Hong Kong Grading System Explained
GPA (4.0 Scale) / Class of Degree · pass mark 2.00
How do grades from Hong Kong convert to US GPA?
A Bachelor's / first-degree grade — for graduate (Master's) admission or employment
Got a school-leaving qualification instead — A-levels, Class 12, WASSCE, the Abitur? Here's what actually happens to those.
Hover or tap a band to see what it means.
Hover or tap a band to see what it means.
Enter a grade above to see what it means in the United States
You'll get the classification it corresponds to, the range it falls in rather than a single false-precise number, and how firm that answer is.
How does the Hong Kong grading system work?
Hong Kong universities (HKU, CUHK, HKUST, PolyU) use a 4.0 GPA scale alongside British-style degree classifications.
Hong Kong universities grade on a 4.0 GPA — a grade point average on the American model — with letter grades from A+ down to F, though a few institutions use a 4.3 scale where A+ carries 4.3 points.
Degree classifications sit on top: First Class Honours, Upper Second, Lower Second and Third, following the British pattern the territory inherited.
That combination means a Hong Kong transcript speaks both languages — an American GPA and a British classification — which is unusual and useful.
What does each grade mean in Hong Kong?
| Range | Classification | ≈ US GPA |
|---|---|---|
| 3.50 – 4.00 | First Class | 3.9 |
| 3.00 – 3.49 | Upper Second (2:1) | 3.3 |
| 2.50 – 2.99 | Lower Second (2:2) | 2.7 |
| 2.00 – 2.49 | Pass | 2.0 |
| 0.00 – 1.99 | Fail | — |
What does a good grade actually look like in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong universities are internationally selective and grade accordingly, with First Class Honours awarded to a small proportion of each cohort. The dual system is the practical advantage: applying to the US, lead with the GPA; applying to the UK, Australia or Singapore, lead with the classification. The one detail to check is whether your institution uses the 4.0 or the 4.3 scale, since an A+ at 4.3 makes the maximum higher than an American reader assumes.
How do WES and other evaluators read grades from Hong Kong?
HK 4.0 GPA maps near-directly to US GPA. First Class (3.5–4.0) → approximately 3.85 GPA.
Credential-evaluator source: Scholaro — Hong Kong grading system (credential-evaluation database) · cross-checked against University Grants Committee, Hong Kong · grading data verified 2026-07-24 · how we convert · report an error
Is a degree from Hong Kong accepted abroad?
Hong Kong bachelor's degrees moved from three years to four in 2012, so which you hold depends on when you studied. The four-year degree meets the 16-year expectation of US graduate schools directly; a three-year degree from before the change can raise the same question other three-year degrees do.
What do people get wrong about grades from Hong Kong?
- Quoting a GPA without saying whether the maximum is 4.0 or 4.3. On a 4.3 scale a 4.0 is an A rather than a perfect score.
- Presenting only the GPA to a UK university, when the honours classification is what that admissions office reads.
- Assuming Hong Kong and mainland Chinese transcripts are read the same way. The systems and verification routes differ.
What grade do you need to study abroad from Hong Kong?
Each destination below publishes its own typical entry requirement for a taught master's — a one-to-two-year postgraduate degree made mostly of classes. The last column restates that bar in Hong Kong's own grading terms, so you can hold it against your actual transcript instead of converting in your head.
The last column is a double conversion — the destination's bar onto the US 4.0 scale and then onto Hong Kong's, so its uncertainty is wider than a single conversion and it is shown as a range for that reason. Treat it as orientation, and check the course page for the bar that actually binds. How this is worked out.
Only destinations whose entry requirement we have read and cited appear here. Several countries publish no numeric bar at all — France admits on the dossier, Japan by entrance examination — and others we simply have not researched yet. An absent row never means “no requirement”.
The last column links the organisations that maintain each country's programme data — we hold none of it ourselves, and none of them can tell you whether you will be admitted. Several countries have no single national directory for postgraduate study at all: master's applications go straight to the university, so the course page is the authoritative source.
How do grades from Hong Kong compare, side by side?
Each of these sets Hong Kong against one destination in detail — the two grading cultures, the traps specific to that direction, and the converter preset for the route:
- Hong Kong vs United States grading system
- Hong Kong vs United Kingdom grading system
- Hong Kong vs Canada grading system
- Hong Kong vs Germany grading system
- Hong Kong vs Australia grading system
Applying to the US or Canada? Read the WES credential evaluation guide before you order — choosing the wrong report type is the most common (and costly) mistake.
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.
- 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%.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is a good grade in Hong Kong still good abroad?
Hong Kong universities are internationally selective and grade accordingly, with First Class Honours awarded to a small proportion of each cohort. The dual system is the practical advantage: applying to the US, lead with the GPA; applying to the UK, Australia or Singapore, lead with the classification. The one detail to check is whether your institution uses the 4.0 or the 4.3 scale, since an A+ at 4.3 makes the maximum higher than an American reader assumes.
Is a degree from Hong Kong accepted for a master's abroad?
Hong Kong bachelor's degrees moved from three years to four in 2012, so which you hold depends on when you studied. The four-year degree meets the 16-year expectation of US graduate schools directly; a three-year degree from before the change can raise the same question other three-year degrees do.
What grade do you need to study abroad from Hong Kong?
It depends on the destination, and the spread is wide. Stated on Hong Kong's own scale, the typical taught-master's bar works out at roughly: Australia 2.35–2.66 / 4, Netherlands 2.42–2.58 / 4, New Zealand 2.42–2.58 / 4. Across the 12 destinations whose entry requirements we have read and cited, the lowest bar is Australia at about 2.35–2.66 / 4. These are typical requirements, not guarantees — selective programmes ask for more, and each figure is a conversion, so treat it as orientation and check the course page.
Can you study abroad with a low grade from Hong Kong?
Often yes, but be specific rather than hopeful about it. The lowest published bar among the destinations we hold data for is Australia at roughly 2.35–2.66 / 4 on Hong Kong's scale, so a result below that clears no destination on our list on grades alone. Below the bar the route is not closed — conversion, qualifying and pre-master's programmes exist in most countries and are designed for exactly this — but expect to need one, and expect grades to matter more where the programme is competitive. Convert your own grade above to see which bars it actually clears.