Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
Short answer
New Zealand universities use a 9-point GPA scale, not 4.0. An A+ is worth 9, an A 8, an A− 7, a B+ 6, a B 5, a B− 4, a C+ 3, a C 2 and a C− 1, while D and E grades are 0. The highest possible GPA is 9, and a 4.0 on this scale is only a B−.
NCEA has no GPA, and NZQA no longer provides GPA conversions for study in the US: the US university you apply to, or a credential evaluator such as WES or ECE, converts your results.
Last checked October 17, 2026 against university regulations and NZQA. Part of our GPA systems around the world guide.
New Zealand GPA calculator
New Zealand university GPA (9-point scale)
Add each paper with its grade and course points. Leave out grades your university excludes from the GPA, such as aegrotat or compensation passes.
Uses the Otago grade values (A+ 9 down to C− 1, D and E 0). The honours lines apply two universities' published standards and are not a ruling on your degree. Check your own regulation.
NCEA credits to a US-style GPA
Enter the credits you achieved at each grade. This follows the method in the NAIA Eligibility Center's New Zealand directory (Excellence 4, Merit 3, Achieved 2).
NZQA no longer provides GPA conversions for the US. US colleges choose which subjects count and may use their own method or an evaluator such as WES or ECE, so treat this as an estimate.
The 9-point GPA scale
The University of Otago assigns a value to each letter grade and takes the average weighted by the credit points of each paper (Otago). It converts percentage marks to grades with the bands below, which come from its Examination and Assessment Regulations (Otago grading scale).
| Grade | Mark (%) | GPA value |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90–100 | 9 |
| A | 85–89 | 8 |
| A− | 80–84 | 7 |
| B+ | 75–79 | 6 |
| B | 70–74 | 5 |
| B− | 65–69 | 4 |
| C+ | 60–64 | 3 |
| C | 55–59 | 2 |
| C− | 50–54 | 1 |
| D (fail) | 40–49 | 0 |
| E (fail) | Below 40 | 0 |
C− is the lowest passing grade. A fail or disqualified result in a paper with letter grades counts as 0 in the GPA. Other universities publish their own boundaries, so check your own transcript key. Otago said it chose a nine-point scale because the New Zealand scholarship system and the other New Zealand universities use nine (Critic, 2013).
What your GPA number means
| GPA | Equivalent grade |
|---|---|
| 9 | A+ |
| 8 | A |
| 7 | A− |
| 6 | B+ |
| 5 | B |
| 4 | B− |
| 3 | C+ |
| 2 | C |
| 1 | C− |
| 0 | D or E (fail) |
A GPA between two values sits between those grades: a 5.8 is just under a B+, and a 7.5 is halfway between an A− and an A. The maximum GPA in New Zealand is 9, and a 4.0 here is a B−, not a perfect score. A 9 is not the same as a US 4.0, because the two scales do not match one-to-one; see the NZ to US section below.
Honours thresholds differ by university
There is no single national rule for honours classes. These are three universities’ own published standards:
| Class | University of Auckland | AUT (master’s with a research project of 40+ points) | Victoria University of Wellington |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Class Honours | GPA 7.0 or above | GPA 6.5 or higher | A− or above |
| Second Class, First Division | GPA 5.5–6.9 | GPA 5.5–6.49 | B+ or high B |
| Second Class, Second Division | GPA 4.0–5.4 | GPA 3.5–5.49 | Low B or B− |
| Third Class | Not listed | Not listed | C−, C or C+ |
Sources: Auckland standards for the award of honours (for qualifications from 2007; it allows rounding to one decimal place), AUT GPA, honours and distinction information and Victoria’s honours table, which states the standard as overall grades rather than GPA. The same GPA can land in different classes: a 6.5 is Second Class (First Division) at Auckland and First Class at AUT, and a 5.8 is First Division at both. AUT sets different rules for other degree types, and Otago sets its own honours thresholds, so read your own regulation.
How to calculate your New Zealand GPA
Victoria describes the method as assigning points to grades, weighting each grade by the point value of the course, adding the weighted values and dividing by the total points (Victoria).
GPA = Σ (grade value × course points) ÷ Σ course points
| Paper | Course points | Grade (value) | Value × points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 15 | A (8) | 120 |
| Paper 2 | 15 | B+ (6) | 90 |
| Paper 3 | 30 | A− (7) | 210 |
| Paper 4 | 15 | C (2) | 30 |
| Total | 75 | 450 |
450 ÷ 75 = 6.0. Now add one failed 15-point paper (D, value 0): the total stays 450, the points become 90, and the GPA falls to 450 ÷ 90 = 5.0. A fail earns nothing but still adds to the points you are divided by. These papers are illustrative and show the method only.
What counts toward the GPA
Each university decides this. At Otago, these grades are excluded: AG (aegrotat pass), CD (completed), CP (compensation pass), CR (certificate received), F (ungraded fail), I (incomplete), MD and MP (distinction or distinguished performance passes). Credit transferred from other institutions is also excluded because it has no grades attached. Otago counts D, E, DS (disqualified), FC, FD, FE and FT as 0 points.
The purpose can change which papers are used. Victoria says a GPA score may be calculated from a subset of your courses, and the Otago scholarship GPA calculator uses only relevant 300- and 400-level papers closely related to your field (Otago postgraduate scholarship GPA calculator).
Converting a New Zealand GPA to a US GPA
We found no official NZ-to-US conversion formula. US universities and credential evaluators convert your grades, and each uses its own table. The University of Redlands publishes one for Victoria University of Wellington students (Redlands study-away sheet):
| NZ grade (Victoria) | Mark | Redlands US grade |
|---|---|---|
| A+, A, A− | 80–100% | A |
| B+, B, B− | 65–79% | B |
| C+, C | 55–64% | C |
| C− | 50–54% | C− |
| D | 40–49% | D |
| E | 0–39% | F |
Redlands merges plus and minus grades, so an A− and an A+ both become an A. Take the earlier example (A in 15 points, B+ in 15, A− in 30, C in 15). With Redlands’ letters and the standard US points (A 4.0, B 3.0, C 2.0), the result is (4 × 15 + 3 × 15 + 4 × 30 + 2 × 15) ÷ 75 = 3.40. A program that keeps plus and minus grades on the common US scale from James Madison University (A 4.0, A− 3.7, B+ 3.3, C 2.0) would get (60 + 49.5 + 111 + 30) ÷ 75 = 3.34. The same record gives two different US GPAs, so use the figure your program or evaluator gives you.
A Course-by-Course report from WES includes U.S. credits, grades and a 4.0 GPA. See our WES guide and U.S. GPA guide. We found no official US-to-NZ formula either; check the New Zealand university’s admissions page for how it reads US grades.
NCEA to GPA for US applications
NCEA grades (Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence) are not a GPA. NZQA says it no longer provides GPA conversions for study in the US, that GPA calculations are normally made only on subjects the US treats as core (usually mathematics, English, natural or physical science and social science), and that you should contact the US provider about its process. It adds that many US universities recognise GPA conversions from ECE or WES (NZQA).
One published method is in the NAIA Eligibility Center’s New Zealand directory: Excellence = 4, Merit = 3, Achieved = 2 and Not Achieved = 0, with Achieved the lowest passing grade (NAIA directory). Its steps are to assign these points to the credits achieved at each NCEA level, add them, and divide by the total credits achieved. Other US colleges may use different rules.
GPA = (4 × E credits + 3 × M credits + 2 × A credits) ÷ total credits achieved
| Grade | Credits | Points | Credits × points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellence | 50 | 4 | 200 |
| Merit | 30 | 3 | 90 |
| Achieved | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Total | 100 | 330 |
330 ÷ 100 = 3.30. The credit counts are illustrative. Your result depends on which subjects and levels the US college counts, which is why you should ask the college before you rely on any number.
FAQs
What is the highest GPA in New Zealand?
9, which is an A+ average, on the 9-point scale used at Otago and the other New Zealand universities.
What is a 4.0 GPA in New Zealand?
A 4.0 on the 9-point scale equals a B− average. It is not the top score as it is in the US.
What is a good GPA in New Zealand?
It depends on your goal. At the University of Auckland, 7.0 or above is First Class Honours and 5.5 to 6.9 is Second Class (First Division). Other universities set their own thresholds, so check your regulation and the program you want to enter.
Is a 5.8 GPA good in New Zealand?
A 5.8 sits just under a B+ average (6). It is Second Class Honours (First Division) at both Auckland (5.5–6.9) and AUT (5.5–6.49).
How do I convert NCEA to GPA?
There is no official NCEA conversion; NZQA no longer provides one for the US. The NAIA directory uses Excellence 4, Merit 3, Achieved 2, divided by credits achieved, and US colleges or evaluators such as WES or ECE do their own conversions.
How do I convert my NZ GPA to a US GPA?
No official formula exists. A US program or evaluator converts your grades, and the result depends on the table used. In our example the same record gave 3.40 with one table and 3.34 with another.
What is the pass mark in New Zealand universities?
At Otago, C− (50 to 54%) is the lowest passing grade, and 40 to 49% (D) and below 40% (E) are fails with 0 GPA points.
Do failed papers count in the GPA?
At Otago, D, E and other fail grades count as 0 points, so they lower the average. Some other grades, such as aegrotat passes and ungraded fails (F), are excluded.
How we researched this
Grade values, honours standards and conversion rules were read from the sources below and compared. Last checked: October 17, 2026.
- Otago GPA article, Otago grading scale and Otago scholarship GPA calculator
- University of Auckland standards for the award of honours
- AUT honours and distinction and AUT GPA information sheet
- Victoria University of Wellington grades page and University of Redlands sheet for Victoria
- NZQA on NCEA and the US and NAIA Eligibility Center directory for New Zealand
- WES evaluations and James Madison University
New Zealand universities publish their own regulations, and we did not verify every university’s grade boundaries. We could not retrieve Otago’s honours thresholds, so they are not shown. Where a source does not publish a figure, none is shown here.
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.