Mexico vs Philippines Grading System

How does the Mexico grading system work?

Mexican universities use a 0–10 scale where 6 is the minimum pass mark. UNAM and most public universities use this system.

⚠️ Mexican pass mark is 6/10, not 5/10.

How does the Philippines grading system work?

Most Philippine universities use an inverted 1.0–5.0 scale where 1.0 is the highest grade and 3.0 is the minimum pass. Some US-affiliated institutions use a regular 4.0 GPA scale instead.

⚠️ Most Philippine universities use an INVERTED scale — 1.0 is BEST, 3.0 is minimum pass. Some use a regular 4.0 GPA. Check your transcript carefully.

Do Mexico and the Philippines 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 Mexico

The 0–10 scale is used more fully in Mexico than in Brazil or the Netherlands — averages of 8 and 9 are common at good universities — which means it converts less badly than other ten-point systems but also that a high promedio is less distinguishing than it looks. The signal worth highlighting abroad is mención honorífica, since it reflects a judgement on the thesis by a committee rather than an arithmetic average, and it is not something a foreign admissions office will infer from the number.

What a good grade means in the Philippines

The inverted scale is the single most consequential thing on a Philippine transcript sent abroad: a 1.25 is an excellent grade and a 2.75 is a weak pass, and an admissions officer reading it the other way round will draw exactly the wrong conclusion. Latin honours — summa, magna and cum laude — are awarded against these averages and translate far more reliably than the numbers do, so lead with them where you have them.

Will a grade from Mexico get you into the Philippines?

We do not yet hold published entry requirements for the Philippines, so we do not compare your grade against a bar we cannot cite. The conversion above still tells you how your result reads in the Philippines terms.

Muy bien (9–9.9) → approximately 3.5 GPA. Bien (8–8.9) → approximately 3.0 GPA.

What goes wrong converting grades from Mexico to the Philippines?

the Philippines runs an inverted scale where 1.0 is the BEST grade. A converted result that looks alarmingly low is usually an excellent one.

Mistakes specific to Mexico grades

• Assuming a promedio of 8 is exceptional. Mexican averages sit higher than in many ten-point systems, so 8 is good rather than outstanding.
• Overlooking the postgraduate pass mark. Many Mexican master's programmes require an 8 average, above the undergraduate threshold.
• Leaving out mención honorífica where you hold it — it is a committee distinction that the average alone does not convey.

What should you do next, applying from Mexico to the Philippines?

1. Check the course, not the country. Entry requirements are set per programme and revised every cycle. We hold no published national bar for this destination, so the course page is the only figure that binds.
2. Do not read the two scales the same way round. the Philippines runs an inverted scale where a lower number is the better grade, while Mexico runs the usual way. This is the single most common misreading on this route.
3. Check whether an evaluation is even required. Unlike the US and Canada, Philippines universities commonly assess foreign transcripts in-house. Confirm on the course page before paying for a report you may not need.
4. 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.
5. Read both systems in full. How Mexico grading works · How Philippines 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.

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.

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.

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.

Frequently asked questions