Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
✓ Last checked: 15 October 2026
Quick answer
Japan does use GPA, but it has no single national scale. Each university sets its own grade bands and grade points. In the Ministry of Education (MEXT) FY2022 survey, 746 universities, about 98% of those that answered, had introduced GPA at undergraduate level.
The same mark gives different grade points. An 87 is worth 3.7 at Osaka University (AY2026 entrants), 3.0 at Yokohama City University and Waseda’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, and 4.0 at Kyoto University. The pass mark is 60 at all four. The University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences (senior division) passes at 50.
We found no official Japan-to-US GPA conversion. Report your grades as printed on your transcript, use your own university’s published rule, and convert only if your target programme asks you to.
How Japanese universities record grades
Japanese universities usually record a course result as a mark out of 100 and translate it into a grade band. In the sources we checked, bands are written either in kanji (秀 Shū, 優 Yū, 良 Ryō, 可 Ka, 不可 Fuka) or in letters (A+ to F). Yokohama City University prints the kanji bands and their grade points in its grade guide:
| Grade | Reading | Literal gloss | Mark | Grade point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 秀 | Shū | Excellent | 90–100 | 4.0 |
| 優 | Yū | Very good | 80–89 | 3.0 |
| 良 | Ryō | Good | 70–79 | 2.0 |
| 可 | Ka | Pass | 60–69 | 1.0 |
| 不可 | Fuka | Fail | 0–59 | 0.0 |
That guide lists the failing band as 不合格 (not passed) at 59–0 and gives 不可 a grade point of 0.0. It also says GPA applies only to some faculties: the School of Medicine does not use it.
Other universities use letters instead. The University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences (senior division) publishes A+ for 90–100, A for 80–89, B for 65–79, C for 50–64 and F for 0–49, with no grade points in its grade scale. The same document says A+ is meant for roughly the top 5–10% of a class and A, including A+, for about the top 30%, so some marks are set relative to the class rather than by the score alone.
Grade points at four universities
These are the published rules we read. They are examples, not a national list, and a faculty can differ from its university.
Osaka University
Osaka’s nine-level scale applies to undergraduate and graduate students enrolling in AY2026 or later (Osaka GPA page):
| Mark | Grade | Grade point |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | A+ | 4.0 |
| 85–89 | A | 3.7 |
| 80–84 | A− | 3.3 |
| 75–79 | B+ | 3.0 |
| 70–74 | B | 2.7 |
| 65–69 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 61–64 | C | 2.0 |
| 60 | C− | 1.0 |
| 0–59 | F | 0.0 |
Osaka’s GPA overview lists an older five-level scale: S 4.0 (90–100), A 3.0 (80–89), B 2.0 (70–79), C 1.0 (60–69) and F 0.0. The page above applies that scale to undergraduates enrolled before AY2025 and does not say which scale covers the AY2025 intake, so ask the academic affairs office if that is you. Osaka rounds GPA to two decimal places.
Kyoto University
Kyoto’s scale applies to students who entered in AY2020 or later, and some faculties set different mark bands. GPA has applied to entrants since AY2016 (Kyoto University, in Japanese):
| Mark | Grade | Grade point |
|---|---|---|
| 96–100 | A+ | 4.3 |
| 85–95 | A | 4.0 |
| 75–84 | B | 3.0 |
| 65–74 | C | 2.0 |
| 60–64 | D | 1.0 |
| 0–59 | F | 0.0 |
Kyoto’s page says the GPA appears on the grade report but not, as a rule, on the transcript. A certificate that includes cumulative GPA is issued on request through your department’s academic affairs desk.
Waseda University (Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies)
The Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies (GSAPS) publishes this scale on its grades page. Other Waseda schools publish their own, so check yours:
| Mark | Grade | Grade point |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | A+ | 4.0 |
| 80–89 | A | 3.0 |
| 70–79 | B | 2.0 |
| 60–69 | C | 1.0 |
| 0–59 | F | 0.0 |
GSAPS multiplies credits at each grade by its grade point, adds the products, divides by total registered credits and rounds to two decimal places. F grades appear on the MyWaseda grade report and the GPA version of the transcript, but not on the standard transcript.
Yokohama City University
The kanji table above is Yokohama City University’s. Its grade guide excludes credit-recognition courses and teacher-training courses from the GPA.
The same mark gives different grade points
These values come straight from the tables above, applied to the same four marks.
| Mark | Osaka (AY2026 entrants) | Kyoto (AY2020+ entrants) | Yokohama City | Waseda GSAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | A+ = 4.0 | A+ = 4.3 | 秀 = 4.0 | A+ = 4.0 |
| 87 | A = 3.7 | A = 4.0 | 優 = 3.0 | A = 3.0 |
| 76 | B+ = 3.0 | B = 3.0 | 良 = 2.0 | B = 2.0 |
| 62 | C = 2.0 | D = 1.0 | 可 = 1.0 | C = 1.0 |
A grade point from one university should not be compared with another’s until you know which rule produced it. Kyoto’s scale also reaches 4.3, so a 4.0 there is not the top grade.
Worked example
Each of these universities states the same method: GPA = Σ(grade point × credits) ÷ Σ credits. Here it is applied to four hypothetical courses worth 12 credits in total. Each cell shows the grade point, then grade point × credits.
| Course | Mark | Credits | Osaka (AY2026) | Kyoto (AY2020+) | Yokohama City / Waseda GSAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 97 | 3 | 4.0 → 12.0 | 4.3 → 12.9 | 4.0 → 12.0 |
| B | 87 | 4 | 3.7 → 14.8 | 4.0 → 16.0 | 3.0 → 12.0 |
| C | 76 | 2 | 3.0 → 6.0 | 3.0 → 6.0 | 2.0 → 4.0 |
| D | 62 | 3 | 2.0 → 6.0 | 1.0 → 3.0 | 1.0 → 3.0 |
| Total (12 credits) | 12 | 38.8 | 37.9 | 31.0 | |
| GPA (total ÷ 12) | 3.23 | 3.16 | 2.58 |
The same transcript gives 3.23, 3.16 or 2.58 depending on the rule. To test your own marks, find each one in the table for your university, multiply its grade point by the credits and divide the total by your credits. The result is a planning figure, not an official GPA.
Reporting Japanese grades to a US programme
We found no Japan-to-US GPA conversion published by the Japanese or US government. US universities and credential evaluators set their own, so ask your target programme which one it uses.
- Report grades as printed on your transcript (成績証明書, seiseki shōmeisho), including the scale: marks, letters or kanji grades.
- Attach your university’s grading key where the application allows supporting documents. Check your university’s website for it.
- Convert only if the application asks. If it names an evaluator or a method, use that one.
- Report the figure you are given and do not round it up. If your transcript does not print a GPA, ask your department office for a GPA certificate.
If a programme requires a formal evaluation by a credential service, our WES evaluation guide explains the process. Japan has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 27 July 1970 (HCCH status table). Ask the receiving institution whether it requires an apostille.
MEXT scholarship GPA is calculated differently
Applicants to the Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship are asked for GPA on a separate scheme. University guidance for applicants from Tsukuba and SOKENDAI uses grade points of 3, 2, 1 and 0, and both state a minimum GPA of 2.3 for applicants. Do not substitute a 4.0 GPA. These are university guidance pages, not the MEXT guidelines themselves, so follow the guidelines issued for your application round.
Converting other grading systems? See these guides:
Frequently asked questions
Does Japan use GPA?
Yes. In MEXT’s FY2022 survey, 746 universities, about 98% of those that answered the undergraduate question, had introduced GPA (MEXT summary, p. 22). The scale is set by each university, so the same mark can carry different grade points.
What grading system does Japan use?
There is no single national system in the sources we checked. Universities record marks out of 100 and translate them into kanji grades (秀, 優, 良, 可, 不可) or letters (A+ to F), each with its own bands and grade points. The tables above show four examples.
What is the passing grade in Japan?
It depends on the university. The pass mark is 60 at Osaka, Kyoto, Yokohama City University and Waseda GSAPS. The University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences senior division passes at 50 (C is 50–64).
What is the average GPA in Japan?
We found no official national average. Scales differ (Osaka tops out at 4.0, Kyoto at 4.3, MEXT scholarship GPA at 3), so one national figure would not be meaningful. Check whether your university publishes a grade distribution.
What is the highest GPA in Japan?
It depends on the scale. Osaka’s AY2026 scale tops out at 4.0 and Kyoto’s at 4.3 (an A+ of 96–100). A GPA from one university should not be compared with another’s.
Can I convert my Japanese GPA to a US GPA myself?
Only as an estimate. We found no official conversion, and US institutions and evaluators set their own. Follow the method your target programme names, and report your original grades as printed.
How we researched this
Last checked: 15 October 2026. We read each rule on the university page linked beside it: Osaka University’s GPA pages, Kyoto University’s grading and GPA page (in Japanese, translated by us), Waseda GSAPS’s grades page, Yokohama City University’s grade guide (in Japanese, translated by us) and the University of Tokyo College of Arts and Sciences grade scale. We also checked page 22 of MEXT’s FY2022 reform-status summary, the HCCH Apostille status table, and the Tsukuba and SOKENDAI MEXT-scholarship GPA guidance.
Limits: the five universities are examples, not a national list. The University of Tokyo document gives no grade points. We checked MEXT scholarship GPA only through university guidance, not the MEXT guidelines. Waseda’s grade points are for GSAPS only. The worked example uses hypothetical marks. Universities revise their rules, so confirm the current version with your registrar.
This page is for general information. LearnViaHub is not affiliated with any university, MEXT or any government agency mentioned. Check the requirements of your target programme before applying.
Christian Chinonso is the founder of LearnViaHub, with 6+ years of research experience in international education — including GPA systems, scholarships, student financing, and study-abroad guidance — for students worldwide.