SGPA & CGPA Calculator for Pakistani Universities
A free GPA calculator built for IBA, LUMS, FAST, NUST, COMSATS, GIKI and 10 more Pakistani grading scales. Work out your semester SGPA, your running CGPA, and what it means, without wrestling with a spreadsheet.
1What is SGPA and CGPA
Every result slip in Pakistan hands you a number, but almost nobody explains what that number is actually doing behind the scenes. Once you know how a GPA calculator arrives at your SGPA and CGPA, the whole grading system stops feeling like a black box.
SGPA (Semester Grade Point Average) measures how you did in one semester only. Every course in that semester is converted from a letter grade into a grade point, multiplied by its credit hours, and averaged against the total credit hours you attempted. A student who took five courses in Fall 2026 has one SGPA for Fall 2026, and a different SGPA for Spring 2027.
CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) rolls every semester you have completed so far into a single running average. It is the number that appears on your transcript, the number a scholarship committee looks at, and the number an employer or a foreign university asks for on an application form.
This page runs both calculations for you. Pick your university's grading scale from the dropdown above, use the SGPA Calculator tab for a single semester, and switch to the CGPA Calculator tab once you have two or more semester SGPAs to combine.
2How to calculate SGPA
Knowing the formula matters even if you plan to let the calculator do the arithmetic, because it is the only way to sanity check a result before you rely on it for a scholarship application or a transcript request.
Worked example
Say a student at a university on the common 4.0 scale took four courses in one semester.
Programming Fundamentals (3 credit hours, grade A, 4.00 points), Calculus (3 credit hours, grade B+, 3.33 points), English (2 credit hours, grade A-, 3.67 points), Islamic Studies (2 credit hours, grade B, 3.00 points).
3SGPA to CGPA, step by step
CGPA is not the average of your SGPAs. That is the single most common mistake students make when they try to do this in their head, and it is exactly why a dedicated CGPA calculator earns its keep once credit hours start differing from semester to semester.
Worked example
Semester 1: SGPA 3.53 on 18 credit hours. Semester 2: SGPA 3.20 on 17 credit hours. Semester 3: SGPA 3.80 on 15 credit hours.
Notice that simply averaging 3.53, 3.20 and 3.80 would have given 3.51, which is close here only because the credit hours happen to be similar. The gap gets much bigger in a semester with a heavy final year project or a light elective-only semester, which is why credit-weighted CGPA is the only version that shows up on an official transcript.
4CGPA to percentage in Pakistan
A CGPA on its own means very little to a foreign admissions office, a visa officer, or a job portal that only accepts a percentage field, so most Pakistani students eventually need to convert it.
Applied to a CGPA of 3.50, that gives (3.50 × 25) − 12.5 = 74.5 percent. Some universities, including the University of the Punjab, publish a simpler in-house formula instead, Percentage = CGPA × 25, which would put the same 3.50 CGPA at 87.5 percent.
5Grading scale comparison table
Pakistani universities do not share one national grading scale the way, say, GCSE boards share a syllabus code. Each institution's academic council sets its own boundaries, and small decimal differences between two universities can shift the same 78 percent mark from a 3.3 to a 3.33. The table below lines up all 16 scales this calculator supports so you can see exactly where your university sits.
| University | A+ | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBA | N/A | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | N/A | N/A | 0.00 |
| LUMS | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| SZABIST * | 4.00 | 3.75 | 3.50 | 3.25 | 3.00 | 2.75 | 2.50 | 2.25 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 0.00 |
| FAST-NU | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | 1.33 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| Bahria University | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| Habib University | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | N/A | N/A | 0.00 |
| IoBM ** | 4.00 | 3.89 | 3.78 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.50 | N/A | N/A | 1.50 | 0.00 |
| NUST | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | 1.30 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| COMSATS | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | 1.30 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| GIKI | N/A | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | 1.33 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| University of the Punjab | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| UET Lahore | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | N/A | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| NED University | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | 1.70 | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| Air University | N/A | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | 1.33 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| UMT | N/A | 4.00 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.30 | 2.00 | N/A | N/A | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| University of Karachi | N/A | 4.00 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2.00 | 1.67 | 1.33 | 1.00 | 0.00 |
* SZABIST also carries a D- grade worth 1.25 points below D. ** IoBM does not award a C- grade; C is the lowest grade above D.
Three grading families
Once you look across all 16 rows, a pattern shows up. Most Pakistani universities are really running one of a small number of near-identical scales, just with cosmetic differences in which decimal they round to.
SZABIST, FAST-NU and IoBM sit outside all three families with their own scales, which is exactly why picking the right option in the dropdown above matters more than it might seem.
6Notes for each university
A comparison table is useful for spotting patterns, but every university also has its own quirks around passing marks, probation and rounding that are worth knowing before you rely on a number for something official.
IBA Karachi
Nine grade scale with no D grades at all. Anything below a C- (55 percent at most campuses) is recorded as an outright F, so there is no partial credit zone the way LUMS or NUST students get.
LUMS
A clean 10 grade, 4.0 scale that most private universities in Pakistan modelled their own scale on. A CGPA below 2.00 typically puts a LUMS student on academic probation.
SZABIST
The most granular scale on this page, with 13 distinct grades including a D- worth 1.25. That extra resolution means two students who feel like they got "roughly a B" can end up half a grade point apart.
FAST-NU
Unusually generous at the top: both A+ and A are worth a full 4.00, so there is no penalty for landing on a plain A instead of an A+.
Bahria University
Follows the same 10 grade scale as LUMS and NED. Bahria publishes campus specific handbooks (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore) so always confirm your campus's current policy document.
Habib University
Like FAST-NU, both A+ and A sit at 4.00. Habib does not use D grades, matching IBA's nine grade structure.
IoBM
The only scale here where B- (3.00) and B (3.33) sit unusually close together, and there is no C- grade at all, a jump straight from C (2.50) to D (1.50).
NUST
Uses the full 11 grade HEC style scale with a D+ grade. NUST is also known for converting CGPA to percentage with its own formula rather than the generic HEC one, so always check the registrar's current conversion table before quoting a percentage.
COMSATS
Runs an "absolute" grading policy, meaning your grade depends purely on your own marks, not a curve against your class. A CGPA under 2.00 for two consecutive semesters can trigger dismissal, so COMSATS students track CGPA closely from semester one.
GIKI
An 11 grade scale with non standard percentage boundaries, its C tier starts lower than most HEC style scales, which is worth knowing if you are estimating a grade from a raw mark rather than an official slip.
University of the Punjab
PU rounds any fractional percentage up to the next whole number before applying its scale, so a 64.1 percent becomes 65 percent for grading purposes. PU also uses its own simplified CGPA to percentage formula, Percentage = CGPA x 25.
UET Lahore
Historically used a hybrid system where lab courses are graded on fixed thresholds but some theory courses are curved against the class average, so two students with the same raw mark in different sections can land on different letter grades.
NED University
Shares the same 10 grade, single D scale as LUMS and Bahria, which makes cross checking a transfer or an equivalence application between these institutions comparatively simple.
Air University
Uses the same 11 grade, .33 / .67 rounded scale as GIKI and University of Karachi, with a minimum 50 percent required to pass any individual course.
UMT
A nine grade scale without a C- or D+ step, so the jump from C (2.00) straight to D (1.00) is steeper than at most other universities on this list.
University of Karachi
Runs the same 11 grade, .33 / .67 scale as GIKI and Air University, with Dean's list recognition typically starting at a 3.50 CGPA or higher.
7Is your CGPA good
A CGPA only means something in context. A 3.2 on a scale where nobody gets above 3.6 reads very differently from a 3.2 on a scale where a 3.9 is common, so treat the bands below as a general guide rather than a universal rule.
| CGPA range | Typical standing | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 3.50 to 4.00 | Excellent, Dean's List range | Competitive for merit scholarships, gold medals and direct entry into most funded Master's programmes abroad. |
| 3.00 to 3.49 | Good standing | Meets the CGPA cutoff for the large majority of Pakistani and international graduate programmes and most graduate trainee schemes. |
| 2.50 to 2.99 | Satisfactory, watch zone | Still passing comfortably, but below the cutoff some scholarships and competitive Master's programmes set at 3.0. |
| Below 2.00 to 2.49 | Warning or probation range | Most universities place students below roughly 2.00 on academic probation, with continued low CGPA risking dismissal. |
The calculator above places a live marker on the meter under your result for exactly this reason, so you can see at a glance which of these bands your SGPA or CGPA falls into the moment you calculate it.
8How to improve your CGPA
Because CGPA is credit weighted across every semester you have completed, the honest answer to "how do I raise my CGPA fast" changes depending on how many semesters you already have behind you, so the advice below is split accordingly.
If you are early in your degree
Your first two or three semesters carry disproportionate power over your final CGPA simply because there is less total credit hours to dilute them later. A strong SGPA of 3.7 or higher in your first year gives every later semester room to absorb a rough patch without dragging your CGPA down hard. This is also the easiest stage to retake a course you did poorly in in most Pakistani universities, since most repeat-course policies replace the old grade rather than averaging it in.
If you are midway through
At this stage the math works against dramatic single-semester swings, because your existing credit hours already outweigh what one more semester can add. The more realistic move is to protect your CGPA by front loading harder electives into semesters where your workload is lighter, and by using office hours and past papers aggressively in your two or three heaviest-weighted courses rather than spreading effort evenly.
If graduation is close
Run the CGPA Calculator above with your current transcript, then plug in a target SGPA for your remaining semesters to see what is mathematically possible. Many students discover that chasing one extra 0.1 in the final semester requires an unrealistic SGPA, while a more modest, sustainable target gets them to the same place with far less burnout.
