GPA calculator for Australia: the 7-point and 4-point scales, WAM to GPA, how universities calculate it, the UAC method for applicants with tertiary study, why there is no ATAR to GPA conversion, a worked example, and a printable table

Australia has two GPAs and a WAM, and the question "what is my GPA" has three honest answers depending on the university. The 7-point scale is the common one and the one UAC uses to compare applicants with tertiary study; Monash uses a 4-point scale; UNSW, Melbourne and others publish a weighted average mark instead of or alongside a GPA. This page computes all three from the same units, says where each grade band starts, and settles the question Year 12 families ask most, ATAR to GPA, with the only honest answer: there is no conversion.

Download the Australia GPA table (PDF) (the 7-point and 4-point scales with the grade bands of the main universities, the WAM formula, a worked example, UAC's grade values and a blank unit table; two pages, free).

The calculator

The three numbers

The grade bands are not the same everywhere. At UNSW High Distinction is 85 to 100, Distinction 75 to 84, Credit 65 to 74, Pass 50 to 64, and ANU, UQ and most others use the same; at Monash and Melbourne High Distinction starts at 80, Distinction at 70, Credit at 60. The calculator has both; the transcript's own grade letters are what count, so enter marks and check that the grades it shows match the transcript.

Worked example, four units of 6 credit points each:

7-point GPA = (6 x 6 + 4 x 6 + 7 x 6 + 5 x 6) / 24 = 5.50. 4-point GPA (Monash values on Monash bands) = 3.00. WAM = (78 + 64 + 85 + 71) / 4 = 74.50. On the HD-from-80 bands the same marks give a 7-point GPA of 6.00, because the 78 becomes a High Distinction.

WAM and GPA: why they differ

A GPA throws away everything inside a grade band: 75 and 84 are both a 6. A WAM keeps the marks. So a student with marks of 84, 84, 84, 84 has a WAM of 84 and a 7-point GPA of 6.0, and a student with 85, 85, 65, 65 has a WAM of 75 and the same GPA of 6.0. That is why UNSW and Melbourne rank on WAM for honours and prizes, and why "convert my WAM to a GPA" has to be done unit by unit: from the average alone the answer is a range. The calculator shows both so the gap is visible.

What UAC does with a GPA

For applicants who have done tertiary study, UAC converts the grades to numeric values on a 7-point scale (High Distinction 7, Distinction 6, Credit 5, Pass 4, Fail 0; for a letter system A 6.5, B 5, C 4; for Melbourne's honours grades H1 7, H2A 6.5, H2B 6, H3 4.5) and computes the GPA as the sum of credit value times grade value over the sum of credit values, to two decimal places, with no extra weight for advanced units and with ungraded passes left out unless including them helps the applicant. That GPA becomes a selection rank by UAC's own schedule. The point for a family: the GPA on the transcript and UAC's GPA can differ slightly, and neither is an ATAR.

ATAR to GPA

There is no conversion, and no admissions centre publishes one, because the two numbers measure different things. An ATAR is a rank: 90.00 means the student is placed above 90 percent of the age cohort in the state, from an aggregate of scaled Year 12 results (the ATAR calculator shows how in every state). A GPA is an average of university grades. The two are used for different applicants: universities admit school leavers on the ATAR and applicants with a year or more of tertiary study on their GPA, and a student with both is usually assessed on whichever gives the higher selection rank.

What to do when a form asks for a GPA from a Year 12 student:

• US and Canadian college applications take the ATAR and the Year 12 subject results with the scale stated; most admissions offices know the ATAR, and the school profile explains it. Do not invent a 4.0 figure from an ATAR; if a field must be filled, the study scores or HSC marks as percentages with "scale: 100" is the honest entry.
• Scholarships and employers asking for a GPA from a school leaver want the ATAR or the subject results.
• Converting the other way (GPA to a selection rank for a university application after a year of study) is UAC's job, with its published methodology, not a table a student can apply.

What the number is for

At university the GPA or WAM decides honours entry, prizes, exchange places and postgraduate admission, each with its own cut-off (commonly 5.5 to 6.5 on the 7-point scale, or a WAM of 70 to 80). The units that move it are the ones with the most credit points and the marks just under a band boundary: a 74 is a Credit and a 75 a Distinction, one mark for a full grade point. At school the number that matters is the ATAR, and the study score calculator and the ATAR calculator are the tools for that.

Download the Australia GPA table (PDF) (the 7-point and 4-point scales with the grade bands, the WAM formula, a worked example, UAC's values and a blank unit table; two pages, free).

Where to get help

A 1-on-1 online class with a tutor who holds a master's in mathematics and teaches Year 11 and 12 maths, physics and chemistry to Australian students at Australian times (7:30 am before school, 4 pm to 6:30 pm after school, and weekend mornings, Sydney time): the estimate above read together in the free 30-minute first class, the study where five more marks cost least found, and the term spent on exactly that. Year 11 and 12 tutoring for Australia, or how classes work for families in Australia.

Questions parents ask

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