France GPA
& grading scale
Quick answer: French grades run 0–20, higher is better, with 10/20 the minimum pass. Marks are compressed at the top — 16+ is rare — so a 14 is genuinely strong. The overall result is a coefficient-weighted average with named mentions.
France → US GPA
How the France grading scale works
French grades run 0–20, higher is better, with 10/20 the minimum pass. Marks are compressed at the top — 16+ is rare — so a 14 is genuinely strong. The overall result is a coefficient-weighted average with named mentions.
Grade scale
| Grade / range | Meaning (≈ US) |
|---|---|
| 16–20 | Très bien (A / 3.7–4.0) |
| 14–15.9 | Bien (A-/B+ / 3.3–3.7) |
| 12–13.9 | Assez bien (B / 3.0) |
| 10–11.9 | Passable — pass (C / 2.0) |
| 0–9.9 | Insuffisant — fail (0.0) |
Formula
Native = coefficient-weighted mean of marks /20 (pass >=10). US approximation is by mention/band, not linear scaling: 16+ -> 4.0, 14–15.9 -> 3.5, 12–13.9 -> 3.0, 10–11.9 -> 2.0.
Worked example
A 14/20 (mention Bien) -> ~3.5 on the US 4.0 scale. (Linear 14x0.2 = 2.8 would understate it, which is why band-mapping is used.)
Converting to a US GPA
Enter your grade in the calculator above to estimate the US 4.0 equivalent, and download a PDF that cites the source. You can also use the dedicated France grade → US GPA converter for credit-weighted results. For a full multi-country matrix use the grade conversion tool.