The key difference: percentage vs 4.0 scale
Most Canadian universities use percentage grades as the primary record, while US universities standardise on the 4.0 GPA scale. A Canadian transcript might show 78% in Calculus, while the same performance at a US university would be recorded as a B or B+ (approximately 3.0–3.3 GPA).
University of Toronto (percentage + 4.0 scale)
- A+ (90–100%) = 4.0
- A (85–89%) = 4.0
- A− (80–84%) = 3.7
- B+ (77–79%) = 3.3
- B (73–76%) = 3.0
McGill University (percentage only)
- A (85–100%) = 4.0
- A− (80–84%) = 3.7
- B+ (75–79%) = 3.3
- B (70–74%) = 3.0
What counts as a good GPA in Canada?
- 80%+: Excellent. Dean's Honour List at most universities.
- 75–79%: Good. Competitive for most graduate programmes.
- 70–74%: Satisfactory. Average for many programmes.