# GPA Calculator for NUS, NTU and SMU: Grades to Honours Class

Calculate your NUS, NTU or SMU GPA from letter grades and units, see your honours class, and work out the average you need for a target GPA.

Interactive tool: https://lookup.sg/tools/gpa-calculator

## How this works
Your GPA is a weighted average: each course's grade point is multiplied by its units (NUS Units, NTU Academic Units, SMU Course Units), the products are added up, and the total is divided by the graded units. Courses taken S/U or pass/fail earn units but are left out of the GPA. A failed graded course counts as 0 and stays in.

NUS and NTU use a 5-point scale: A+ and A are 5.0, A- 4.5, B+ 4.0, B 3.5, B- 3.0, C+ 2.5, C 2.0, D+ 1.5, D 1.0 and F 0. SMU uses a 4-point scale with A+ at 4.3, A 4.0, A- 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0, B- 2.7, C+ 2.3, C 2.0, C- 1.7, D+ 1.3, D 1.0 and F 0.

Honours bands at NUS (students admitted from AY2012/2013, 160-unit degrees) and NTU are the same: Highest Distinction 4.50 and above, Distinction 4.00 to 4.49, Merit 3.50 to 3.99, Honours 3.00 to 3.49 and Pass 2.00 to 2.99. SMU awards Summa Cum Laude from 3.80, Magna Cum Laude 3.60 to 3.79, Cum Laude 3.40 to 3.59, High Merit 3.20 to 3.39 and Merit 3.00 to 3.19. Some programmes add conditions, such as a minimum grade for the final year project.

The target planner solves for the average grade point you need over your remaining graded units: (target × all graded units − grade points so far) ÷ remaining units. Grade tables were checked against each university's published pages in October 2026.

## FAQs
### How is NUS GPA calculated?
Multiply each course's grade point by its units, add them up and divide by the total graded units. Five 4-unit courses graded A, A-, B+, A and B+ give (5 + 4.5 + 4 + 5 + 4) × 4 ÷ 20 = 4.50, which is the Honours (Highest Distinction) band. S/U courses are left out.

### What GPA do I need for First Class Honours at NUS or NTU?
4.50. NUS and NTU now call it Honours (Highest Distinction), and the cut-off did not change with the new name. Distinction (formerly Second Upper) is 4.00 to 4.49 and Merit (formerly Second Lower) is 3.50 to 3.99.

### Is SMU GPA out of 4.0 or 4.3?
Grades go up to 4.3 (an A+), but SMU's honours awards are set on a 4.0 basis: Summa Cum Laude needs 3.80, Magna Cum Laude 3.60 and Cum Laude 3.40. An A is 4.0 and an A- is 3.7.

### Does an S/U or pass/fail course affect my GPA?
No. An S at NUS (a D or better) earns the units but has no grade point, and a U earns nothing. NTU and SMU pass/fail courses work the same way. Only letter-graded courses, including Fs, count.

### Can I still reach Highest Distinction?
Use the target planner. For example, with a 4.20 GPA over 80 units and 80 graded units left, you need a 4.80 average in the rest to finish at 4.50, which means mostly A grades.

## Sources
- [NUS Registrar: Transcript information and grade legend (2026)](https://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/docs/default-source/administrative-policies-procedures/transcript-information-grade-legend.pdf)
- [NTU: New nomenclature for degree classification](https://www3.ntu.edu.sg/cao3/CareerAxis/New_Nomenclature.pdf)
- [NTU SPMS: Undergraduate FAQs (CGPA and Highest Distinction)](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/spms/admissions/undergrad/undergrad-faqs)
- [SMU Commencement: Cum Laude and Merit awards](https://commencement.smu.edu.sg/about-commencement/cum-laude-merit-awards)
- [SMU exchange factsheet AY2026/27 (grade points)](https://fass.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SMU-Exchange-Factsheet-AY2026-27-SUSEP.pdf)

---
Source: Lookup (https://lookup.sg) · Data as of October 2026 · Listings compiled from Singapore government open data (data.gov.sg), OneMap and Overture Maps places. Free listings never show contact details; contact details appear only on Lookup Verified listings.