Lebanon GPA Calculator: French 0-20 and American 4.0 Scales

How a Lebanese University GPA Is Calculated (Both Systems)

Lebanese higher education runs two parallel grading traditions side by side: the French 0-20 scale at Universite Saint-Joseph (USJ), the Lebanese University (UL), Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK), and most other French-tradition private universities, and the American plus/minus letter scale at the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Lebanese American University (LAU), and the US-accredited engineering and business faculties at Notre Dame University (NDU) and the University of Balamand. The calculator above runs both modes; pick the one your registrar uses on your transcript. The grade calculator output, the semester grade calculator output, and the cumulative grade calculator output all read from the same credit-weighted engine in each mode.

The underlying math is identical across both systems: each course grade is multiplied by its credit value, the products are summed across every completed module, and the total is divided by the sum of credits. The French scale runs from 0 to 20 with a 10 pass mark; the American scale runs from 0.0 to 4.0 (4.3 at AUB for the A+ band) with a 1.0 minimum course pass and a 2.0 graduation floor. Per-course contribution appears in the chart below the result so you can see which 4-credit core course is carrying or dragging the cumulative GPA.

Lebanese French-Tradition Grading Scale (USJ, UL, USEK, NDU)

Lebanon inherited the French notation sur 20 at independence in 1943, and the convention has remained stable across French-tradition universities since. USJ (founded 1875), the Lebanese University (1951), USEK (1938), and Notre Dame University all use the 0-20 scale with mention classifications fixed by the French academic tradition. The minimum passing mark is 10 out of 20 across every faculty, from the Faculty of Medicine at USJ to the Faculty of Sciences at the Lebanese University.

• Tres Bien (Very Good): 16 out of 20 and above. Roughly a US 3.7 to 4.0 (A- to A) and the threshold for Fulbright Lebanon, the French Government Excellence Scholarship, and USJ internal merit awards. The "Tres Bien with congratulations from the jury" sub-band sits at 18 and above.
• Bien (Good): 14 to 15.99 out of 20. Roughly a US 3.3 to 3.7 (B+ to A-). Typical floor for competitive master programmes at USJ, UL, and USEK, and for non-funded admission to top French and EU graduate schools.
• Assez Bien (Fairly Good): 12 to 13.99 out of 20. Roughly a US 2.7 to 3.3 (B to B+). Common graduating moyenne for Lebanese Licence students; meets minimum admission for most open-access master programmes.
• Passable (Sufficient, Pass): 10 to 11.99 out of 20. Roughly a US 2.0 to 2.7 (C to B). The minimum passing mark; degrees issued at this band carry no honours mention on the certificate.
• Insuffisant (Fail): Below 10 out of 20. No credit is issued. The student must retake (rattrapage session) or repeat the year.

Lebanese French-tradition evaluators are historically strict; the average pass mark across many faculties sits between 11 and 13 (Passable to Assez Bien) rather than the higher bands. Class rank often matters more than absolute moyenne for graduate admission at USJ and UL. The Faculty of Medicine at USJ, for example, posts admissions cutoffs by class rank rather than by raw moyenne. This is one reason a Lebanese moyenne of 13 (Assez Bien) is often viewed as comparable to a US 3.0 to 3.3 by Lebanese-aware credential evaluators rather than the linear 2.7 the conversion table might suggest at face value.

Lebanese American-Tradition Grading Scale (AUB, LAU, Haigazian)

AUB (founded 1866 as the Syrian Protestant College), LAU (founded 1924 as the American Junior College for Women), and Haigazian (1955) use the American plus/minus letter scale and report a 0-4.0 GPA on every transcript. AUB and LAU both hold Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation, which gives their transcripts US-equivalency status for graduate school applications without a credential evaluation in many cases.

AUB transitioned its undergraduate transcript from the numeric percentage scale to the plus/minus letter scale in fall 2019. The official AUB 2010 conversion chart (still posted on the aub.edu.lb registrar pages and used by WES and ECE for credential evaluation) anchors the mapping: A+ 93-100 percent (4.3 GPA), A 87-92 percent (4.0), A- 83-86 percent (3.7), B+ 79-82 percent (3.3), B 75-78 percent (3.0), B- 72-74 percent (2.7), C+ 69-71 percent (2.3), C 66-68 percent (2.0), C- 63-65 percent (1.7), D+ 61-62 percent (1.3), D 60 percent (1.0), F below 60 percent (0.0). LAU has used the same plus/minus letter scale since the 1990s without the numeric-to-letter transition step.

AUB and LAU both require a 2.0 cumulative GPA as the graduation floor for undergraduate programmes. AUB places students below 2.0 on academic probation and requires recovery to 2.0 within one to two semesters depending on faculty rules. Dean's Honor List at AUB requires a 3.75 cumulative GPA or above in a given semester; at LAU it is 3.5. Engineering, pre-medicine, and pre-pharmacy tracks at both universities enforce additional minimums in core technical courses (typically C / 2.0 or above regardless of overall GPA). Pre-2019 AUB transcripts continue to circulate alongside the post-2019 letter-format transcripts; WES converts both to the standard US 4.0 GPA without difference in handling.

Lebanon GPA to US 4.0 Conversion for Graduate School

Lebanese university graduates applying to US graduate programmes need their cumulative GPA expressed on the US 4.0 scale. For AUB and LAU students the conversion is trivial; the native 4.0 scale already matches the US scale. For USJ, UL, USEK, and NDU students on the 0-20 scale, the anchored conversion below ties the Lebanese pass mark (10) to a US C (2.0) and the Lebanese maximum (20) to a US A (4.0), with piecewise linear segments at the Assez Bien (12), Bien (14), and Tres Bien (16 and 18) thresholds. This is the same conversion method World Education Services (WES) and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) apply to Lebanese transcripts and that the AUB Registrar publishes for cross-walking AUB pre-2019 percentage transcripts.

For binding US graduate school applications, World Education Services (WES) issues an authoritative course-by-course US 4.0 transcript from your AUB, LAU, USJ, or other Lebanese transcript. The 2026 fee runs roughly 200 to 250 USD with a 7 to 14 business-day turnaround. Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) and Scholaro are common alternatives. AUB and LAU transcripts (MSCHE-accredited) are often accepted directly at US graduate schools without a WES evaluation; USJ, UL, and USEK transcripts almost always require the third-party credential evaluation step.

Lebanon Cumulative GPA to UK Honours Classification

Lebanon is one of the most common feeder countries for UK postgraduate study, especially for Lebanese students with family ties to London, Manchester, and Birmingham. The UK National Recognition Information Centre (UK ENIC) recognises Lebanese university degrees as comparable to UK Bachelor honours degrees, mapped to the standard four-tier honours system below.

A Lebanese moyenne of 14 (Bien) or an AUB GPA of 3.0 is the soft cutoff for most UK 2:1 entry requirements, which covers the majority of funded master programmes at Russell Group universities. A Lebanese moyenne of 16 (Tres Bien) or an AUB GPA of 3.5 is competitive for Oxbridge MPhil and PhD entry. The UK degree-conversion tools at /gpa-uk/ handle the reverse mapping for UK students entering Lebanese universities.

Lebanese Baccalaureate and Secondary School Grading

Lebanese secondary education uses a 0-20 scale similar to the university French-tradition system. The Lebanese Baccalaureate (Baccalaureat libanais, الباكالوريا اللبنانية) is the national high-school exit examination administered by the Ministry of Education and graded out of 20. The Bac is split into the Bac I (Premiere, end of penultimate year) and the Bac II (Terminale, end of final year), each contributing to the overall mention recorded on the certificate. The mention bands are identical to the university tradition: Tres Bien 16+, Bien 14-15.99, Assez Bien 12-13.99, Passable 10-11.99, Insuffisant below 10. The minimum passing mark is 10 out of 20.

The Lebanese Bac does not directly produce a university GPA, but it is the primary entry credential for Lebanese University and most French-tradition private universities. AUB and LAU admit on a mix of the Lebanese Bac, the International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), the French Bac, and SAT/AUB-administered tests for international applicants. The Lebanese Bac with a Tres Bien mention is also accepted by many French universities under bilateral admission agreements with the Lebanese Ministry of Education.

What Counts as a Good GPA at a Lebanese University

Lebanese universities anchor academic standing and post-graduate thresholds on a consistent pattern across the French and American systems:

• National merit scholarships (Fulbright Lebanon, French Government Excellence, USAID): French 14 to 16 minimum (Bien to Tres Bien) or AUB / LAU 3.5 minimum, with 16 (Tres Bien) and 3.75 (Dean's Honor List) effectively required for the most competitive awards.
• Competitive master programme admission: French 12 to 14 minimum (Assez Bien to Bien) or AUB / LAU 3.0 minimum at the top public and private institutions. Engineering and medicine masters often require 14 / 3.3 or above plus a competitive entrance examination.
• Doctoral studies: French 14 / 3.3 minimum with a strong research record. Most Lebanese doctoral programmes are research-only (no coursework component) and admission is by individual professor-applicant arrangement plus university approval.
• Mention Tres Bien at graduation (French) or magna / summa cum laude (AUB / LAU): 16 and above cumulative French moyenne, or 3.75 and above cumulative US-style GPA, typically with felicitations du jury or with-distinction wording recorded at the viva for outstanding work.
• Graduation minimum: 10 cumulative moyenne (French) or 2.0 cumulative GPA (AUB, LAU). Below the threshold means the degree is not awarded; the student must complete additional rattrapage modules or repeat semesters.

For applications to French universities, a Lebanese moyenne of 13 or above (Assez Bien) is competitive for non-selective programmes; 14 or above (Bien) for selective master programmes; 16 or above (Tres Bien) for grande-ecole admission under the Concours commun mediterraneen and similar bilateral routes. For US graduate school applications, an AUB / LAU GPA of 3.0 or above (or a USJ / UL moyenne of 14 and above) is the typical floor for accredited master programmes; 3.5 or above (or moyenne 16 and above) for top-50 US universities.

Lebanese University Directory: French and American Traditions

Lebanon has over 40 accredited universities and higher institutes regulated by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The table below lists the universities most commonly referenced by Lebanese students using a gpa calculator workflow and by international applicants converting Lebanese transcripts. The "system" column indicates the grading tradition each university uses on its official transcript.

AUB and LAU are the two flagship American-tradition private universities, both MSCHE-accredited and admitting on SAT plus high-school transcript. USJ, the Lebanese University, USEK, and Notre Dame run on the French 0-20 scale with the Lebanese Bac as primary entry credential. Balamand and NDU run a mixed system (engineering and business on the American 4.0, arts and humanities on the French 0-20) depending on faculty accreditation status. Newer universities (LIU, AUL, Phoenicia, AUST) generally follow the American letter scale to align with international accreditation pathways.

Lebanese Versus French Grading: The Shared 20-Point System

Lebanon and France share the same notation sur 20 framework on the French-tradition side, but average grade distribution differs slightly. French universities are widely known for strict marking with most students graduating between 11 and 14; Lebanese French-tradition universities follow a similar distribution but with Tres Bien (16+) rarer than in some French faculties. Both systems use identical mention bands and both treat 10 as the minimum passing mark. A French Licence transcript and a Lebanese USJ or UL Licence transcript map onto each other module by module for transfer credit purposes under bilateral education agreements between Lebanon and France.

Last verified: 2026-05-25. This Lebanon GPA calculator estimates your cumulative grade on the French 0-20 scale (USJ, UL, USEK, NDU, Balamand, Haigazian) or the American 4.0 letter scale (AUB, LAU), plus the cross-system US 4.0 and UK honours equivalents, using the credit-weighted average formula documented above. Universities apply institution-specific rules for re-sit (rattrapage) sessions, grade replacement, credit transfers, and progression decisions; always verify against your faculty regulations and your registrar's office. For binding US graduate school applications, see the US GPA calculator for the 4.0 scale and consult World Education Services (WES) for the canonical credential evaluation report. Sources: AUB Office of the Registrar academic information; Scholaro Lebanon grading system; AUB Registrar 2010 official numeric-to-letter conversion chart; Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education accreditation list.