Hong Kong GPA
& grading scale
Quick answer: Hong Kong universities grade on a 4-point-style scale and average the grade points weighted by credits, but they do not share one scale: the top grade point is 4.33 at EdUHK; 4.3 at HKU, HKUST, PolyU, CityU; 4.0 at CUHK, HKBU, LU. Degrees are then classified First Class, Second Class (upper and lower) and Third Class, as in the UK — though two universities need a major average as well as an overall one, and the universities differ on whether a retaken course wipes out the original fail.
There is no single Hong Kong GPA scale
Guides that give one Hong Kong grade table are wrong for most of the universities. Three different top grade points are in use, two universities have no D+, and one has no A+ at all. Here is every grade point side by side, each from that university’s own regulations:
| Grade | HKU | CUHK | HKUST | PolyU | CityU | HKBU | LU | EdUHK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 | — | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | — | — | 4.33 |
| A | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| A- | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.67 | 3.67 | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.33 | 3.33 | 3.33 |
| B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| B- | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.67 | 2.67 | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.33 | 2.33 | 2.33 |
| C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| C- | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.67 | 1.67 | 1.67 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.3 | — | 1.3 | — | — | 1.33 | — |
| D | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| E | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A dash means the university does not use that grade. HKBU and Lingnan space their plus and minus grades a third of a point apart (A− is 3.67, B+ is 3.33) rather than by 0.3, so the same letters give a slightly different average there than at HKU or CityU.
How the average is worked out
Every university covered here uses the same shape of formula:
GPA = sum of (grade point × course credits) ÷ total credits counted
What differs is which courses go in. Pass/fail, transferred and exempted courses are left out everywhere. Failed courses are counted everywhere. The real difference is what happens when you retake a course you failed — and this is where a wrong assumption can cost a class of honours:
| University | When you retake a failed course |
|---|---|
| HKU | The F stays in the GPA |
| CUHK | Not stated on its public grading page |
| HKUST | Both the F and the new grade count (2023–24 intake onwards) |
| PolyU | Only the final attempt |
| CityU | Only the latest attempt |
| HKBU | Only the highest grade (2017–18 intake onwards) |
| LU | The F stays in the GPA |
| EdUHK | Not stated in its regulations |
At HKU and Lingnan a single fail stays in the average for good. At PolyU, CityU and HKBU the retake effectively replaces it. HKUST counts both. CUHK and EdUHK do not say.
Degree classification
Hong Kong keeps the British class names, but the thresholds and even the method differ:
| University | What it is called | Top class |
|---|---|---|
| HKU | Honours classification | First Class Honours from 3.60 |
| CUHK | Honours classification | Needs a Major GPA and an overall GPA (3.50 and 3.30 for First Class) |
| HKUST | Honours classification | Needs a Major CGA and an overall CGA (3.600 and 3.400 for First Class) |
| PolyU | Award classification | Set per programme from a weighted GPA; no university-wide bands |
| CityU | Honours classification | First Class Honours from 3.50 |
| HKBU | Honours classification | First Class from 3.40 |
| LU | Degree classification | First Class Honours from 3.50 |
| EdUHK | Award classification | First Class Honours from 3.40 and above |
Two universities use a two-tier test: you need a minimum for your major courses and a minimum overall, and missing either one drops you a class. CityU is different again for students admitted between 2020/21 and 2023/24, who receive rank-based Latin awards (summa, magna, cum laude) instead of a class. Every university reserves discretion: the bands are guidelines, not a formula.
Converting to a US GPA
A Hong Kong GPA is already on a 4-point-style scale, so there is no conversion to do — and no Hong Kong university publishes one, either to a US GPA or to a percentage. A US admissions office will usually read the figure as it stands, or ask for a credential evaluation (WES, ECE, ICES), which is the only authoritative conversion. Be careful with the 4.33 scales: a 3.7 at EdUHK or CityU is not the same distance from the top as a 3.7 at CUHK or HKBU.
Which institutions this covers
All eight government-funded universities are covered: HKU, CUHK, HKUST, PolyU, CityU, HKBU, LU, EdUHK. HKMU is covered on its own page rather than in the table above, because it runs two grading systems with different scales and a single column here would misstate one of them. The self-financing universities are not yet covered — HSUHK, HKSYU, SFU — because their grading rules are not published in a form that can be read and checked. See the Hong Kong directory for what is missing in each case.
Sources
The main source for each university, with the rest listed on its own page:
- HKU — HKU — Regulations for First Degree Curricula
- CUHK — CUHK Registry — Grading System of Undergraduate Programmes
- HKUST — HKUST Academic Registry — Approved Course Grades (Undergraduate)
- PolyU — PolyU Academic Registry — Explanation on assessment results
- CityU — CityU ARRO — Course Grades
- HKBU — HKBU Academic Registry — Assessment Grading System
- LU — Lingnan — Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Programmes
- EdUHK — EdUHK — General Academic Regulations (Student Handbook Chapter 4.1)
Rules change between intakes. Your own cohort’s handbook and your transcript are always authoritative.