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How GPA Works in Canada: University of Toronto Examples

Guide · Updated 2026-11-05

To see how GPA works in Canada, start here: there is no single GPA. Each province sets its own school rules, and each university publishes its own grading scale. A 76% can be a B at one university and a B+ at another.

This guide uses the University of Toronto’s 4.0 scale as the main worked example, because its rules are published in full. Then it covers the other provincial and university rules we could confirm in an official source. Every source was opened on November 4, 2026.

Why Canada has no national scale

In the official sources we read, grading is split three ways:

  • Each province sets its own school rules. Ontario, Alberta and Quebec each publish their own.
  • Each university publishes its own scale. The University of Toronto uses a 4.0 scale. UBC reports percentages. York uses a 9-point scale.
  • No official conversion links them. None of the sources we opened publishes a conversion between provincial percentages and one national GPA.

So when a form asks for “your GPA”, check which scale it means before you type a number.

The University of Toronto 4.0 scale

The University of Toronto’s Grading Practices Policy (dated January 1, 2020; opened November 4, 2026) links each percent range to a letter and a grade point value.

Percent Letter Grade points
90–100 A+ 4.0
85–89 A 4.0
80–84 A- 3.7
77–79 B+ 3.3
73–76 B 3.0
70–72 B- 2.7
67–69 C+ 2.3
63–66 C 2.0
60–62 C- 1.7
57–59 D+ 1.3
53–56 D 1.0
50–52 D- 0.7
0–49 F 0.0

Two things stand out. An A+ and an A are both worth 4.0, so 4.0 is the top of the scale. And the bands are not all the same width: an A- covers five percentage points, a B+ only three.

How sessional and cumulative GPA are calculated

The Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Record page (opened November 4, 2026) describes a sessional, an annual and a cumulative GPA. All three are weighted by credit:

  • A full course counts 1.0.
  • A half course counts 0.5.

To get a GPA, multiply each course’s grade points by its credit weight. Add those up. Then divide by the total credit weight.

Some grades stay out of the GPA: AEG, transfer credits, Extra courses, CR/NCR, and a Pass in a Pass/Fail course. A Fail in a Pass/Fail course may count as 0.0.

Worked example: one session

Made-up example. A student’s first session has two half courses and one full course.

Course Weight Percent Letter Points Points × weight
Psychology 0.5 82 A- 3.7 1.85
Linguistics 0.5 78 B+ 3.3 1.65
Economics 1.0 74 B 3.0 3.00
Total 2.0 6.50

Sessional GPA = 6.50 ÷ 2.0 = 3.25.

Worked example: two sessions

The same student’s second session has two full courses and two half courses.

Course Weight Percent Letter Points Points × weight
Philosophy 1.0 81 A- 3.7 3.70
Sociology 1.0 77 B+ 3.3 3.30
Statistics 0.5 88 A 4.0 2.00
French 0.5 75 B 3.0 1.50
Total 3.0 10.50

Sessional GPA = 10.50 ÷ 3.0 = 3.50.

The cumulative GPA pools every course, not the two session GPAs: (6.50 + 10.50) ÷ (2.0 + 3.0) = 17.00 ÷ 5.0 = 3.40.

Averaging the two session GPAs would give (3.25 + 3.50) ÷ 2 = 3.375, which is wrong. The second session carries more credit, so it pulls the cumulative GPA further.

Neither UofT page says whether a GPA is rounded or cut off. These examples come out exact, so it does not matter here. If yours does not, compare with your transcript.

Distinction bands at graduation

The Academic Record page sets two honours bands on the cumulative GPA (CGPA):

  • With High Distinction: a CGPA of 3.50 or more.
  • With Distinction: a CGPA of 3.20 to 3.49.

Both need at least 5.0 credits taken for Arts & Science credit. If the 3.40 above were a graduating CGPA, it would fall in the With Distinction band.

Other provinces and universities

Only rules we could confirm in an official source are here.

Ontario: the Ontario Scholar total

Ontario’s Policy/Program Memorandum 53 (April 14, 2009; opened November 4, 2026) defines an Ontario Scholar. The student needs at least 480 marks across eligible courses that total six credits.

  • Each mark is multiplied by its credit value.
  • With more than six eligible credits, the highest marks count.
  • Eligible courses include Grade 12 university, university/college, college, workplace and open courses, related co-op, dual credits and OACs.
  • English for English-language schools and English for French-language schools cannot both count.
  • The principal must also recommend the student for the OSSD.

Made-up example. Marks of 92, 88, 85, 81, 79 and 77, one credit each, add up to 502. A seventh course at 70 is left out. Since 502 is at least 480, the student qualifies. PPM 53 sets only the 480 total. Dividing 502 by six gives about 83.7, but that average is our arithmetic, not an Ontario rule.

Alberta: diploma exam courses

Alberta’s diploma exams page (opened November 4, 2026) says the final mark in a diploma exam course is 70% the school-awarded mark and 30% the diploma exam. A final mark of 50% or more passes.

Made-up example. A school mark of 82 and an exam mark of 74 give 0.70 × 82 + 0.30 × 74 = 57.4 + 22.2 = 79.6.

Alberta’s own example turns a school mark of 68 and an exam mark of 60, which work out to 65.6, into an official 66. The page states no rounding rule. For mature students, if the school mark is lower than the exam mark, the exam mark alone is used.

UBC: percentages and a credit-weighted average

UBC Vancouver’s grading practices (opened November 4, 2026) use percentages. In most faculties: A+ 90–100, A 85–89, A- 80–84, B+ 76–79, B 72–75, B- 68–71, C+ 64–67, C 60–63, C- 55–59, D 50–54 and F 0–49.

Some programs fail below 60%, as do master’s students. Doctoral students fail below 68%. UBC’s academic performance page bases standing on a credit-weighted average. Neither page gives a 4.0 conversion.

Made-up example. Grades of 84 (3 credits), 76 (3 credits) and 70 (4 credits) give (252 + 228 + 280) ÷ 10 = 760 ÷ 10 = 76.0, a B+. At UofT the same 76 would be a B.

York: a 9-point scale

York University’s Common Grading Scheme (opened November 4, 2026) gives A+ 9, A 8, B+ 7, B 6, C+ 5, C 4, D+ 3, D 2, E 1 (marginally failing) and F 0. The page gives no percentage bands and no GPA method, so this guide has no York GPA example.

Quebec: the R score

For university entry from CEGEP, Quebec uses the R score (cote de rendement au collégial). The Ministry works it out for each college course, partly from records students never see. So a student cannot get an exact course R score from grades alone. BCI’s questions and answers (opened November 4, 2026) say to get it from your college or the university you applied to.

What you can work out exactly is the overall average from your course R scores. BCI’s explainer (opened November 4, 2026) weights each course by its units. A failed course counts for 0.25 of its units in the first college term and 0.50 in later terms.

Made-up example. R scores of 30.00 (2.33 units, passed), 28.00 (2.66 units, passed) and 18.00 (2 units, failed in the first term, so 0.50 units) give (69.90 + 74.48 + 9.00) ÷ (2.33 + 2.66 + 0.50) = 153.38 ÷ 5.49 = about 27.94.

Working out a Canadian GPA on GradeCat

For UofT, use the UofT GPA Calculator. It has the UofT table, half and full course credits and the Arts & Science exclusions built in.

GradeCat’s GPA Calculator is built on US college scales. Its 4.0 scale (A- = 3.7) option happens to give the same points as the UofT table, from A+ to F. To use it for UofT:

  1. Turn each percent into a letter with the UofT table above.
  2. Under GPA scale, pick 4.0 scale (A- = 3.7).
  3. Enter 0.5 credits for a half course and 1 for a full course. Add a term for each session.

For the two sessions above, it shows 3.25 and 3.50 for the terms and 3.40 cumulative. It does not know UofT’s exclusions, so leave out AEG, CR/NCR, transfer and Extra courses yourself. Its other scales, such as 4.3 and 4.33, are US scales and do not match UofT. It does not fit York’s 9 points or UBC’s percentages.

For Alberta’s 70/30 blend or a UBC average, use the Weighted Grade Calculator. Enter the school mark with weight 70 and the exam with weight 30. For UBC, enter each course with its share of the credits as the weight: 30, 30 and 40 in the example above. Its letter comes from the grading scale you pick there, not from UBC’s table. More free tools are on the GradeCat home page.

What this guide leaves out

These could not be confirmed in an official source, so they are not covered: Ontario’s credit pass mark and achievement levels, British Columbia’s Grade 10 to 12 bands, Quebec’s secondary pass mark, the OMSAS conversion table, McGill’s and the University of Alberta’s scales, York’s GPA weighting and percentage bands, and whether UofT rounds a GPA.

Canada GPA FAQ

Is there a national GPA scale in Canada?

No national scale appears in any official source we read. Provinces set school rules, and each university publishes its own scale, such as UofT’s 4.0, York’s 9 points and UBC’s percentages.

Is an A+ worth more than an A at the University of Toronto?

No. Both are worth 4.0. An A+ is 90–100% and an A is 85–89%.

How is a cumulative GPA different from a sessional GPA at UofT?

A sessional GPA covers one session. A cumulative GPA pools every course, weighted by credit. It is not the plain average of your session GPAs.

What GPA earns “With Distinction” at the University of Toronto?

In Arts & Science, a CGPA of 3.20 to 3.49 earns With Distinction, and 3.50 or more earns With High Distinction. Both need at least 5.0 credits taken for Arts & Science credit.

Can I work out my exact R score myself?

Only the overall average, from the course R scores your college gives you. A single course R score uses Ministry data you cannot see, so any calculator can only estimate it.

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This guide is general information. Your school's rules come first. Found a mistake? Tell us.