to get your MEXT GPA).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
ok,and since there are 2 years, i have to add them and divide them by 2 right?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
No, you never need to divide by the number of years. For the purpose of this calculation, lump all your classes from the last two years together into one group. There is no need to distinguish between them.
You should be converting all of your grades course-by-course and multiplying each one by the number of credits, then divide the total by the total number of credits.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I intend to apply for MEXT this year. So I have been searching about it online and came across your blog. Thank you so much for all thos information.
I am curious about if i meet minimum GPA requirement. I am from Nepal and my university uses following evaluation scheme. I have don four years Bachelor in Engineering. The evaluation scheme as follows:
First Year weightage: 20%
Second Year weightage: 20%
Third Year weightage: 30%
Fourth Year weightage: 30%
Grading system:
Distinction : 80% and above
First Division: 65% and above
Second Division: 50% and above
I have obtained 72.90% (First division on aggregate). Do you think it meets the minimum requirement?
I am having hard time converting my scores into grades. My transcript and syllabus doesn’t mention anything about credit.
Hi Ramesh,
If your university does not have a credit weighting system, then treat all courses as if they are 1 credit.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Ramesh,
Only the most recent two years of grades are counted, so you don’t need to worry about the percentages for the years, if you have already finished your degree, since both of the last two years have the same weight.
For your grades, is there anything below Second Division? If second division is the lowest passing grade, then the simplest way to convert the grades would be:
Distinction = 3
First Division = 2
Second Division = 1
But if there is a second upper/second lower distinction or a lower grade, that could change.
You cannot convert your aggregate grade, that will not give you an accurate number. You have to convert the grades course by course and take the average after conversion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thank you for this article.
I read all your articles and I am halfway into your book, but, I have some difficulty with converting my grade points. I am from Nigeria and the grade point system isn’t consistent. My university uses a 6-bucket letter grade conversion scale where:
A- 100-70 (5)
B- 69-60 (4)
C- 59-50 (3)
D- 49-45 (2)
E- 44-40 (1)
F- 39-0 (0)
I don’t know if you’ll be free to help me, but, I’ll really appreciate your help.
Hi Oreoluwa,
Are there quality descriptions that go with the grades? Like A=Excellent, B=Very Good, C=Average, etc? That would be an essential clue to figuring out how to classify them, particularly at the lower grades.
I would suspect that A and B are going to convert to “3”, E would clearly be “1” but the most important distinction is where C and D would fall. C could be 3 or 2, and D could be 2 or 1. The quality descriptions (which show what those grades are relative to the university’s expectations) are going to be the clear deciding factor.
Also, if your university has any system to convert your grades to a foreign country’s system, such as the US or ECTS, etc., for the sake of student exchange or graduate school admission, that would be a huge clue.
Is there anything like that?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thanks for the prompt reply.
The quality of the grades are:
A- 70-100 (Excellent)
B-69-60 (very good)
C- 59-50 (good)
D- 49-45 ( fair)
E- 44-40 (pass/not really sure)
F- 39-0 (fail)
I’m definitely going to look up for a conversion system for exchange programs, right now, I’m not sure of any.
Thanks again
Hi Oreoluwa,
In the case of your grading system, I would think that anything “good” or above would be a 3, “fair” would be a 2, and “pass/not really sure” would be a 1. Typically, a score of 2 represents the average grade for that system, and anything considered good would be higher.
But that is just my assessment and I am not officially affiliated with MEXT or the application process. If you can find a conversion scale or other official source, I think that would be a valuable reference.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your guidance.
I have 4 year bachelor degree. You said that only last 2 years course credits are used to convert into mext GPA. Our University gives transcript for 8 semester or 4 year . So for mext application we have to convert our transcript for 2 years or not and i also like to know how we saw embassy people our mext gpa conversation? Any official conversation document required from our University or by our hand calculation.
In my University grade are calulated using this system
10- O – outstanding
9- A+ – excellent
8- A – very good
7- B+ – Good
6- B – Above average
5- C – average
4- P – Pass
0-F – Fail
We get this grade than we have to multiply with course credits and than divided with total credits of respective semesters.
Please give advice for all the questions.🙏🙏🙏
Hi Kaushal Vora,
As I tried to explain in the article above, yes, you only convert the most recent two years (four semesters) of your GPA to calculate your MEXT GPA. However, you do not need to do the conversion yourself and the Embassy (or university) will not accept a conversion that you complete or your university completes. They will always do it themselves. You just need to provide them with your transcript (for all years, not just the most recent two) and an explanation of the grading system, like you posted in this comment. Of course, it would have to be officially issued by your university.
The reason I suggest that you convert your GPA yourself is that a lot of applicants apply either 1) not knowing that they don’t actually meet the minimum requirement or 2) thinking their GPA is low/not competitive, when it actually converts to a higher score than they would expect. In the end, though, it is only for your own reference.
For the calculation, you do need to convert course by course, as I explained in the article.
For your system, I would suggest that
10-7 = 3
5 = 2
4 = 1
0 = 0
As for a 6 (B- above average), it could go either way. It could be lumped in with a grade of 5 and convert to a two, since it is less than “good”, but they might also be generous and group it with the 7-10 range, since it is better than “average”.
Since you are only calculating for your own reference, I suggest that you be as strict as possible with yourself and calculate a B- as converting to a “2”. That way, even if the embassy takes the strict interpretation, you should be prepared.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for all d info..My question is do students with very high/almost perfect CGPA have very higher chances of winning MEXT??
Hi Ayo,
Having a higher GPA will of course put you at an advantage over having a low GPA. But that’s not going to be enough by itself. It’s safe to assume that most of your competition is also going to have a high/nearly perfect GPA. To give yourself a good chance to earn the scholarship, you’ll also need a strong Field of Study and Research Program Plan and application strategy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Lovely article,
I am currently doing my 2nd Masters (Master of Research in Stem Cell Biology) University College London and I already have a Master of Science in Regenerative Medicine Merit 62% and I have a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry Lower second class which is 55%. I plan on applying for the Embassy Recommended Scholarship and as a NON-DEGREE SEEKING research student for 2 years and then plan to move to a PhD.
Do you think I am eligible to apply.
Best Regards,
Nauman
Hi Nauman,
As explained in the article above, your overall average percentage is not relevant. You need to convert your grades course by course to check your eligibility.
Since I do not have enough information, I cannot say whether I think you are eligible or not, but you should be able to check rather easily.
I will say that most students who want to move on to the degree-seeking program do not take two years as a research student first. Usually it’s only one semester or two, just until they can pass the entrance exam. So, since that would be unusual, you would probably need to be clear in your application about what you hoped to accomplish that would require two years of research status in addition to your PhD program, especially on top of your current academic background.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you! I have one question. To apply for PhD program, is it mandatory to include both undergraduate and postgraduate degree documents or only postgraduate degree documents are enough?
Hi Gemechu Bedassa,
You only need the degree document (certificate of graduation, etc.) for your most recent degree, but you need to submit your academic transcript for all previous university degrees.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
With the help of your ebooks and answers to my comments I have finished most of the application process for the University recommendation.
One last thing that I would like to know is whether I have to submit a proper grading scale along with the application. My transcripts do have a grading scale that shows the quality points. So, I have a scale that looks like
A | 4 quality points | Exceptionally high achievement
A- | 3.7 quality points
B+ | 3.3 quality points
B | 3.0 quality points | High Achievement
B- | 2.7 quality points
…..
The question I have is whether I have to submit a document showing that A is 90-100%, B is 80-90% ….
Because, even though 95% of my classes were graded that way, I did however have some classes that had A at 85-100%, B at 70-85% ….
Will the Japanese university consider my grades as a 5 level grading system regardless or will I have to provide a percentage point for each of the letter grades.
Thank you for your help
Shankar Chereddy
Hi Shankar Chereddy,
Ultimately, the embassy or university needs to be able to compare the grades that you were awarded in each course to the grades shown on the grading scale chart.
So, if you were awarded a letter grade in each course and that is what is shown on your transcript, then a grading chart that shows only the letter grades is fine.
If you have grades that show both a letter and percentage grade, then the grading scale that shows only the letters is also fine. However, if you have courses that show only a percentage, then you would need a grading scale that shows how percentages are evaluated.
Ultimately, based on your description, it sounds like your university uses the letters as the ultimate grade and evaluation of the quality of your performance, while the percentages that correspond to those letters are flexible. In that case, it should be the letter grade that gets used to calculate your GPA.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
Thanks for the reply.
I did my bachelors and masters in the USA. Some of the courses like Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry and Cell biology had a different percentage point for the specific grade. This was done only for a few courses, but none of this is ever mentioned in any of the official transcripts. The official transcripts only show the letter grade obtained for each course. The back of the transcripts has a scale that contains the letter grade and quality points awarded for each one of the letter grade. I asked my university registrar if they can provide me a form to show the grade percentage but they refused it saying each class can be different which is true. They suggested me to attach the grading scheme for all my courses instead, and that is quite a lot of paper to add to it. At present, I am planning to write a sheet explaining the grading system in detail and send it to my potential doctoral advisor.
Thank you for your reply
Shankar Chereddy
Hi Shankar Chereddy,
If only the letter grades are reflected on the transcript, that means that the difference in percentages doesn’t really matter. It sounds like some of your classes were graded on a curve, but there is nothing wrong with that.
I do not think there is any need for your to display the percentages in your application. The letter grade is your final and official grade. How each professor arrives at it is just a matter of the professor’s practice, and that should not be relevant to the application review.
Unless it is going to help you significantly to show the percentages instead of the letters, I would suggest that it is not worth your time and effort. The letters are the true and accurate grade.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Please, my school grading system is weighted as follows;
A (70-100) – 5
B (60-69) – 4
C (50-59) – 3
D (45-49) – 2
E (40-44) – 1
F (0-39)- 0
Please, how do I convert this to the 3.0 scale?
Hi Destiny Egwekhide,
It’s impossible to say for sure without seeing the qualitative descriptions for the grades (e.g. “excellent”, “average”, “poor”), but based on the usual distribution of letter grades, my guess would be:
A=3
B=3
C=2
D=1
E=1
F=0
Again, this is just a guess without knowing more about your system. In general, the grade equivalent to “2” should be the “average” grade in your system, and the rest should be based on that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the article, it is quite beneficial. In my university, seven point letter grade system is adopted as follows:
10=Excellent=Ex
9=Very good=A
8=Good=B
7=Fair=C
6=Average=D
5=Pass=P
0=Fail=F
Can you please comment an approximate conversion system for the above?
TIA
Hi Sagar Saren,
This is only my approximate guess, but I would convert as follows:
8-10 = 3
6-7 = 2
5 = 1
0 = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Firstly, thank you so much for running this blog. Its been of tremendous help to me and I’m sure to others as well. I’m not really sure of my interpretation of grades into the MEXT scale so please let me know where ive gone wrong. My university has the following grading system:
S++ – 95-100 – Outstanding
S+ – 90-94 – Outstanding
S – 85-89 – Distinction
A++ – 80-84 – Distinction
A+ – 75-79 – Distinction
A – 70-74 – First class
B+ – 65-69 – First class
B – 60-64 – First Class
C+ – 55-59 – Second Class
C – 50-54 – Second Class
D+ – 45-49 – Pass
D – 40 -44 – Pass
F – <40 – Fail
S++,S+,S – 3
A++,A+,- 3
A,B+,B – 2
C+,C,D+,D – 1
F – 0
And, I have an undergraduate in three majors – (Psychology, Sociology and Economics) – since it is a bachelor of arts degree, do you think Id be able to apply for anything in the arts and humanities dept?
Hi Prabhakar,
I might actually be a little more generous with the conversion at first guess, although it ultimately depends on how common it is to get grades between S++ and A+. In many of the “first class” systems that I have worked with, “first class” has been equivalent to a 3. So if that was the case, the conversion would be:
S/A/B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0
(Ignore all + and -, just refer to the letter).
However, your conversion method is certainly more conservative, so it would be a “safer” result.
As for your degree field, no, a BA would not mean that you can major in any arts or humanities field. Your field of study in Japan would have to be in one of your three majors or a field directly related to them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Could you take the time to answer my question please, so I graduated in majoring of chinese and english and my average is 🙁 2.45 out of 4.00 (4.00 scale), is it impossible to apply for the scholarship and is there any way if not accepted to apply or is there any scholarship that accept my average?
Thank you
Hi Shahd,
You need to convert your GPA to the MEXT’s 3.0 scale as described in this article, and you have to convert it course-by-course, covering the last two years. There is no way to tell based on an overall GPA on another system whether or not you would be eligible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I wrote you an email but maybe you can respond here. I got my masters degree in Belgium. The scale there as I understand it in my field is very unfair because a 12 out of 20 is converted into a 1 out of 3 on your Japanese scale. Can “Satisfactory” be considered a 2 out of 3 on the Japan scale? This 12 is converted into a B on the US scale (which would be a 2 in Japan) and a 12, or even a 10.5 out of 20 in France is a 2 in Japan. Based on my research a 12 out of 20 even at other faculties within the same university in Belgium would be considered Good, which should be a 2 out of 3. Virtually no one gets the 18,19,20 scores, so if the scale for me is unfair as I think it might be, you have basically 15,16,17 at a 3, but then only two scores, 13 and 14 are a 2. A 12 should also be a 2 regardless of the “description” that is given, because ultimately you are talking about a proportion, which shouldn’t differ from country to country.
Sorry the 12 is actually called “fair but with shortcomings” or “sufficient” in my faculty. In other faculties within the same university, the 12 is considered Good. I noticed one of your other readers said a 12 in France is “fairly good.” So the word “fair” is shared there.
In general, what you said I think about going by the descriptions is not how grade conversions work.. a score is a score.. if it is converted into the US GPA, it doesn’t matter what faculty you got the score from, a 12 out of 20 would be a B regardless of the subject.
It says on the faculty of my alma mater in Belgium that it is at the discretion of the recipient institution, and that the descriptions are not binding. So I’d like to know how it can be argued that that 12 is at that “2” level on the Japanese scale, based on what other faculties at the same institution describe it as, and also the corresponding conversions in France and the US.
Hi Philosophygrad,
It’s really impossible to compare scores across institutions that do not have a consistent grading scale. But as I mentioned in my previous comment, the important thing to consider is the range of scores. There is a clearly lower class of scores than satisfactory on the table that still count as passing scores, so those would have to have a value – 1 – and so Satisfactory would have to be higher than that (2).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Philosophygrad,
I looked up the KU Leuven grading scale and the grade distribution for their Institute of Philosophy, and I don’t think I would convert the grades the same way that you are.
The important thing to note when I look at the grading scale is that there is a score below “Satisfactory” – “Barely Sufficient” (10, 11). Since that grading category exists, that would translate to the “1” on the Japanese scale. Then Sufficient (12) and Satisfactory (13) would translate to 2, and anything higher would translate to 3. At least, that’s how I would have done it.
And I think that is a very generous translation. If you look at the grade distribution, it appears that a score of 12 puts you in the bottom 22% of scores.
On the other end of the scale, yes, I see that 18-20 are essentially impossible to obtain in that system (representing 7% of scores). But if you use the conversion method I proposed above, with 14 and higher being a 3, that represents 66% of all scores, which is an incredibly generous and favorable system. Even if, as you suggested, a 14 was a 2 and 15 or higher was a 3, you would still have 50% of scores falling into the “3” conversion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis. Yes I would agree that it is a fair conversion based on what you are saying. I was concerned before that a 12 and 13 would be rated as a 1 which would be rather harsh and unfair. 14 and up valued at 3 sounds reasonable to me!
I think the conversion becomes clear when you look at the 0-20 scale in terms of letter grade equivalencies. Then how it maps onto the Japanese scale is straightforward.
Hi Philosophygrad,
In general, the letter grade equivalencies should be based on the descriptions of the grades, which is the same standard that I used for my calculation method suggestion. An American “D” would match the description of barely sufficient, like the 10/11 grades there. A C would be sufficient or satisfactory, etc. Of course letter grades themselves differ from country to country, too. (US letter grades are not the same as ECTS letter grades, etc.). Japan universities are probably not going to translate your grades through another system to get to the Japanese one, but the principles are the same!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there,
Thank you for your very detailed post.
The grading system for my university is:
A+ 90 – 100 4.0 High Distinction
A 80 – 89 4.0 Distinction
A- 75 – 79 3.7 Distinction
B+ 70 – 74 3.3 Good
B 65 – 69 3.0 Good
B- 60 – 64 2.7 Good
C+ 55 – 59 2.3 Pass
C 50 – 54 2.0 Pass
C- 45 – 49 1.7 Fail
D+ 40 – 44 1.3 Fail
D 35 – 39 1.0 Fail
F < 35 0.0 Fail
Would the following be the correct way of converting my grades to MEXT's 3.0 GPA scale?
A+, A, A- = 3
B+, B, B- = 2
C+, C = 1
C-, D+, D, F = 0
Hi Joanne,
Your calculation looks perfect to me. Good catch in including the C- in the “fail” section/0 points based on the description, rather than relying just on the letter.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your response!
It seems like my GPA is only 2.47 after calculating it based on the formula from MEXT.. I hope my chances of getting the scholarship won’t be too low (I’m applying for the university-recommended MEXT scholarship).
Hi Joanne,
That was a particularly harsh conversion scale.
You are still eligible for the scholarship, but to be perfectly honest, that would be a relatively low GPA among applicants (assuming that the university calculates it the same way). There is always the chance, though, that the university calculates it on a more favorable scale, so don’t give up! You can also make up some ground on other applicants by having a strong and well-written Field of Study and Research Program Plan!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I quit college after two years because of some family problems and now I want to apply for MEXT as undergraduate.
Will my GPA be calculated from those two years in college or from the last two years of high school?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Damian,
This calculation is for the scholarship for graduate students and is based on university grades. For the undergraduate scholarship, your eligibility should be based on your high school performance. You would only have to submit a university transcript if you were planning to graduate from that university before starting your MEXT program.
For the undergraduate scholarship, I do not know for sure whether GPA is an officially considered factor. They may have minimum grades established for your country under it’s own system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I’m planning to apply as undergraduate. I quit college after 4 semesters and my grades are… well not good..
Since I’m applying as undergraduate will my GPA be calculated from those 4 semesters of college I quit or from last two years of my highschool?
Hi DJ,
As far as I know, if you are applying as an undergraduate scholar, then your high school performance should be the most relevant. My experience is primarily with the scholarship for graduates and I know that in that case, the GPA is a significant factor, but I do not know how grades are evaluated for the high school scholarship. Since the scholarship for undergraduates is primarily available via Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I would assume that they would be familiar with the performance standards in your country at the embassy.
Your previous college experience might come up in the application, though, so it never hurts to be prepared to address it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi –
Thank you for this excellent post.
I see that for the most part you are discussing grade conversions within the college or university context. I am wondering about high school conversions. My daughter is applying to U.S. colleges, but has attended (Japanese) school for her high school years. Therefore her entire transcript is based on the Japanese system (1 through 5). She is in The math/science tokushin course, but none of the classes are deemed ‘weighted,’ even though they are significantly more advanced than the sou-gou (regular) course. We are at a loss as to how to report the GPA and even provide a course listing on the college applications. *Any* ideas you have are welcome!
Thanks,
Jackie B
Hi Jackie B.,
I’ve never given much thought to converting grades in the other direction. Most of what I work with is applicants for grad school in Japan. But I’m going to have to deal with something similar personally when my own children start looking at college applications, too.
That said, though, I think it depends on the universities that your daughter is applying to in the US. Some will have experience accepting students from Japan and may even have experts on staff that can evaluate Japanese high school credentials without you having to do any conversion. You would need an official or certified translation of the transcript, but that should be it.
I looked up several universities (UC Davis, UMass, University of Richmond) that I work with regularly in the US and most were concerned primarily that applicants’ records show completion of high school. None asked for grade conversions or mentioned a specific minimum GPA, but all wanted official English translations of the transcripts in addition to the originals.
There should be some specific instructions for international students wherever it is that your daughter is considering applying, or at least a point of contact. I’m a big fan of contacting to ask directly!
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I graduated from university on 2018 and i’m reading the first book and i want to apply for the Embassy Scholarship. So this is my question: my last 2 years, i only took english class (second semester of 2016) and my graduation thesis (also second semester of 2017). Also, both have credits. do only these 2 courses count for my gpa?
Thanks for all the guides you gave us, they are great!
Hi Dario,
Thank you for purchasing the book! I hope you are finding it useful in your preparation.
It sounds like over the last four semesters, you have taken only one regular class, and then written your thesis. Were you taking a leave of absence during the other semesters? (The first semesters of 2016 and 2017)
My suspicion is that the university would calculate your GPA based on all of the grades that you earned over our last 4 full-time semesters, as well as any coursework that occurred more recently than that. If your thesis semester counts as a full time semester – in other words, if it appears on your transcript with a letter grade and a credit value equal to a semester of classes – then that would count as one of your four semesters. Otherwise, you should count backwards to the last four semesters that you were enrolled full-time and calculate your grades from that point forward, including all courses that you took in non-full-time semesters.
I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks, it happened as you said. I was absence on firsts semesters of 2016 and 2017. Also, my thesis and my project thesis counts 3 times more than a regular course (took it on 2nd semester of 2015)
I will recalculate my GPA.
thanks for your support!
Dario
Hi Dario,
I’m glad I could help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis, trank you for this great post, it answered most of my doubts about how to convert my grades to this crazy 3 point GPA scale. But there is one last doubt which i want some insight.
I am almost graduated, the only things felt are obligatory internship and graduation thesis. they are counted as courses and even have falling and passing grades and time credit hour. obligatory internship is basically working for a company and reporting back to university in order to get a grade and pass, its credit hour is 180 hours. Graduation thesis consists of writing a paper about something related to my major. It’s credit hour is 60 hours.
The problem with those is that they apparently have 0 credit assigned to them but still count as courses (they even show up on academic history report) so i am confused if they should be included in my GPA calculations. Can you provide me with some insight?
Hi Josué Lopes,
I’m a little confused. You mentioned first that the internship and the thesis both have credit hours, but then said that they had zero credits assigned. Which is it?
In any case, if the internship is pass/fail, then it would not count for the GPA calculation anyway.
For you thesis, if it has credits on the academic history report as well as a grade, then you would calculate it as part of the GPA. But if it has a grade and zero credits assigned, then it would not count. You need to have the credits in the equation.
If the semesters with the internship and thesis have only those grades, then they may not count as part of the two years calculated for your final GPA. It all depends on the system at your university and how well the university in Japan understands that.
To be safe, when you calculate your GPA for eligibility, I would recommend doing it twice: Once including the internship and thesis semesters in the calculation (even though they will have no grades or credits, still count them as part of the 4 semesters, so you would only have 2 semesters with actual grades and credits to calculate); and once again without counting the internship/thesis semesters (i.e. calculate your GPA based on the last semesters where you actually earned grades and credits).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I will try to explain it better. In my academic history report, the credit values for courses don`t show up, what appears there is the course name, it`s credit hour value, my grade and if i passed or failed it. The credit number only be seen on the internal system of my university.
So both the internship and the graduation thesis have numeric grades and credit hour associated with them but no credit value. That`s why I don`t know if i should include the internship and graduation thesis in my GPA calculation or not.
Also i would like to ask, what`s the probability of the mext staff in japan knowing about how brazillian university grades work to such an extent? How would they be able to calculate the GPA?
Hi Josué Lopes,
The “credits” I was referring to means “credit hours.” That is especially true if, as you say, credit hours are what appear on your transcript. I am not certain what the other credits system you are referring to is, but credit hours is what we need for this calculation. MEXT (or the university or embassy) are going to calculate your grade based only on what is shown on the transcript and the explanation of the system included there.
In your case, you would multiply your grade by the number of credit hours for each course. Since the internship and thesis have credit hours and a grade (not just pass/fail) attached to them, then yes, you would include them in the calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sakshi A 2019年10月31日
Hello sir,
Thank you for all the information you provide on your page. It surely is helping me loads.
My question is how am i supposed to get a transcript from my college in the first place. i have no idea whatsoever. Also if i’m taking re-examinations for a term that i might’ve failed (called as allowed to keep terms -ATKT) how is that going to resurface in my academic statements?
Hi Sakshi A,
Usually, there would be an office of student records or a registrar, or whatever the equivalent is in your country, that has control over students’ transcripts (the word for transcripts might also be different in your country, but it should be whatever is the record of your academic performance). If you don’t know what office to contact, perhaps your advisor can help point you to the right one.
If you are trying to retake exams for a semester that is currently marked as “failed” then it would probably still be on your record as failing grades at this time, until the new grades are recorded. That is going to hurt your overall GPA, of course. But, if that semester was not within the last 2 years (4 semesters), then it will not affect your eligibility or GPA as it counts for the scholarship. Only the last 2 years of your academic record count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sir,
Thank you very much
There’s one more question I have; once the new grades are given out will only those in the transcripts?
Or the old ones will be included as well?
Hi Sakshi A,
That is entirely up to your university’s policy and practice. I’m afraid there is no way that I could know.
Please inquire with your university registrar or academic advisor.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
I’m in my last semester of a four year bachelors degree program. Can I apply as result awaiting candidate or with my transcript of last 7 semesters or with a hope certificate.
Thanks.
Hi Huma,
Yes! You can apply while still enrolled. You would need your most up-to-date transcript and a Certificate of Expected Graduation that shows that you are expected to graduate before the scholarship period in Japan begins.
I have written more about that certificate and the other required documents in my articles about the required documents for the application. (There are different articles for the Embassy and University applications, but you can find them all on the MEXT scholarship top page).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for telling us the Scholarship and GPA calculation. Can you provide me a list of universities, there I will join for Accounting Ph.D. Actually I’m a Chartered Accountant. Currently, I’m teaching on various platforms.
Hi Yousaf,
I have another article all about how to find professors and universities in Japan that teach your field in English. That should help you get going in the right direction!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I’m glad that I found this blog just when I started for looking graduate programs in Japan. I’m so dishearted to find that the deadlines for April 2020 session are all almost over. It’s really hard to find when we should apply for MEXT. I’m totally confused about it. I’m planning to buy your guide very soon.
As for the MEXT GPA is concerned, I don’t know if I calculated it correctly or not. My under-grad was of 4 years. I repeated 2 of my courses in last two years. 1 course was from my 2nd year and other one was from my 3rd year. What should I do about these repeated courses? And following is my scale. How should I proceed with further calculations?
A+ = 4
A = 3.7
B+ = 3.3
B = 3
B- = 2.7
C+ = 2.3
C = 2
C- = 1.7
D = 1
F = 0
Hi Sehar,
I’m sorry to hear that you missed the deadline this year. The process does start well in advance.
Your next chance is going to be for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship to start in Sept/Oct 2020. That application process should be starting soon, but the exact timeline varies depending on individual universities. If you know the university that you want to apply to, I would recommend that you start checking their website on a regular basis to look for updates.
As for calculating your GPA, unless your transcript specifies a different system, then your grades look like a straightforward 5-level system. Ignore the plusses and minuses and it fits exactly into the chart in the article above.
Your university’s transcript or grading system should indicate how retakes are handled and the Japanese university would use that explanation to convert your grades. For example, in some cases, the retake grade erases the old grade. In others, the university takes the average of the two. Try to figure out how those grades are handled in your situation and follow the same guidelines for converting them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
I’m a little confused on how to calculate my MEXT score. You mentioned that the MEXT score should be calculated based on my last 2 years of study. I have a bachelor’s degree (3 years) and a master’s degree (1 year). So should I calculate my credits based on my final year of bachelor’s degree and my master’s degree? Additionally, my bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees were done at different universities. Would this affect how the credits and quality points are calculated?
Thanks.
Hi Zara,
Yes, you would calculate your Master’s and your final year of your Bachelor’s degree grades each independently, using the appropriate scales for each one. It is not going to affect how the credits and quality points are calculated since you won’t be putting the two scores together until they are each converted to the respective MEXT scores.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
my total score is 61%
Am i eligible to apply for graduate program?
Hi Obidjon,
A significant point of this article was that you can’t convert your total score and that the score conversion depends on your country’s system.
I recommend that you re-read it carefully and figure out how to convert your grades in your case, since it is different for everyone.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Could you please convert this:
A=4
A-=3.7
B+=3.3
B=3.0
B-=2.7
C+=2.3
C=2.0
C-=1.7
D+=1.0
E=0
This GPA Scale: 4.0
Hi Citra,
This looks like a classic 5-level system to me. Just drop the + and – and swap the E for an F, and it should convert just like the chart in this article.
The only exception would be if your transcript has an explanation of the grading system that explicitly groups the grades differently with qualitative descriptions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there!
Is it really true that only the overall GPA of your last two years of study is going to be taken into account when awarding the schoalrahip? I really need to be sure about this.
Btw, which of the following can help win the scholarship?
Academic essays, top IELTS score, N1.
I like to study Japanese literature or linguistics btw.
お疲れさまです。
Hi Ali,
Yes, your GPA is calculated using your last 2 years of grades, only.
Everything you listed can help a little bit, but none of them are that significant. Language scores are only important in terms of meeting the minimum eligibility requirements. The most important factors are your GPA and the quality of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I was wondering if you could help me work out my GPA. I have an British degree with a overall British grade of an high 2:2 (lower second class degree). My university has a 15 point grading system: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/71777/UAL-Marking-Scale-15-Point-Marking-Scale-and-Marks-Calculation-for-students-enrolled-FROM-September-2017.pdf
Do you think I am eligible to apply?
Merowe
Hi Merowe,
It isn’t possible to convert an overall grade accurately. You would need to calculate each grade individually and take the average after converting it to the Japanese system. It will give different results, since Japan converts grades in buckets that do not distinguish between a 10 and a 15 on your scale.
My recommended conversion scale would be:
15-10 = 3
9-7 = 2
6-4 = 1
0-3 = 0
That is not an official scale, but that is what I have used in the past for honors classification conversions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
I am currently pursuing my undergraduate course which is a 3 year degree program .We have 6 semesters in total and for now I have 5 seperate grade cards . Our university provides us with the total marks along with SGPA.
And according to MEXT’s preliminary application form they have mentioned that “if you are currently pursuing a course,then write your marks until your last semester/year”.
So what should I write in the “percentage only field”?
Since they have mentioned I need not write CGPA should I aggregate the 5 semester’s result and write the percentage or just mention the percentage of last semester which is 5th sem?
Or should I mention all the 5 semester’s seperate percentages?But that would mean I have to drag the original table in the form
Hi Miki87,
I have only heard of the form you are referring to existing in Pakistan – is that where you are applying?
The pre-screening is not an official MEXT process and there are no guidelines that I have access to, so I cannot answer those questions with as much confidence as I would inquiries on the actual application.
My understanding, based on a previous applicant’s comment, is that you should write your percentage for each course, not each semester and not an aggregate. That might mean that you have to expand the table.
If you want to send a link to the actual form, I might be able to offer clearer advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there!
Is it ok if there is an interval of one or two years between my graduation and my applying for the scholarship?
By the way, I did a bachelor’s in Japanese language and literature in Iran and I would like to apply for a field related to my degree, something like Japanese language/linguistics or Japanese art and culture. Based on your experiences, what kind of fields can be more interesting to the examiners? Any special priority in fields like the ones I mentioned?
Thank you so much.
Hi Ali,
Yes, it is perfectly fine if there is a gap of a few years between finishing your past degree and applying for the MEXT scholarship!
The fields that appeal to reviewers is going to vary from person to person and country to country. In some cases, that Japanese embassy will have worked with your home country government to limit the eligible fields of study for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, so I would recommend checking their website for more information.
If there are no limitations, then it is all about how well you convince them of the value of your research and how it will benefit the relationship between your countries. I wrote about that more in my article about application strategy, so I would recommend that, if you haven’t read it yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I have managed to compute my GPA based on the MEXT Scale, and I am still concerned about my incomplete grade in sports when I was in college. While I was able to change that grade to a passing one a semester after (and it was indicated in the transcript of records from the school) and that the course itself was not credited by the university, I am not sure how the embassy will compute the grade or look into it. However, if I account the grade as zero in the GPA, I still got a GPA of around 2.90.
Will this grade significantly affect my chances of getting the scholarship through the Japanese embassy?
Thanks
Hi Mark,
I’m afraid that without seeing your transcript, I might not be able to give you a certain answer.
If the incomplete grade was updated and no longer reflected in your final transcript, it would not be a problem. As far as I know, final transcripts at most universities never include incomplete grades. It has to change to either a pass or fail in the end.
If it was a pass/fail grade to begin with, then it should be out of the calculation, anyway.
I do not see any reason why it would affect your chances negatively.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks for the reply
The university includes incomplete grades on its transcript of records, but it does not show credits until the grade was completed due to re-examination or submission of requirements.
While the subject had a numerical grade, it was not included in the computation for the university’s average and is instead indicated with (2) hours, meaning that the course are 2 hours per week but the parenthesis indicates that the course is not credited. However, the transcript of the university did not clarify this, so I wonder how the Japanese embassy will look into it.
Since it had a numerical grade, and the fact that the transcript had not been clear about its actual credits, I actually am concerned at how the embassy will consider that grade, both in computing the average and the fact that it took an additional term to completed.
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
It should not be a problem that the course took an additional term to complete.
If there is an explanation or legend on your transcript that shows how to treat grades with credit numbers in parentheses, then the Embassy would follow that. If there is not a guide on your transcript showing how courses in parentheses should be counted, I would recommend obtaining additional documentation from your university to explain it in order to ensure that the grade is calculated as intended.
In the worst case, even if it is counted, the calculation you indicated before shows that your grades would still be well above the cut-off line, so you should have nothing to worry about in terms of eligibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Also, I have two more physical education courses that I had incomplete grades, but they are no longer included in the latest two years that MEXT needs for its computation of GPA since I took these courses three to four years ago. Will I still need to be concerned about this?
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
No, only grades within the last 2 years count for the calculation, so you do not need to worry about them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello transenz! I will probably try MEXT (embassy) this year but in case I don’t pass, I am planning on trying MEXT after completing a master’s I jsut started this year. I have 2 questions:
1) Here you only need to do 5 courses and sometimes they can be done in 1 year. In this case would I use the last year of my undergraduate to calculate the GPA? What if I do 4 courses in 1 year and 1 course one year later? Then the GPA would be calculated only for my graduate courses?
2) Another question: the graduate courses already have a 4 letter scale (failed, C, B and A) however the the A grade is reserved only for the top students in each course. Usually to get that grade you need more than 90% of marks. This means that sometimes you can’t get even 1 question wrong in an exam, and sometimes nobody can get an A. To get a C you need 70%, which is an A in some places! Do you think there is a chance that the embassy will take this in consideration? Also if I get 2 As and 3 Bs my GPA would be 2.4. I think if I study hard I can get that GPA but is it ok to get a barely enough GPA? Or top national universities are expecting a GPA near 3?
Thank you a lot!
Hi Vinicius,
1) If your master’s degree takes only one year, then your grades would be calculated based on that year plus the final year of your undergraduate degree. If it takes two years, even if the courses are divided the way you say, then your grades should be calculated only based on your Master’s degree.
2) That is a particularly brutal GPA system, but unfortunately, no, your grades could not be compared to other universities where 70% is an A (in those systems, it is theoretically just as difficult to get a 70% as it is to get a 90% in yours – at least, that’s how it ought to be). A 2.4 GPA is not very competitive for the MEXT scholarship, unfortunately. You may have an easier time going through the Embassy-Recommended MEXT application process where the embassy understands your local system better. (If you apply via the embassy, the university will not pay so much attention to your GPA, since you would have already passed the primary screening by then).
Given the strictness of your grad school GPA system, I would encourage you to try to complete your Master’s in 1 year so that your undergraduate grades can be factored in as well and hopefully make up for the strict grad grading.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I am hoping to apply for the undergraduate program for the up and coming 2020 scholarship, do you have any idea what their requirements were for the GPA for undergraduate degrees? Additionally, they ask us to submit the transcript of the last institution attended, I was taking a few classes and enrolled in my local community college but had to drop them due to issues at home, before that are my high school transcript, which I obtained my diploma from. Do you know if they will want the transcript from my college? I don’t think it will look very good to see I’ve dropped 3 classes.
Hi Tara Russell,
As far as I know the GPA requirements for undergraduate students and graduate students are the same.
Your transcript/converted grades should be from the last institution that you attended and graduated from (or are expecting to graduate from before starting the MEXT scholarship). If you took a few community college courses without the intent to earn a degree there before starting your MEXT scholarship, then that should not be included in your calculation, as far as I know, and you would not need to submit the transcripts or certificates from there, just from high school.
(In general, though, dropping out because of family issues should not be a major problem for your application – you would have the opportunity to explain that in the notes, anyway.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I just barely passed 2.30 with a 2.38 lol!
Hi Tara,
I’m glad to hear that you cleared that hurdle!
But with a borderline GPA, you’re going to need to put extra effort into nailing the Field of Study and Research Program Plan to impress the reviewers.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sir,
Thank you so much for the valuable information. My university uses relative grading system i.e. based on the number of students and the person with highest marks out of hundred, grades for the rest of the class is calculated.
This is link with the rules and formula. http://www.pondiuni.edu.in/sites/default/files/downloads/syllabus%20-%20biochemistry_090216.pdf
X to (X-K)+1 A+ 10
(X-K) to (X-2K)+1 A 9
(X-2K) to (X-3K)+1 A- 8
(X-3K) to (X-4K)+1 B+ 7
(X-4K) to (X-5K)+1 B 6
(X-5K) to 50 C 5
Below 50 F 0
Failure due to lack of attendance FA 0
K = (X-50)/6 where, K= class interval, X= the highest mark in the subject.
K should not be rounded off to less than two decimal places.
So following this rule even if I get 60 out of 100 I can still get an A+ if the highest scorer got something like 61 or 62.
Can you kindly give me an idea about how should I consider my grades?
Thank you.
Hi SOMENATH SEN,
Thank you for the detailed description. What does your university actually print on your transcript for your grade for each class? Is it the marks, the letter grade, or both?
That is going to be an important factor in how your grades get converted into MEXT scores. (If they print the letter grades for each course, then you would simply convert the grades as A, B, C, and F, using the 4-level system).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My university prints both letter grades as well as the marks. In that case what would be considered ?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Somenath Sen,
Since the meaning of the marks is variable and the letter grades are what are used to determine your ultimate academic merit, I would assume that the letter grades would be used for the conversion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Somnath ..i am from also pondi uni n i am litlle confused coz my grade is 8.50+ then how could i convert into mext grade ?
Hi Wazed,
It is not possible to convert an overall average. You would need to convert each of your grades from the past two years individually.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Idk if this thread is still active. Ours breaks down to:
A 4.0-3.9
A- 3.8-3.5
B+ 3.4-3.2
B 3.1-2.9
B- 2.8-2.5
C+ 2.4-2.2
C 2.1-1.9
C- 1.8-1.5
D+ 1.4-1.2
D 1.1-0.9
D- 0.8-0.7
E 0.0
Hi Mena,
Every thread on this blog is still active, if someone wants to comment!
I cannot be sure without seeing if your university has a specific explanation of the grading scale (such as giving value descriptions to the different grades), but the system you described looks like a clear-cut 5-level system as I described in the article.
In that case, you would ignore all + and -.
A = 3
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
E = 0
Unless your transcript specifically says that it should be interpreted differently, and assuming you have a letter grade assigned for each course, not a GPA number, the description above should hold.
Let me know if I am reading that wrong!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz
I want to know when will be the application of mext scholarship will start on which date in the month of april
Hi Mega,
I saw that you had asked the same question on another page and answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i have a small question :
if i don’t know how to convert my scale to japanese scale or mext ,but i can convert it to US scale
can i convert to US scale then convert it to MEXT ?
thanks
Hi Mouad,
If you can convert your grades to a US scale, you should be able to convert them directly to MEXT’s scale. Just use the corresponding grades from the US-MEXT conversion.
When the university or embassy converts your grades, they will go directly from your home country to MEXT’s scale. If you convert it any other way, you risk there being a difference in math. It probably won’t be a significant difference, but I just wanted to mention that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
according to scholaro website i found this :
this is from my country to US grade
15 – 20 Très Bien (Very Good) A+
13 – 14.99 Bien (Good) A
12 – 12.99 Assez Bien (Fairly Good) B+
11 – 11.99 Passable (Satisfactory) B
10 – 10.99 Moyen (Sufficient) C
0 – 9.99 Insuffisant (Insufficient) F
i’m not sure if B+ is going to have GPA3 or GPA2 in that case !
also,,applying for the research student MEXT SCHOLARSHIP , should i calculate only two last years or all bachelor degree’s semesters ( 6 semesters ) ?
thank you very much
Hi Mouad,
You would calculate only the final two years of your bachelor’s degree (though you will have to submit your transcript for the entire period).
Based on the calculation chart you submitted above, I would calculate your grades as follows:
15 – 20 Très Bien (Very Good) A+ = 3
13 – 14.99 Bien (Good) A = 3
12 – 12.99 Assez Bien (Fairly Good) B+ = 2
11 – 11.99 Passable (Satisfactory) B = 2
10 – 10.99 Moyen (Sufficient) C = 1
0 – 9.99 Insuffisant (Insufficient) F = 0
That is assuming of course that the reference you found is accurate. I am not aware of any conversion situation where a B+ would be lumped in with the A-range. In most cases, you would ignore + or -, except in situations where the transcript is accompanied by a grading chart that specifically says that – grades should be included with the next lowest group.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you for the replay
in our grades system we have credits as well as coefficient for each module , im not sure if i should multiply by the coefficient and the credit or only the credits !
but ive tried and i did the multiplication by the credits only and i found 2.16 which means that im not eligible for the scholarship 🙁
thank you very much travis san
Hi Mouad,
I’m afraid I’ve never heard of a coefficient existing in addition to credits, so I do not have any direct experience in calculating in that system.
Keep in mind that the calculation method I suggested before is not official, it is just a guess based on the information you shared with me. It could change if there was an explanation of the grading system included with your transcript that made things clearer.
If you graduated among the top quarter or third of your class, then your GPA should calculate out to an eligible GPA, in most cases. So if that is the case, then there is probably a difference in the calculation method from what I suggested.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello TranSenz
our scale is like this :
A between [18=>20]
B between [16=>18]
C between [14=>16]
D between [12=>14]
E between [10=>12]
F under 10 (failed)
how can i calculate the mext gpa in that case ?
thanks in advance
Hi Kaikun,
Are there any descriptions that go with the grades (for example, “excellent”, “average”, “poor”)? If so, those would be important to determining the conversion. If not, the best I can do is guess based on the usual values (and meaning of a “C”) as follows:
A between [18=>20] = 3
B between [16=>18] = 3
C between [14=>16] = 2
D between [12=>14] = 1
E between [10=>12] = 1
F under 10 (failed) = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, question about GPA calculation!
I completed my undergrad degree in the US but of my last 2 years of grades, 1 year was study abroad in Japan. On study abroad, I earned 20 credits of “S” and 10 credits of “A” on the Japanese university’s transcript. However, on my home university’s transcript it was reflected as 20 credits of “A” and 10 credits of “B”. Obviously this would make a big impact on my MEXT GPA (since S or A = 3, but B =2 )…. and that would mean a MEXT GPA of 2.57/3.00 vs. 2.72/3.00 for me.
(The other year was at my home university, 26 credits of “A” , 3 credits of “B”, and 8 credits of “C” according to the US system.)
So…my question is would they use the grades on the Japanese transcript (since it was the Japanese system where I earned them) or how my home university (American) calculated those study abroad courses on my transcript? Would my MEXT GPA be 2.57 or 2.72..? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Vera,
In general, grades earned during study abroad do not count unless the actual grade is reflected on your home university transcript and factored into your GPA. (Though you will still likely have to submit the transcript from the Japanese university as reference).
Since the grades are reflected on your home university transcript, then you would use those grades.
If your university in the US uses the ABCDF system, then A and B should be 3, C would be 2, and D would be 1. So, in that case, I think your GPA is going to be a bit higher than you anticipated.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
Could you please help me with converting my university’s grading system into the MEXT system? This is the grading system from my academic transcripts
% of Marks Grade Grade Points
Above 80 A 10
75-80 A- 9
70-75 B 8
60-70 B- 7
50-60 C 6
45-50 C- 5
40-45 D 4
35-40 E 3
Below 35 F 0
Thank you, sir
Hi Ipshita Dutta,
I could make a guess based on the information you shared, but without seeing your university’s or country’s formal explanation of the grading system (i.e. descriptive indicators of which grades are average, good, exceptional), it is only a guess.
That said, my best guess would be:
% of Marks Grade Grade Points: MEXT GPA
Above 80 A 10: 3
75-80 A- 9: 3
70-75 B 8: 3
60-70 B- 7: 3
50-60 C 6: 2
45-50 C- 5: 2
40-45 D 4: 1
35-40 E 3: 1
Below 35 F 0: 0
This would be the 5-bucket system with D and E grouped into a single bucket at 1.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
Thank you for your reply. This is the explanation for each grade in my university.
% of Marks Grade Grade Points
Above 80 A 10 Outstanding
75-80 A- 9 Excellent
70-75 B 8 Very Good
60-70 B- 7 Good
50-60 C 6 Average
45-50 C- 5 Below Average
40-45 D 4 Marginal
35-40 E 3 Poor
Below 35 F 0 Very Poor
Thank you
Ipshita Dutta
Hi Ipshita Dutta,
Thank you for sharing that information. That is more or less what I had assumed, so based on what you shared, I would stick with my previous assessment.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Travis!
First of all, thank you so much for your helpful and detailed articles, I’m researching for the MEXT scholarship and this have been the best.
My cuestion. I’m an architect from Chile and I would like to study a masters degree in Japan. I did a 6 year university program with which I’m able to practice as an architect in Chile. My last 2 years of school were my final research project and final design project respectively. So, should I just count this 2 grades for the MEXT GPA?
And an unrelated to this post cuestion, I’m currently 32 years old, it’s a pretty normal age here to seek a masters degree unless you specialize in research. But I was wondering if in Japan maybe I’ll be too old? Would it play against me in the selection of candidates? What do you think?
Thanks!
Daniela
Hi Daniela,
For your grades, yes, in your case, it would be based on just the final research project and final design project, assuming that you received grades for those. If you did not receive grades for them, then you should refer to the part of the article that covers applicants with no grades.
As long as you are under 35 as of April 1 on the year that your scholarship will start, your age should not be a factor. 32 is older than many Japanese students would be, but Japanese society in general does not seem to support mid-career degrees. However, universities are used to accepting international students around that age, and you could even use it to your advantage if you can explain how your professional experience in the meantime makes you a better candidate or more likely to succeed in your goals after your degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I have a question that’s been bugging me for some time now. My gpa Is above with the mext minimum but iv already begun my second college semester. Would I need to calculate my first college semester from last year into my gpa?(it was only one class) Would they need my collage transcript as well as my high school transcript as well?
Thanks for your time.
(P.s. your book on mext is very helpful)
Quick follow up.
My high school transcript grade credits measured in 1.000 and .500 (both of these credit measures mean the classes were passed and full credit was received) to make it easier to adjust my gpa could the classes with the passing credit of .500 be rounded to 1.000?
Thanks again.
Hi Shelby,
I’m afraid that I am not familiar with the system you are referring to and would need more context to understand the question. If 1 and .5 refer to the credits awarded for the courses, then my understanding is that a 1-credit course would carry twice as much weight as a 0.5 credit course in calculating your GPA. In that case, you should not round (and I cannot think of any situation where rounding would be appropriate).
I’m sorry that I could not offer more specific advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Shelby,
Thank you for your kind words about the book. I am glad that you have found it helpful!
I want to make sure I understand your situation. It sounds like you have already started an undergrad program (part-time?) in your home country, but you are planning to apply for the MEXT undergraduate scholarship, then, if you get it, quit your current degree and start over in Japan. Is that right?
In that case, since you would not be intending to finish your college degree, you would not include that in your academic history or in your GPA calculation. Your GPA calculation should only be based on degree programs that you were enrolled in full-time and intend to complete.
At least, that is my understanding based on how the calculation worked with Master’s degree students who were planning to leave their current programs. You may want to double check with the embassy when you start your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, is this GPA also one of the requirements for scholarship when you apply as a Japanese studies student?
Hi JR,
The articles on my site are primarily focused on the scholarship for graduate students, so all of the eligibility criteria and other specific instructions apply to that category of scholarship.
There is no GPA requirement for Japanese studies students, but you would be required to have at least N2 level Japanese.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am from Indonesia. I wish to apply MEXT scholarship in this year. Thank you very much for sharing this helpful guidance!
I am facing a problem in GPA conversion. Would you mind helping me, please ? My university has given criteria as follow:
A 4
AB 3.5
B 3
BC 2.5
C 2
D 1
E 0
I would be very grateful to you. Thank you very much.
Regards,
Hi Karin,
I would really have to see if there was any explanation of the grading system that accompanied your transcript to tell for sure how to convert your grades. For example, something that showed which grades are considered “average” which ones are failing, and which are good or excellent. Without that, anything I say is just a guess.
My best guess, based on what I could find about Indonesian grading systems online, is as follows:
A 4 = MEXT 3
AB 3.5 = MEXT 3
B 3 = MEXT 3
BC 2.5 = MEXT 3
C 2 = MEXT 2
D 1 = MEXT 1
E 0 = MEXT 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you for your article. I am preparing the required documents for this year (my desired university has already announced the MEXT University recommendation). However, my transcript is not divided into semesters so I am not sure how to calculate the latest 2 years (maybe cut it half?). I have attached my transcript here: [REDACTED] (shared with your email [REDACTED]. Could you please have a look at it and tell me whether I am eligible for MEXT University Recommendation?
Thank you very much for your time.
Hi Mani,
Unfortunately, I do not have a google drive account associated with the email address you used, so I am not able to access documents sent that way. I have removed the link so that nobody else can access your transcript, either.
In general, I would handle any individual document reviews or one-on-one feedback through a coaching session. If you are interested in coaching, you can find out more here.
In general, though, if your transcript does not clearly state when you took each class, then you would need another official document showing the order you took them, so that the university/embassy and MEXT can tell which courses fell within the last two years. Your transcript does not need to me divided by semesters to meet this requirement. If it is divided by years, or if each course shows the exam date or completion date, that would be enough information to determine which courses fall within the last two years.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Thank you very much for your time and the fruitful explanation for each one questions.
I am applying to pursue the Ph.D. program through a university recommended MEXT scholarship and I also have a few clarifications.
For the GPA calculation and conversion for MEXT scholarhip, how would be the following grading system of our university in Sri Lanka,
100-80= A+ = 4.00
79-75 =A =3.7
74-70=B+=3.30
69-65=B=3.00
64-60= C+= 2.7
59-55= C= 2.30
54-50=S=2.00
49-0= F=00.
Further, this is my undergraduate GPA (2011) but I have just completed my MPhil in Agricultural Biology by research for this degree program there is no grading system at all.
please, what can I do for this? please explain a little bit about this also
Hi Mr. N. Thiruchchelvan,
How long was your MPhil program? If it was two years, then only your academic performance from that program would count. See the section of the article titled “What if you Don’t Have Grades” for more information.
If the MPhil was less than two years, then you would need to include your undergraduate grades, too. In that case, my best guess for how to convert your grades would be as follows:
100 – 65 (4.00 – 3.00) = 3
64 – 55 (2.70 – 2.30) = 2
54 – 50 (2.00) = 1
49 – 0 (0) = 0
That is just a guess, though. I would need to see the transcript’s grading guide to be more confident.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
My name is Lokesh Mopuri from India. I wish to apply for the MEXT scholarship through the University recommendation. My university grading is based on 10 GPA scale from 10 to 4, and our evaluation as follows:
S- 10
A-9
B-8
C-7
D-5
E-4
U-0
Could you please guide me how to convert my GPA into MEXT GPA and what is the equivalent MEXT Grade to my local Grade.
Thank you.
Lokesh
Hi Lokesh Mopuri,
I’m afraid that the scores you listed do not give me enough information to attempt the conversion. I would need to know more about where the passing cut-off, etc., is or the relative quality description of the grades.
If you have that information, you can use the instructions in this article to do the conversion. If you would like me to do it, I can do that through a coaching session (see the link at the top of the page for information on applying for coaching).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thanks for the reply.
I am writing here to obtain clarification over the conversion to MEXT GPA. The grading system provided by Indian Institute of Technology, Madras are in letter grading and its grade points are as follows.
Grade || Grade points||
S || 10
A || 9
B || 8
C || 7
D || 6
E || 4
U || 0 (fail)
The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of all the courses are taken from the first semester and calculated over a 10 point scale.
I would like to know what would the corresponding MEXT GPA point (0 to 3) for each letter grading needed to multiply along with the credits for calculating overall MEXT GPA.
Regards,
Lokesh Mopuri
Hi Lokesh Mopuri,
It is impossible to tell how to convert the grades with just a list and no explanation. When you submit your grades for the scholarship application, you would have to include some explanation of what each grade means in terms of quality of performance.
I did some research to try to find that information and from what I understand, a C is average, grades above that are earned by exceeding the average by 1-3 standard deviations, and grades below that are earned by falling a standard deviation below, or worse. So, based on that information, my guess would be as below.
3 = S, A, B
2 = C
1 = D, E
0 = U, W
Please keep in mind that this is just my best guess.
Remember that you cannot simply convert your overall GPA, you have to convert the grades for each course you completed over the most recent two years of studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I wish to apply for the MEXT scholarship (through the embassy) when the application procedure opens in my country, in a few months from now. I’m currently in the second year of my bachelor, which lasts 3 years here in Belgium. I was pretty sure I met the conditions to apply this year, as I should get my bachelor’s degree in June 2020, but after reading the information on this page, I’m a little confused :
The deadline for applications in my country is announced as June 2019, but I’m afraid I’ll only have grades for one and a half years of post-secondary education by then. Does that mean I am not eligible for the scholarship, even though I seem to meet the explicit criteria?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Lucas,
I am encouraged to hear that you are starting this early! Really, I think this is the ideal time to start preparing for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
You should still be eligible to apply, even though you will only have 1.5 years of grades as of your application deadline (when do your spring 2019 grades come out)? My guess is that the Japanese Embassy in Belgium – as well as other European countries where 3-year degrees are common – should be used to working with students in your situation and have a system in place. Once they open the application process, I would recommend that you contact them directly to see if they have any specific guidance for what you should do, but I have no reason to believe that you would be ineligible!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there.
I have one course in my master transcript with 0 credit and 0 hours, is it expected to not counted in when calculating GPA?
Thanks.
Hi Aquila,
That’s right. Courses with zero credits would not factor in to the GPA calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! I am planning to get a bachelor’s degree from a university that offers lateral entry. Meaning the duration of the course will be 2 years instead of 3. But since you mentioned in the article that the last two years of the course are considered for calculating the GPA, I guess I should be fine. What are your thoughts about this? I just want to make sure before I apply.
Thanks!
Hi Astha,
Does lateral entry mean that you earned credits toward your degree at another institution and then transferred those credits to the university that you graduated from? If so, that would be called transfer admission in Japan. In that case, only the grades earned from the university you graduated from would count toward the GPA calculation for your eligibility, but you would also have to submit an official transcript from the university you attended previously.
In either case, you should be fine, as you said!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What I meant by lateral entry was that the university conducts an entrance examination followed by an interview. And if you manage to clear that, you are directly admitted as a second year student.
Hi Astha,
How you enter the university is less important that what you accomplish there, in the end.
You may need to explain the lateral entry process and what that means for the total years of schooling that you have attended elsewhere, to make sure you meet the years of education requirement, but for the purposes of calculating your GPA, it should not be a problem. Only your grades earned at the university you graduated from/will graduate from count for the calculation, anyway, even if that is less than 2 full years of grades as of the time of your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello.
First of all, thank you very much for this guide, it’s very helpful. In the “APPLICATION GUIDELINES
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2019 (RESEARCH STUDENTS)” (http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/04/17/1403811_02.pdf) I didn’t find information about the GPA threshold and how it’s calculed. But I’ve still some questions to ask you.
My university (I’m from Venezuela) grades us from 1 to 5, being 1-2 failing grades and 3-5 passing grades. During our classes we’re evaluated from 0 to 100, and then we got a score from 1 to 5 based in our evaluation as follows:
0-29 —-> 1
30-49 —> 2
50-69 —> 3
70-84 —> 4
85-100 –> 5
And we only have transcripts with grades from 1 to 5 (no from the score 0-100). So, 5 is clearly a 3, but I’m not sure how I should convert the rest, since 4 could be 2 or 3, for example. So there could be:
My grade | Column 1 | Column 2 |
5 | 3 | 3 |
4 | 3 | 2 |
3 | 2 | 1 |
2 | 1 | 0 |
1 | 0 | 0 |
So I don’t know which of the columns I should follow. I’ve met people from my university that have participated in Exchange Programs with universities in Japan, and they’ve used the Column 1. But there comes my next question, am I the one who will calculate the GPA or will be someone else (the one who will receives my application, for example)? And if the latter, what can I do? How do I know how will they do it? Because, for example, my GPA is like 2.5 using the Column1 and 1.9 using the Column 2. (And I’ve 3.9/5 which is 78%, above of the threshold 2.3/3 which is 76.7%).
Besides that, I’ve a doubt regarding which grades I should take into the calculation. Here we have a trimester system, 3 per year. So I guess I’ve to take into the calculation the last six, as you said above. However, I’ve the followings doubts:
1. On my last trimester I only took Research Project 3 (we divided one full year Research Project, our undergraduate thesis, in 3, to take one per trimester). The problem is, it has 3 credits but no grade (you got A por aprobed or F for failed). Do I have to count that trimester as one of the six? Because if so, I would only really take in consideration 5 trimester full of courses, since in that one I only took that Research Project.
2. As I said above our Research Project has credits (3 each one, 9 in total) but no grade. Do I have to consider the sum of its credits to the GPA calculation? I think it makes no sense, since they have no grades, but I want to ask regardless.
3. Last year I took a Summer Course, with only one course. A regular trimester have 4-5 courses in it, but in Summer you can only take 1. Do I have to count that summer course as a full trimester to be one of the six or I just skip it? Or should I include it but not count it?
Thank you very much for your guide again, and for your help!
Giancarlo Cuticchia
Hi Giancarlo Cuticchia,
The information on how to convert the grades comes from the guidelines that MEXT issues to universities for submitting their recommendations. Those guidelines are also available on MEXT’s site, but only in Japanese.
It is the university/embassy that will do your grade conversion. I simply recommend that you do it yourself in advance to make sure that you are eligible.
Unfortunately, I do not have enough information to be able to make anything more than a guess on how to convert your grades. To be certain, I would need to see the “explanation of the grading system” or some sort of international equivalency chart. And explanation of the grading system would be something that shows which grades are considered to be “excellent”, “good”, “average”, etc.
For the period of time, yes, you would count the last 6 trimesters.
1. Ultimately that is going to be up to the evaluators to determine, but I would recommend that for your own reference, you count the grades both ways. I would guess that they would include that as a trimester but not factor it into the grade (which is what the guidelines say to do for pass/fail courses).
2. No, you do not include credits earned in pass/fail courses in the sum of your credits.
3. For a summer (or other short) course that falls within the last six trimesters, you would count it toward your grade calculation, but you would not count it as a trimester.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your response, it’s very helpful.
Regarding a “explanation of our grading system”, the only official thing issued by my university explaining the score scale is exactly as I told you above, we have a General Evaluation Scale from 0 to 100 and at the end of the course it is transformed into the Score Scale from 1 to 5 as follows:
0-29 —-> 1
30-49 —> 2
50-69 —> 3
70-84 —> 4
85-100 –> 5
The document doesn’t say anything about which grade is “excellent”, “good” or else. Informally, I can tell you that 5 is excellent, 4 is good and 3 is the passing grade so I think it should be regular or average or something. For 2 I would say it’s bad and 1 is worst, if any.
What I know is that, for example, if you go as a Exchange Student from my university to the Tohoku University (Sendai), our university transform the grades as follow:
Tohoku Score | Our Score
AA | 5
A | 4
B | 3
C | 2
F | 1
So, from that, if we took AA = S, it should correspond of the first row of 5-Level System in your Table above, right? So it should be:
5-Level System | Our grade | MEXT score |
AA | 5 | 3 |
A | 4 | 3 |
B | 3 | 2 |
C | 2 | 1 |
F | 1 | 0 |
Right? At least it is what I think should makes sense.
Thank you very much for your help again!
Hi Giancarlo Cuticchia,
Based on the information you’ve given, particularly the conversion to Tohoku University grades, I would say that the conversion you described is most likely accurate, but I cannot be sure without seeing something official. For your own reference, I would suggest using that conversion, but don’t treat your conversion as final. There could be some differences in interpretation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much!
Hello Travis,
In Italy where I’m from, in order to graduate high school you have to pass an exam, sort of a “final“ that is taken after the school year has ended and is graded separately, it also shows on you high school diploma which I understand you also have to send in. Do you think it could have any sort of relevance in calculating my overall gpa?
Furthermore, despite being currently enrolled in a university I intend to apply for an undergraduate scholarship but for a different major. Is it really sufficient to just send the university admission certificate as I saw written on the guidelines or is it better to send everything anyway, including the last two high school years grades?
Thank you in advance
Hi Sara,
Unfortunately, I am not sure how the evaluation system works for the undergraduate scholarhsip. My expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students.
It does not seem likely that they would include that test score in your GPA, but the certainly may consider it separately in comparing applications.
Your question about sending the university admission certificate is also outside of my expertise, but perhaps someone with experience in the undergraduate scholarship application can add a comment!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
No problem, thank you any way!
hello transez, thank you for this very detailed post, but i still have some doubts left. I live in Brazil and here the grading system ranges from 0,0(worst grade possible) to 10,0( best grade possible), On my university, the passing grade for all courses is 5 ( 50% of correctness).
Based on previous comments on this post i think the correct form of converting my grades do mext’s 3.0 GPA scale would be:
8.0 to 10.0 = 3
7.0 to 7,9 = 2
5.0 to 6.9 = 1
0.0 to 4.9 = 0
i would like your opinion about this. Thank you in advance
Hi Josue Lopes,
I’m afraid that without seeing the grading chart used by your university, I cannot tell for sure. From what I have been able to tell, grading systems can vary widely between universities.
They scale you proposed sounds like it could very well be accurate based on what you have described, but I would not want to give a certain judgement at this point.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
And what would this grading chart be? i don’t think that such a thing exists in my university.
i think i have found an answer, on this link:
http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/guide/international_students/inbound/exchange/faq-x/steps/q13
It shows a grading chart which is identical to the one provided by mext. Based on this i think the brazilan grades would be converted this way:
Brazilian grades letter grades mext grades
10.0 – 9.0 = S = 3
8.9 – 8.0 = A = 3
7.9 – 7.0 = B = 2
6.9 – 6.0 = C = 1
5.9 – 0.0 = F = 0
Hi Josue Lopes,
I fixed the link based on your follow-up comment.
Unfortunately, that chart is not useful without knowing the breakdown of the grades at your home university. I am familiar with the MEXT chart, the information you would need to be sure your conversion is accurate would have to come from your university.
I tried to find information on the Brazilian grading system, but I learned that it was different at different universities (for example, in some cases a 4.0 is a failing grade and in some cases a 7.0 is a failing grade), so I’m afraid I still don’t have enough information to make a guess.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Josue Lopes,
A grading chart (or explanation of the grading system) shows what each grade at your university means. For example, it would show if an “Outstanding” (or “A”) grade is 9.0 – 10. or 8.0 to 10.0.
Showing the breakdown between the grades is most important. Without that, I can’t be sure where to fit your grades into the MEXT conversion scale.
If that information is not printed on your transcript itself, then I recommend that you ask your registrar or your student exchange office if they can help you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
sir my overall cgpa is 2.873. My last 2 years cgpa is as follows 2.98, 2.92, 3.2, 3.4. but I have improved some subjects due to which my CPA got low if I don’t consider those subjects then my gpa will does it matter kindly tell me my mext gpa
Hi Muhammad Mehboob Elahi,
It is not possible to calculate your MEXT GPA based on CGPAs. You need to convert each class’ grade or mark individually and average those.
The conversion is also based on your individual grading system, so I am afraid I do not have nearly enough information to help, but you should have everything you need to do the calculation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
A bundle of thanks for sharing such helpful guidance. I am facing a problem in GPA conversion. Could you help me please ? My university has below given criteria
marks percentage Grade points Letter Grade
90-100 4.00 A+
80-90 3.5 – 4.0 A
70-80 3.0 – 3.5 B
60-70 2.5 – 3.0 C
59- below Fail F
I shall be very grateful to you.
Thanks
Regards
Hi Muhammad Asif,
I can give you my best guess, but without seeing the transcript myself, it is just a guess.
Based on what you have described above, I would convert your grades as follows:
90-100 4.00 A+ = 3
80-90 3.5 – 4.0 A = 3
70-80 3.0 – 3.5 B = 3
60-70 2.5 – 3.0 C = 1
59- below Fail F = 0
Remember to convert the grades course-by-course and factor in the weights (relative credit values), if any.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
sir i am studying msc physics 3rd semester in gcuf Pakistan.i want to get m.phill through MEXT scholarship.sir give me information about my m.phill plan????
Hi Abdul Hameed,
I’m afraid I’m not sure what your specific question is. I have dozens of articles offering advice about the MEXT scholarship, as well as a book.
You can find all the free articles at this link, so please start there and read whichever one is more relevant to what you want to know.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Could you please advise me, if i have incompete graduate degree ( phd and mba courses) but i dropped out for financial reasons, should grades for these be considered? I have a perfect diploma from the US with honors for the undergraduate studies but had problems in graduate school. Basically financing was cut and i was left with a failing grade for thesis credits which ruined my new gpa. The other classes are all good. Do i need to show the transcript for abandonded graduate degree when applying for MEXT? To clarify, my graduate studies were also from the US
Hi Hopeful,
It should only be your grades from your last earned degree that count for MEXT. If you have completely abandoned the program you mentioned and do not intend to resume it or complete the degrees, you would not need to enter that in your academic history. Your “most recent university” would be the last university that you earned a degree from, so your letter of recommendation would also come from your undergraduate program.
You should not deny your participation in that other program, as that would be lying, but if it comes up (for example, if the reviewers ask what you have been doing in the meantime or if it is relevant to mention in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan), you can simply mention that you started studies, but had to abandon them due to financial reasons.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
If my GPA does not make the cut, does it automatically mean I won’t get accepted ever? I mean, does it ever happen that students with the same circumstance I have get the scholarship?
Hi Kristelle,
First of all, I would recommend that you don’t assume that your GPA is below the requirement, even if you calculated it with the formulas here. The official calculation may be higher than you expect.
If your application is below the minimum requirement, there will never be an exception for that under any circumstances. The only thing you could do is go back to school in your country and earn another degree (taking at least two years) with a good enough GPA then apply to MEXT afterward.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i’m kinda confused now, should i apply even if my GPA is below 2.3 according to that formula?
Hi Lawen Sardar,
2.3 is the minimum eligibility threshold, so if your grades are below that, you would not be able to qualify for the scholarship and in general, lower grades closer to the threshold will put you at a disadvantage in comparison to other applicants with higher grades.
However, the calculation method I have suggested above is only based on my experience and is not official. The actual calculation may be different, so I would not recommend that you rely on your calculation using the system I suggested as your only decision point to determine whether or not to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Based on my country requirements for MEXT scholarship, I need to get minimum 3.4 out 4.0 CGPA to be eligible for the scholarship. Do I still need to convert it to 3.0 GPA? Or do they still count the 4.0 CGPA?
I would be very grateful if you can help me with this issue.
Thank you
Hi Hamra,
Yes, you would still ultimately have to meet the 2.30 out of 3.00 GPA requirement, because that is the only requirement recognized by MEXT. It sounds like your embassy has calculated that a 3.4 out of 4.0 is good enough that it will almost always convert to a 2.3, so they are using that as an initial cut-off requirement to make a first cut of applicants.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Could you please help me with converting my university’s grading system into the MEXT system? I found the following information in the guidelines of my university’s( University of Delhi) website.
Letter Grade Grade Point
O (Outstanding) 10
A+ (Excellent) 9
A (Very Good) 8
B+ (Good) 7
B (Above Average) 6
C (Average) 5
P (Pass) 4
F (Fail) 0
Hi Astha,
I am basing my answer only on the information you have provided, so I can’t be completely sure that this would be correct, but my understanding is that the grades would be converted according to the 5-point table I mentioned in the article, with “O” in place of “S”.
O (Outstanding) 10 = 3
A+ (Excellent) 9 = 3
A (Very Good) 8 = 3
B+ (Good) 7 = 2
B (Above Average) 6 = 2
C (Average) 5 = 2
P (Pass) 4 = 1
F (Fail) 0 = 0
However, please understand that there would not be an established rule and that this would be open to interpretation by graders. The B+ grade, in particular is a little gray. B might be bumped up to count among the 3s in some cases, but it’s really going to be up to the embassy or university’s interpretation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks! This was very helpful.
Hi proof how are you ?
i applicant from Sudan
i know there are cross way to achieve my dream like language in embassy here i know i have knowledge to bass and be hold in any subject and research but how can i pass exam English in your embassy
Hi adil mohamed ali edris!
I’m afraid that I was not able to understand most of your question. But as for passing the language exam, it all depends on your language ability and how much you have studied!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
You have been so much helpful my brother, may God bless you abundantly…it was God’s blessing stumbling into this blog.. have followed every step of yours in applying and I pray it turns out successful, thanks a lot for your informations! Hop to see you some day
Hi travis !
Your blogz are really helpfull .appreciated your efforts. Let me clear one thing ( Any intersession courses, such as summer courses, on your transcript during that time would count, but an intersession that falls just outside the 2 years would not count.)
1:~ summer conted as one smester while counting last four smester ??
2:~ while if not counted as aa semester nd last smester gonna end after completion of aplication process than can we get from minor courses smester no#4 (last semester of 1st two years )??
3:~ done 7 semester from (8~semestr degree) .8 th semestr going to be completed soon.
4:~if( f) grades .reappear in summer
Of 6th semeater that what should i count grades either from summer portion or regular semester ??
Thanx in advance #stay blessed
Hi Vickyy,
Thank you for your kind words.
1- Summer sessions do not count toward the number of semesters. So it would be four regular semesters regardless of whether or not there are intersession classes in there.
2- You would calculate based on the last four semesters printed on your transcript at the time of application. If you are in the middle of the semester or will have semesters after the application process, those do not count.
3- In that case, you would calculate your GPA based on semesters 4-7 (the most recent 4 completed).
4- F grades in summer would also count, unless it is clear that they are from a pass/fail course. (F grades in pass/fail courses should never count).
In your situation, you would count any grades earned in summer sessions after semester 4, but the summer sessions do not count as semesters. Just the grades count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey transenz ! I’m very very thankfull of ur rply !! This answer made me more easier nd confident !!one thing more i’ve to discuss with yew that what if i’ve no certificate of elementary untill middle school this time for academic record !! Thankyew very much for ur kindness nd time !!
Hi Vickyy,
I saw that you asked the same question on another post and I answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hay Travis
Do you mean by credit is hour
In my transact for each course there are number of hours most of it are 3
And grade A,B,C,D
And point
Hi Iman,
Yes, it might be called hours instead of credits in your country. Whatever it is that determines how much each course counts toward your graduation requirements!
Grades can be A B C D or numbers. It depends on what system your country/university uses. Points are the converted value on the MEXT system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
The same rule applies for one year masters of UK. Thanks
Hi Amir Khan,
Thank you for sharing that! I assume you are referring to calculating GPA for the last two years. If your master’s program is only one year, then you would have to also calculate the final year of your undergraduate degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Your blog has been really helping me formulate my MEXT embassy application well. I had a doubt regarding the section of “Present field of study”. I am an Indian student currently enrolled for a masters degree at an Indian university. I do not have a bachelor thesis as our university did not require us to do one and there was no provision to carry out the same. And right now, in my masters program, the thesis project work would start in late November and so I do not have an abstract yet. So I can’t figure out as to what to write under the “Present field of study” section. I would be grateful for your guidance regarding this matter.
Hi Prerna Singh,
You would write about your Master’s field of study in that section, so your bachelor’s degree field does not matter at this point.
If you cannot be specific about your thesis topic, then at least describe your field of study as narrowly as possible, and include any information you might have about your potential thesis subject, if possible.
I would also recommend that you focus on the areas of your field of study that are closely related to the field that you want to study in Japan! In your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, you want your current field of study to be your research background that leads into your study plan in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for all the information! All your articles are very helpful! 🙂
However, I faced one problem in calculating my GPA score. Grade system in my country has 6 grades (from 10 to 5, where 5 (50% or less) means failed) so I am not sure how to convert my grades to 3.00 GPA system. I couldn’t find any conversion chart that converts 6 – Level System to MEXT System. Could you give me your opinion about this? Would it be correct if I do it as shown below? It is based on what you described that works for UK grades – 71% or more is equal to 3.
Grade Points Meaning GPA
10 100-91 Outstanding 3
9 90-81 Excellent 3
8 80-71 Very Good 3
7 70-61 Good 2
6 60-51 Sufficient 1
5 50-0 Insufficient/Failed 0
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Olivera,
Thank you for your kind words!
I can’t make a guess at how to convert your grading system without seeing an official explanation of the grading system, itself. Do you have something like that? In many cases, you might be able to find it on the transcript or in your university’s handbooks or on their webpage.
If I could see an explanation of the grading system, I could help.
If you can’t find an explanation anywhere that I suggested above, you could try asking your study abroad office if they have a conversion chart, too. They should have to deal with that for converting exchange students’ grades.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for replying.
I have found only this explanation on the university’s webpage http://bg.ac.rs/en/education/study-rules.php ,
but Wikipedia also explains it well
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Serbia).
If it’s not a problem, I would be grateful if you could give me your advice about how to convert the grades.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Olivera,
I found this resource on your university’s website that describes grading comparisons for international students:
http://www.bg.ac.rs/files/en/international/Information-guide-for-international-students.pdf
Based on the grading chart on page 4, I would suggest the following conversion scale. Keep in mind that this is not official, just my impression from how I have seen similar scales converted in the past
10 to 8 (100 to 71) = 3
7 (70 – 61) = 2
6 (60 – 51) = 1
5 to 0 (50 – 0) = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis from TranSenz
what about if i have been admitted after the second session of the year ?
Hi Abdou2004,
I’m afraid I don’t understand your question. Are you saying you have fewer than 2 years of grades?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
TY for replying but i guess our grading system that follows the trash path of the french system made my calculation a lot sophisticated. So I’m now stuck at how to calculate 2 things [image removed] in this pic there is the first try on the left and second try on the right for example 5.44 which is the average of 2 grades and then i retried taking both of the grades to make it 11.39. does it calculate as I took it for the first try? the second is what credit to use when i calculate. Is it grade by grade or module per module ~ 2 grades per 2 grades?
Hi Abdou2004,
Without seeing the grading system that goes with those grades, I’m afraid I cannot help you calculate how they would translate to the MEXT system. Is there some place on the document (or another official document) that shows your grading system and what the relative value of each grade is?
I would calculate your grades based on the individual marks on the right hand side. If you’re using the module-by-module approach, then your credits would be the coefficient corresponding to each module. In course attempts where you earned zero credits because your grade was below the passing mark, you would still count the credits as being equal to the coefficient for that module.
*For the sake of your privacy, I have removed the image so it is not publicly visible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you very much <3 that was very encouraging and here the awkward grading system and ty again https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Tunisia
Hi Abdou2004,
Using the scale that you linked, I would recommend converting your grades as follows to see if you are eligible:
11.00 – 20.00 = 3
10.00 – 10.99 = 2
5.00 – 9.99 = 1
0.00 – 4.99 = 0
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
… Only two years of your grades count? That’s pretty strange criteria. For instance I was part time the last two years and only took a handful of classes. While my overall university marks are with honors, by the last two years (a total of maybe 8 courses) I don’t think I would qualify for the GPA component. :-/
Hi JD,
If you are taking a degree full-time, then typically, the final years of your degree would be the years you spent taking the most advanced courses related to your major, so those are the grades MEXT is most interested in seeing, as they will be the best predictor of your performance in an advanced degree.
If you were part-time during those years, they might factor in earlier grades, too, but the guidelines do not allow much room for discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Following up, as I decided to apply this year regardless. I changed majors as a senior, but was over the unit cap to complete my degree and not allowed to take extra time at my school, they agreed to allow me to finish at a local community college, if I could find the courses I needed. My last year I took one class outside of my school in the Fall, and another in the spring for a total of 2 classes across an entire school year (was working full time and the classes were only offered fall and spring respectively). The year before that was part time as well. So instead of ~16 or so classes across two years of study (four classes per semester), I have ~7 for 2 years. If GPA is calculated solely off those 7 classes, it is significantly more impactful to have even 1 B or C grade (American grading system). I graduated with honors, but when I did the conversion for the last two years alone did not make the GPA cut off. I’m going to apply anyway, as the situation is strange and maybe they’ll look at my full time course work since I had so few classes in the last two years (averaging less than 2 per semester). Can’t do anything but try!
Hi JD,
I assume you are applying in the major that you changed to after your senior year and that you earned your final degree from the four-year university, not the community college, correct?
Were the community college course grades reflected on your final transcript from the university where you earned your degree? Only the grades on the transcript where you graduated would be counted. (If the others transferred in as pass/fail, then my understanding is that your GPA would be calculated based on the last four semesters where you earned letter grades from the university you graduated from).
If the transfer credits did include grades, I would recommend that you submit a supplementary letter with your transcript explaining your situation and why your last two years of coursework had only 7 courses (offering schedule/need to finish at another university because of major change) and indicate which semesters were your final two semesters of full-time study. That might influence the embassy to go back and calculate all grades from those last four semesters of full-time study onward.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz