If you study at COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), your entire academic life runs on one number: your CGPA. Every semester result, every probation warning, every scholarship decision and every graduation medal at COMSATS traces back to the university's grading system. Yet most students first meet it through confusing result notifications and unofficial calculator sites — and the internet is full of grade tables that mix up COMSATS with other universities' scales.
This guide explains the COMSATS grading system from the ground up: the official letter-grade table approved by the CUI Academic Council, how your marks are turned into grades, exactly how SGPA and CGPA are calculated (with fully worked examples), the academic standing and probation rules that decide whether you continue your degree, and how the CUI grade scale compares with the HEC standard. Every number in this guide comes from named sources — official CUI course outlines, real CUI Sahiwal CUOnline result notifications, the CUI Graduate Handbook, and the Registrar's medal notification — which are listed at the end. Nothing here is guessed.
What the COMSATS Grading System Is
COMSATS University Islamabad uses absolute grading on a 0.00–4.00 grade-point scale. "Absolute" means your semester percentage falls into fixed marks bands, and each band carries one fixed grade point — your grade depends only on your own marks, not on how the rest of your class performed. There is no curve and no bell-shaped redistribution at COMSATS: score in the band, get the grade.
The grading criteria were approved by the CUI Academic Council and apply university-wide to both undergraduate and graduate programs, effective from the Fall 2021 intake (source: Grading Criteria Notification 4304, verified July 2026 via GPAWise). The same system runs across all CUI campuses — Islamabad, Lahore, Abbottabad, Attock, Sahiwal, Vehari and Wah — so a student at Sahiwal is graded on exactly the same scale as a student at Islamabad.
One important detail: the criteria specify how marks are matched to grades. Your semester percentage is rounded to the nearest whole number first — a tenths digit of 5 or above rounds up, below 5 rounds down — and the resulting whole number determines your grade. So 70.5 rounds to 71 (a B), while 70.4 rounds to 70 (a B−). This rounding rule matters at every band boundary, so keep it in mind when you are estimating your own grades.
The Official COMSATS Grade Table (Letter Grades, Marks Ranges, Grade Points)
The correspondence between letter grades, credit points and percentage marks at CUI is published in official CUI course outlines, and it matches the marks-to-grade mappings shown on real CUOnline result notifications from CUI Sahiwal (examined for Fall 2022 through Fall 2024 semesters). Here is the table for students admitted from Fall 2021 onward:
| Letter Grade | Marks Range (%) | Grade Points | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 85 – 100 | 4.00 | Excellent |
| A− | 80 – 84 | 3.66 | Very Good |
| B+ | 75 – 79 | 3.33 | Good |
| B | 71 – 74 | 3.00 | Above Average |
| B− | 68 – 70 | 2.66 | Average |
| C+ | 64 – 67 | 2.33 | Satisfactory |
| C | 61 – 63 | 2.00 | Pass |
| C− | 58 – 60 | 1.66 | Marginal Pass |
| D+ | 54 – 57 | 1.30 | Poor |
| D | 50 – 53 | 1.00 | Very Poor |
| F | Below 50 | 0.00 | Fail |
A few things students regularly get wrong about this table, so let us clear them up:
- The A grade starts at 85%, not 90%. Unlike the older CIIT scale (where A required 90), the current CUI grade scale awards an A at 85 and above.
- The minus grades use 3.66, 2.66 and 1.66 — not 3.67, 2.67 and 1.67. Many unofficial GPA tools round these to .67, but the official CUI credit-point values are 3.66 for A−, 2.66 for B− and 1.66 for C−, with 1.30 for D+.
- D is a pass, not a fail. Under the current criteria, anything at or above 50% earns grade points. The F band begins only below 50%.
- Non-credit (NC) courses do not count. For MS and PhD students, a course registered as non-credit is excluded from GPA and CGPA calculations (CUI Graduate Handbook 2023).
How Your Marks Are Built: Sessional, Mid-Term and Terminal Weightage
Before grades enter the picture, your course percentage itself is assembled from three parts. CUI course outlines specify the standard split:
- Quizzes and assignments (sessional): 25%
- Mid-term examination: 25%
- Terminal examination: 50%
A course with a laboratory component applies the same 25/25/50 split to the lab work. The minimum passing marks for each course is 50%, and for lab courses the student must additionally obtain 50% marks in the lab to pass the course. Graduate students must pass the theory and the lab separately (CUI Graduate Handbook 2023).
Attendance: Graduate students must have attended at least 80% of classes to sit the terminal examination. A student short of the requirement is awarded an F. There is no makeup for a missed final exam under any circumstance.
How SGPA Is Calculated at COMSATS (Step by Step)
The semester GPA (SGPA) is a credit-weighted average:
- Convert each course's marks percentage into its grade point using the table above.
- Multiply each course's grade point by its credit hours (quality points).
- Add up all the quality points and all the credit hours.
- Divide total quality points by total credit hours.
SGPA = Σ (Grade Points × Credit Hours) ÷ Σ (Credit Hours)
COMSATS SGPA Worked Example
Six courses: Data Structures 4cr 87% A 4.00 = 16.00; English 2cr 82% A− 3.66 = 7.32; Linear Algebra 3cr 76% B+ 3.33 = 9.99; Digital Logic 3cr 69% B− 2.66 = 7.98; Database 3cr 55% C− 1.66 = 4.98; Pak Studies 3cr 48% F 0.00 = 0.00.
Total credit hours = 18. Total quality points = 46.27. SGPA = 46.27 ÷ 18 = 2.57
Run your own numbers with our COMSATS GPA Calculator.
How CGPA Is Calculated at COMSATS
CGPA = Σ (SGPA × Semester Credit Hours) ÷ Σ (Semester Credit Hours)
Example: Sem1 2.57×18=46.26; Sem2 3.10×17=52.70; Sem3 3.40×16=54.40. Total 153.36 ÷ 51 = 3.01 CGPA.
Plan recovery with the CGPA Recovery Planner.
Minimum Passing Marks and Graduation Requirements
- Undergraduate: 50% per course (grade D); graduate with CGPA ≥ 2.00/4.00; 8–12 semesters.
- MS (Fall 2021+): pass at 50% (D); degree on CGPA 2.50/4.00; 30 credit hours; 4–6 semesters.
- PhD: admission needs 3.00/4.00; 18 credit hours coursework; one HEC-journal publication required.
Academic Standing: Good Standing, Probation and Discontinuation
- GAS — Good Standing: CGPA ≥ 2.00/4.00
- PB — Probation: CGPA < 2.00
- DI — Discontinued: second successive probation = automatic dismissal
MS/PhD (Fall 2023+): good standing needs CGPA ≥ 2.50 every semester; below → probation; unrecovered next semester → dismissal. F twice in same course → dismissal.
Old vs. New: The Pre–Fall 2021 COMSATS Scale
Students admitted before Fall 2021 used a different scale: A at 90+, A− 85–89 (3.7), B+ 80–84 (3.3), B 75–79 (3.0), B− 70–74 (2.7), C+ 65–69 (2.3), C 60–64 (2.0), C− 55–59 (1.7), D 50–54 (1.3), F below 50. If you see an "A− at 85–89" table online, it's the retired scale.
COMSATS vs. the HEC Standard Scale
COMSATS follows the HEC standard scale. Your CGPA converts as: percentage ≈ (CGPA ÷ 4.00) × 100. Try the CGPA to Percentage calculator.
Academic Medals at COMSATS
- Patron's Gold Medal — CGPA 4.00
- Institute's Gold/Silver/Bronze — CGPA 3.75+
- Campus Gold/Silver/Bronze — CGPA 3.50+
Conditions: no failed/repeated courses, degree in minimum time. Dean's List: typically SGPA 3.50+ per semester (confirm with your campus).
Practical Tips for COMSATS Students
- Weight effort by credit hours. A 4-credit A contributes twice a 2-credit A.
- Guard band boundaries. 79.5 rounds to 80 (A−, 3.66) vs 79.4 (B+, 3.33) — sessional marks are the lever.
- Never let a course hit zero. One F cost the example student 0.5 GPA points.
- Know probation math early. DI gives exactly one recovery semester — calculate the needed SGPA with the CGPA Recovery Planner.
- Protect medal eligibility. Any failed/repeated course permanently disqualifies you.
- Keep 80% attendance. Missing it = automatic F.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the grading system at COMSATS?
Absolute grading on 0.00–4.00 (Fall 2021+): A 85%+, A− 80–84, B+ 75–79, B 71–74, B− 68–70, C+ 64–67, C 61–63, C− 58–60, D+ 54–57, D 50–53, F below 50%. No curving.
How do I calculate SGPA at COMSATS?
SGPA = Σ (Grade Points × Credit Hours) ÷ Σ (Credit Hours).
What CGPA puts me on probation?
Below 2.00 (undergrad); below 2.50 (MS/PhD Fall 2023+). Second successive probation = discontinuation.
What CGPA for a gold medal?
Patron's Gold: 4.00; Institute medals: 3.75+; Campus medals: 3.50+ — with no failed/repeated courses and minimum-time completion.
Does COMSATS use relative grading?
No — absolute grading. Your 82% is A− (3.66) regardless of class performance.
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