Kenya vs Singapore Grading System

How does the Kenya grading system work?

Kenyan universities follow the British classification system under Commission for University Education (CUE) oversight.

How does the Singapore grading system work?

NUS and NTU use a 5.0 CAP scale. SMU uses a 4.0 GPA. Singaporean degrees are highly regarded internationally.

⚠️ NUS/NTU use 5.0 CAP, SMU uses 4.0 GPA. Check which university issued your degree.

Do Kenya and Singapore 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 Kenya

Kenyan marking is genuinely strict at the top: a First Class requires 70% and is uncommon, with realistic top aggregates sitting in the low-to-mid 80s rather than the 90s. Because the bands match the British ones, a Kenyan 2:1 reads directly as a UK 2:1 — which is the standard entry requirement for taught master's across the UK and Ireland, so a Kenyan graduate with an Upper Second is in a stronger position abroad than the raw percentage suggests to an American reader.

What a good grade means in Singapore

Singaporean degrees are highly regarded internationally, and the grading is demanding: NUS and NTU run bell-curve moderation, so grades reflect standing within a strong cohort rather than an absolute mark. That makes a CAP of 4.0 a genuinely good result even though, mapped to US letters, it sits at a B+ rather than an A. The honours class is the signal to lead with abroad, because Highest Distinction and Distinction are understood in Commonwealth terms in a way a raw 5.0-scale number is not.

Will a grade from Kenya get you into Singapore?

Singapore universities typically ask for 3.50 / 5 for a taught master's — a one-to-two-year postgraduate degree made mostly of classes. On Kenya's scale that is roughly 51–58 / 100 (Second Class Lower (2:2)). Singapore states this as an honours class rather than a CAP figure — Honours (Merit) / Second Class and above, which begins at 3.5 on the 5.0 CAP scale modelled here. NTU's published bar is looser still ("at least a good Bachelor degree"). Both universities stress that meeting the minimum does not imply admission, because selection is competitive against the rest of the applicant pool.

NUS Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences — graduate coursework admission requirements · checked 2026-07-25 · the figure in your own terms is a double conversion, so it is a range. how this is worked out

First Class (70%+) → approximately 3.7–4.0 GPA.

What goes wrong converting grades from Kenya to Singapore?

Kenya rarely awards near the top of its own scale, so a result that looks modest in Kenya terms converts higher than a direct comparison suggests.

Mistakes specific to Kenya grades

• Comparing a Kenyan percentage to a US one. A 68% is a strong Upper Second here and would be read as a poor result on a US transcript.
• Leaving the classification off the application. First Class and Upper Second are the terms UK and Commonwealth admissions actually respond to.
• Underestimating transcript lead times. Kenyan universities can be slow to dispatch, and evaluators require documents sent directly by the institution.

What should you do next, applying from Kenya to Singapore?

1. Check the course, not the country. Entry requirements are set per programme and revised every cycle. The 3.50 / 5 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, Singapore 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. Universities normally require your transcript sent directly by your institution rather than as a copy from you, which takes longer than most applicants expect.
4. Read both systems in full. How Kenya grading works · How Singapore grading works

What do these grading terms mean?

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.

Degree classification

A named band your final result falls into — First Class, 2:1, Distinction — used across the UK, Ireland, Nigeria, India and much of the Commonwealth instead of a single number.

First Class Honours

The top degree classification, awarded to a small minority of graduates — usually 70%+ in the UK and Ireland, or a CGPA of 4.50+ on Nigeria's 5.0 scale.

2:1 (Upper Second Class)

The second-highest degree class, and the grade most UK and Irish master's courses ask for — usually 60–69%.

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