Grading System in the Philippines – All You Need To Know
If you are a potential applicant interested in studying in the Philippines but are unfamiliar with their grading system, or if you are a parent seeking to understand your child’s report card, and you’re thinking you may require the assistance of a translator.
In educational institutes in the Philippines, there are two different grading systems either a 4 or 5 scale where a 0.0 to 4.0 range is used for the 4 scale (0.0 is lowest and 4.0 is highest) and the 5 scale evaluated from 5.0 to 1.0 ( 1.0 highest and 5.0 lowest).
This blog post is all about the grading system in Philippine educational institutes including schools, colleges, and universities.
Types Of Grading Systems in The Philippines
In the Philippines, there are two common grading systems used including the 4 and 5 scales that are followed:
4 Scale Grading System:
This grading system, commonly recognized internationally, originates from the United States and evaluates student performance on a scale ranging from 0.0 to 4.0 also called GPA.
| Written Grade | Grade Point Equivalence | Equivalence | Description |
| A | 4.00 | 92–100% | Excellent |
| B+ | 3.50 | 85–91% | Very Good |
| B | 3.00 | 78–84% | Very Good |
| C+ | 2.50 | 71–77% | Good |
| C | 2.00 | 64–70% | Satisfactory |
| D+ | 1.50 | 57–63% | Satisfactory |
| D | 1.00 | 50–56% | Passed |
| F | 0.00 | Below 49% | Failed |
5 Scale Grading System:
The GWA grading system is widely used in Philippines institutes ranging from 5.0 to 1.0 where 5.0 is the lowest and 1.0 is considered the highest grade. also read about GPA vs GWA.
GWA Calculator is an online calculator to calculate your General Weighted Average in seconds. You can use this calculator to calculate GWA and save time.
| Grade PointEquivalence | Grade LetterEquivalence | Equivalence | GPAEquivalence | Description |
| 1 | A+ | 99–100% | 4.000 | Excellent |
| 1.25 | A | 96–98% | 3.625–3.999 | Very Good |
| 1.5 | A- | 93–95% | 3.250–3.624 | |
| 1.75 | B+ | 90–92% | 2.875–3.249 | Good |
| 2.0 | B | 87–89% | 2.500–2.874 | |
| 2.25 | B- | 84–86% | 2.125–2.499 | Satisfactory |
| 2.5 | C+ | 81–83% | 1.750–2.124 | |
| 2.75 | C | 78–80% | 1.375–1.749 | Pass |
| 3.0 | C- | 75.00–77.74% | 1.000–1.374 | |
| 4.0 | – | – | – | Conditional |
| 5.0 | F | Below 60% | 0.000 | Fail |
School Grading System in the Philippines
1 – International School Manila Letter Grade System
| Grade Point Equivalence | Letter Grade Equivalence | % Equivalence |
| 4.0 | A | 94–100% |
| 3.7 | A− | 90–93% |
| 3.3 | B+ | 87–89% |
| 3.0 | B | 83–86% |
| 2.7 | B− | 80–82% |
| 2.3 | C+ | 77–79% |
| 2.0 | C | 73–76% |
| 1.7 | C− | 70–72% |
| 1.3 | D+ | 67–69% |
| 1.0 | D | 63–66% |
| 0.7 | D− | 60–62% |
| 0.0 | F | below 60% |
2 – Brent International School Manila
A student’s performance in individual subjects during examinations is assessed using a scoring system ranging from 1 to 7 points. Subjects are graded based on the following scale.
- 7 = Excellent
- 6 = Very Good
- 5 = Good
- 4 = Satisfactory
- 3 = Mediocre
- 2 = Poor
- 1 = Very Poor
College Grading System in the Philippines
1 – ABE International Business College – Grading System –
| Grade Range | Grade Point | Letter Grade | Remarks |
| 96 – 100 | 1.00 | A+ | Excellent |
| 91 – 95 | 1.25 | A | Very Good |
| 86 – 90 | 1.50 | A- | Very Good |
| 81 – 85 | 1.75 | B+ | Good |
| 75 – 80 | 2.00 | B | Good |
| 69 – 74 | 2.25 | B- | Good |
| 63 – 68 | 2.50 | C+ | Fair |
| 57 – 62 | 2.75 | C | Fair |
| 50 – 56 | 3.00 | C- | Fair |
| Below 50 | 5.00 | F | Failed |
| IC | IC | Incomplete | |
| W | Withdrawn | ||
| D | Dropped |
University Grading System in the Philippines
1 – Ateneo de Manila University
| Letter Mark | Description | Quality Point Value | Numerical Point Value |
| A | Excellent | 4.0 | 1, 92-100 |
| A- | Very Good | 3.5 | 1.5, 87-91 |
| B+ | Good | 3.0 | 2, 83-86 |
| B | Satisfactory | 2.5 | 2.5, 79-82 |
| C | Sufficient | 2.0 | 3, 75-78 |
| D | Passing | 1 | – |
| I | Incomplete | 0 | – |
| F | Failure | 0 | – |
| WP | Withdrawal from a Course with Permission | No Quality Point | – |
| W | Withdrawal from a Course without Permission | 0 | – |
| S | Satisfactory performance in a remedial course | Credit but No Quality Point | – |
| U | Unsatisfactory performance in a remedial course | Credit but No Quality Point | – |
| AUD | Audit | No Quality Point | – |
2 – De La Salle University
| Scale | Scale 2 | Grade Description | US Grade |
| 4.00 – 4.00 | 97.00 – 100.00 | Excellent | A+ |
| 3.50 – 3.99 | 93.00 – 96.99 | Superior | A |
| 3.00 – 3.49 | 89.00 – 92.99 | Very good | B+ |
| 2.50 – 2.99 | 85.00 – 88.99 | Good | B |
| 2.00 – 2.49 | 80.00 – 84.99 | Satisfactory | B- |
| 1.50 – 1.99 | 75.00 – 79.99 | Fair | C+ |
| 1.00 – 1.49 | 70.00 – 74.99 | Pass | C |
| 0.00 – 0.00 | 0.00 – 69.99 | Fail | F |
3 – Grading System for the University of the Philippines Diliman
| Grade | Scale | Scale 2 | Grade Description | US Grade |
| 1.00 – 1.24 | 96.00 – 100.00 | Excellent | A+ | |
| 1.25 – 1.49 | 94.00 – 95.99 | Superior | A | |
| 1.50 – 1.74 | 91.00 – 93.99 | Very Good | A- | |
| 1.75 – 1.99 | 89.00 – 90.99 | Good | B+ | |
| 2.00 – 2.24 | 86.00 – 88.99 | Very Satisfactory | B | |
| 2.25 – 2.49 | 83.00 – 85.99 | High Average | B- | |
| 2.50 – 2.74 | 80.00 – 82.99 | Average | C+ | |
| 2.75 – 2.99 | 77.00 – 79.99 | Fair | C | |
| 3.00 – 3.99 | 75.00 – 76.99 | Pass | C- | |
| 4.00 – 4.99 | 70.00 – 74.99 | Conditional | D | |
| 5.00 – 5.00 | 0.00 – 69.99 | Failing | F | |
| P | Passed | S | ||
| W | Withdrawal | – | ||
| INC | Incomplete | – | ||
| DRP | Dropped |
4 – University of Santo Tomas
| Grade | Scale | Grade Description | US Grade |
| 1.00 | 96.00 – 100.00 | Excellent | A+ |
| 1.25 | 94.00 – 95.00 | Very Good | A |
| 1.50 | 92.00 – 93.00 | Very Good | A- |
| 1.75 | 89.00 – 91.00 | Good | B+ |
| 2.00 | 87.00 – 88.00 | Good | B |
| 2.25 | 84.00 – 86.00 | Good | B- |
| 2.50 | 82.00 – 83.00 | Fair | C+ |
| 2.75 | 79.00 – 81.00 | Fair | C |
| 3.00 | 75.00 – 78.00 | Pass | C- |
| 5.00 | Failure | F |
Grading Policies in Philippines Institutes
The official formula of colleges is used to calculate final grades, with exceptions for certain courses like Study/Project Design, Research/Thesis/Feasibility, and Practicum/OJT. Students unable to complete final term papers receive an ‘INC’ grade.
Thesis completion is mandatory within the specified timeframe, followed by an oral defense and assignment of final grades by the advisor.
Failure to complete exams on time results in a 50% grade reduction.
Dropping a subject before midterm requires submission of a Drop form approved by the professor and department’s Dean. Dropping after midterm due to valid reasons results in a ‘Drop in Good Standing’ mark.
Final grades, distributed by SRMD, are available 15 days after exams, with students having the right to contest grades before the upcoming semester.
Conclusion
Understanding how grades work in Philippine schools is important. There are different systems, like the 4-point and 5-point scales, used to measure how well students are doing.
Knowing these systems helps students, parents, and teachers understand how well someone is doing in school. The main goal is to recognize students’ hard work and help them succeed in their studies.
Robert Wolf, an acclaimed academic and mentor, evolve innovative approaches to education, encourage critical thinking and bring up a love for learning in his students. With a commitment to excellence, he develop an environment where intellectual growth thrives and educational aspirations soar.