Calculate your HKU GPA and CGPA on the official 4.3 scale, with the honours classification bands and HKU's rule that a retaken course never replaces the original grade.
| Grade | Credits |
|---|
Enter each course's letter grade and its credit value. Only letter grades carry grade points at HKU — PASS, FAIL and Distinction courses are excluded.
| Grade | Grade points | Standard · description |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 | Excellent — the only grade above 4.0 |
| A | 4.0 | Excellent |
| A− | 3.7 | Excellent |
| B+ | 3.3 | Good |
| B | 3.0 | Good |
| B− | 2.7 | Good |
| C+ | 2.3 | Satisfactory |
| C | 2.0 | Satisfactory |
| C− | 1.7 | Satisfactory |
| D+ | 1.3 | Pass |
| D | 1.0 | Pass |
| F | 0 | Fail |
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| A (4.0) 6cr + B+ (3.3) 6cr | 3.65 / 4.30 |
| A+ (4.3) 6cr + A (4.0) 6cr + B (3.0) 6cr | 3.77 / 4.30 |
| C+ (2.3) 6cr + B− (2.7) 6cr | 2.50 / 4.30 |
| A+ (4.3) 12cr + F (0) 6cr | 2.87 / 4.30 |
HKU's top grade is worth 4.3, not 4.0. That extra three-tenths exists so that an A+ carries genuine weight rather than being indistinguishable from an A. It also means a HKU CGPA can legitimately sit above 4.00, and that a straight conversion to a US 4.0 scale is not a simple division.
The gap between 4.0 and 4.3 is small in absolute terms but decisive at the top of the distribution: at a cumulative GPA of 3.55 you are a whisker from First Class Honours, and those three-tenths frequently decide it.
| Class of honours | CGPA range |
|---|---|
| First Class Honours | 3.60 – 4.30 |
| Second Class Honours, Division One | 3.00 – 3.59 |
| Second Class Honours, Division Two | 2.40 – 2.99 |
| Third Class Honours | 1.70 – 2.39 |
| Pass degree | 1.00 – 1.69 |
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Retakes never replace | A re-taken course does not overwrite the failed grade. Every attempt stays on the transcript and every attempt is counted in the GPA |
| You cannot repeat a pass | Once a course is passed it cannot be repeated to improve the mark |
| Non-letter grades are invisible | PASS/FAIL and Distinction/Pass/Fail courses earn credits but contribute no grade points at all |
| The 50% rule | To be classified for honours, at least half the credits of your degree must be letter-graded. A mostly pass/fail record earns a pass degree with no honours classification |
| Graduation GPA (GGPA) proviso | If you completed six Common Core courses, HKU takes either the five best (covering all Areas of Inquiry) or all six — whichever produces the higher GGPA |
The 4.3 grade point table, the honours CGPA bands, the 50% letter-graded rule, the Common Core GGPA proviso and the retake policy are taken from the HKU Academic Advising and Scholarships Office, the Faculty of Science assessment pages and the University Calendar regulations.
HKU awards an A+ the value of 4.3 so that the very top grade has a mathematical consequence. On a 4.0 scale an A+ and an A are identical, which removes any incentive to chase the highest band. The 4.3 ceiling is why a HKU CGPA can read above 4.00.
No. All courses and the grades obtained in every attempt appear on your transcript and are counted toward your GPA calculation. A retake adds a second set of grade points rather than removing the first, so the arithmetic never forgets the failure.
Use the Graduation GPA bands: 3.60 and above is First Class, 3.00–3.59 is Second Class Division One, 2.40–2.99 is Division Two, 1.70–2.39 is Third Class and 1.00–1.69 is a pass degree. Your GGPA is the version of the CGPA used specifically for classification.
To award honours, HKU normally requires that at least half of the credits in your curriculum carry letter grades. If too much of your record is PASS/FAIL or Distinction/Pass/Fail, you will graduate with a pass degree and no honours classification.
No. Courses graded PASS/FAIL or Distinction/Pass/Fail yield no grade points, so they are excluded from the GPA and CGPA. The credits still count toward meeting your graduation requirements.