How percentages become letters
A letter grade is a percentage passed through a set of cutoffs. On the most common US scale, each letter owns a band — A− runs 90 to 92, B+ runs 87 to 89 — and your percentage simply lands in one of them. The defaults above show the mechanics: 85% falls in the B band, worth 3.0 GPA points, sitting 2 points from a B+. That last number is the one worth watching: within a band, percentage differences are invisible to your transcript, but near a boundary a single point changes the letter and 0.3 GPA points with it.
Not every school uses these cutoffs
| Scale | A requires | B range | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (10-point, ±) | 93 (90 for A−) | 80–89 | Most US colleges and high schools |
| Simple 10-point | 90 | 80–89 | Districts without plus/minus |
| 7-point | 93 | 85–92 | Some Southern US districts, older systems |
| College no-minus | 90 | 80–89 | Schools that award A/B/C only |
The same 86% is a B on the standard scale, a B on a simple 10-point scale, and a solid mid-B on a 7-point scale — but an 84 drops to C territory under 7-point rules while staying a B everywhere else. Before arguing with any calculator (including this one), find the grading scale section of your syllabus; it overrides everything.
Points mode, for the test in your hand
Graded work usually comes back as points, not percentages. Points mode divides earned by possible for you: 43/50 is 86% (B), 27/40 is 67.5% (D+). Teachers grading whole stacks should use the test grade calculator instead — it charts every possible score for a given question count. And if you're computing what a graded assignment does to your standing in the course, feed the category percentages into the grade calculator, which weights them the way your syllabus does.
From letters to GPA
Each letter carries fixed grade points (right column of the chart), which is how transcripts turn letters into a GPA. If you need the reverse trip — marks to grade points on the 4.0 scale — the percentage to GPA calculator handles single values, and the GPA calculator credit-weights a whole semester of them.
Frequently asked questions
What letter grade is an 85?
On the most common US scale, 85% is a B (83–86 band), worth 3.0 GPA points — and 2 points below the B+ boundary at 87. On a 7-point scale where B spans 85–92, an 85 just clears into B territory. The band cutoffs, not the number itself, decide the letter.
What are the standard letter grade cutoffs?
The most common US scale: A+ 97+, A 93–96, A− 90–92, B+ 87–89, B 83–86, B− 80–82, C+ 77–79, C 73–76, C− 70–72, D+ 67–69, D 63–66, D− 60–62, F below 60. Plenty of schools simplify to 90/80/70/60 with no plus/minus, and stricter 7-point scales require 93+ for any A.
How do I get a letter grade from points earned?
Divide points earned by points possible and multiply by 100, then read the percentage against the scale. 43 out of 50 points is 86% — a B on the standard scale, one point short of B+. This page's points mode does the division for you.
Do letter grades round up?
Only if your instructor says so. An 89.5% is mathematically below the 90 A− cutoff; many instructors round to the nearest whole percent (making it 90), many don't, and syllabi often state the policy explicitly. Never assume rounding when you're within half a point of a boundary — ask.