Canada vs New Zealand Grading System

How does the Canada grading system work?

Most Canadian universities use a 4.0 GPA scale similar to the US. Some use 4.33 (A+=4.33). Quebec uses a percentage system where 60% is the pass mark.

⚠️ Quebec uses a percentage system, not GPA.

How does the New Zealand grading system work?

New Zealand universities use a 9-point GPA scale where 4 is typically the minimum pass.

Do Canada and New Zealand mark to the same standard?

No — and it is the difference in marking culture, not the arithmetic, that makes a direct comparison mislead. Here is how each country actually uses its own scale.

What a good grade means in Canada

Canadian marking is closer to the US than to the UK, but somewhat stricter: an A at many Canadian universities starts at 80% rather than the 93% common in the US, so a Canadian percentage transcript can look deceptively modest to an American reader. Graduate admission bars are also set higher than the US minimum — UBC asks for a B+ average (76%) in the final two years, well above the 3.0 that most US graduate schools publish.

What a good grade means in New Zealand

New Zealand marking sits close to the Australian pattern: an A grade starts around 80% and A+ marks are awarded sparingly, so a B+ average is a solid degree rather than a modest one. Postgraduate entry is generally framed as a B average or better in your final-year courses, and universities describe that as an indication of readiness rather than a hard cut-off — applicants below it are commonly routed through a postgraduate certificate or diploma rather than refused outright.

Will a grade from Canada get you into New Zealand?

New Zealand universities typically ask for 6 / 9 for a taught master's — a one-to-two-year postgraduate degree made mostly of classes. On Canada's scale that is roughly 2.12–2.35 / 4 (C). New Zealand universities publish this as a letter average rather than a fixed number: a B average in final-year courses, which is 6 on the 9-point scale modelled here. Canterbury frames it as an indication of readiness rather than a hard cut-off, and applicants below it are commonly routed through a postgraduate certificate or diploma instead of being refused.

University of Canterbury — master's degrees, entry · checked 2026-07-25 · the figure in your own terms is a double conversion, so it is a range. how this is worked out

Canadian 4.0 GPA maps near-directly to US GPA. WES Canada is the primary evaluation service for Canadian institutions and immigration.

What goes wrong converting grades from Canada to New Zealand?

The pass marks differ — 1.00 in Canada against 4 in New Zealand — so the two scales have different usable ranges and the middle of one is not the middle of the other.

Mistakes specific to Canada grades

• Quoting a GPA without saying whether the scale is 4.0 or 4.3. On a 4.3 scale a 4.0 is an A, not a perfect score.
• Assuming the whole degree counts. Several Canadian universities assess graduate admission on the final two years only.
• Treating a Quebec percentage as interchangeable with an Ontario GPA — they are different systems in the same country.

What should you do next, applying from Canada to New Zealand?

1. Check the course, not the country. Entry requirements are set per programme and revised every cycle. The 6 / 9 above is the typical bar, not a guarantee — selective courses ask for more.
2. Check whether an evaluation is even required. Unlike the US and Canada, New Zealand universities commonly assess foreign transcripts in-house. Confirm on the course page before paying for a report you may not need.
3. Get your documents moving early. Transcripts come from the registrar and are normally sent institution to institution. Canadian applicants abroad sometimes need to explain the scale in use, since "Canada" implies no single one — ask your registrar for the grading key, which most print on the reverse of the transcript.
4. Read both systems in full. How Canada grading works · How New Zealand grading works

What do these grading terms mean?

GPA (Grade Point Average)

The US way of expressing an overall grade, on a 0–4.0 scale where 4.0 is the top — so a 4.0 is roughly what a 90–100% or a First Class would be elsewhere.

Percentage scale

A 0–100 marking scale — but the numbers are not comparable across countries: 70% is an outstanding result in the UK and a modest one in India.

Honours degree

A bachelor's degree that includes a higher-level final year or research project — in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand it is often an extra year, and master's entry can depend on it.

Transcript

The official document from your university listing every subject you took and the grade you got — not the same as your degree certificate, and universities abroad want both.

Credential evaluation

A paid report from an approved company that restates your foreign qualification in local terms, which many US and Canadian universities require before they will assess you.

Frequently asked questions