The International Baccalaureate does not provide or endorse a table that converts IB 1–7 subject grades to U.S. A–F grades or a 4.0 GPA. A fixed table such as 7=4.0, 6=3.7, plus a universal HL +1.0 is not an IB rule.
Report the IB result as issued
IB's U.S. university grade-conversion guidance recommends submission of IB grades and explicitly does not endorse a U.S. conversion table.
Record:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Subject | ____ |
| Level | HL / SL |
| IB grade | 1–7 |
| Predicted or final | ____ |
| School transcript grade, if separate | ____ |
| Recipient instruction | ____ |
Do not replace an IB result with a self-created GPA unless the school or application explicitly tells you to calculate one.
Understand the diploma score
According to IB's Diploma Programme assessment guide:
- each of six subjects receives a grade from 1 to 7;
- the six subject results contribute to the diploma total;
- Theory of Knowledge and the extended essay can contribute up to three core points;
- Creativity, Activity, Service is required but contributes no points;
- HL and SL differ in scope, while both use the same grade descriptors and contribute the same number of diploma points.
HL should therefore not receive an automatic GPA bonus attributed to IB.
A school may apply its own weighting
A high school may assign local transcript points to IB courses, and a university may recalculate those courses under its own policy. Those are local rules.
The University of California GPA policy provides one named recipient example: eligible IB coursework can interact with UC's limited honors-point rules under defined conditions. UC's method should not be generalized to other schools.
Build a local planning calculation
If your high school publishes a point table, enter that exact table:
| Local transcript grade | Base points | Eligible IB weight | Policy source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
Then use credit-weighted arithmetic. Label the output as your school's GPA or a planning estimate, not an “IB GPA.”
FAQ
Does IB 7 equal a U.S. 4.0?
IB does not endorse that fixed equivalence. Follow the receiving institution's instructions.
Does every HL course get one extra point?
No. Any GPA weight comes from a school or recipient policy, not from IB diploma scoring.
Does CAS add diploma points?
No. CAS is required but does not add points; TOK and the extended essay can add up to three core points.