The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a high school diploma program offered as an alternative to Advanced Placement (AP) for academically gifted students seeking college-level coursework. More and more elite colleges and universities have been embracing candidates with IB diplomas, as these students are among the most competitive college applicants who are prepared for rigorous college curriculums. However, many of these schools encounter a problem when evaluating these applicants: the IB grading scale is all over the place!

Okay, maybe not all over the place, but it’s not really an exaggeration to say that you need a Rosetta Stone to interpret an IB student’s transcript and translate it to a letter or GPA scale. To make matters worse, every high school tabulates grades a little bit differently. Some weigh IB courses like AP courses, with a curve that boosts Bs into As and As into. . . who knows what! Others don’t give IB any special consideration at all. College admissions officers have long been used to the lack of standardization among high school transcripts, but the way IB exams are graded can really throw them for a loop.

Let’s take a look at how one high school, Westbourne School in Wales, summarizes the IB grading scale:

• 1-7 Grading Scale: IB subjects are graded on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest achievable grade, representing exceptional achievement.
• Total Score: The total IB Diploma score is out of 45, combining subject grades with up to 3 additional points from the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay (EE).
• Global Standardisation: The IB grading system is globally standardised, ensuring that grades are consistent and fair across different countries and schools.

The bottom line? IB exams are graded on a scale of 1 to 7, and when colleges get their hands on these scores, they use this scale to determine the fate of the applicant. Granted, most colleges only have access to IB exam scores after they’ve already rendered an admissions decision (as is the case with AP classes taken in the senior year), but it’s still important that students and families understand how to navigate this process. 

IB Leaves it Up to College Admissions Officers to Make Sense of Scores

Unfortunately, IB itself isn’t very helpful here. It is an international program, after all, so its primary concern isn’t necessarily going to be making its grading system make sense for U.S. colleges. Here’s what they have to say about the conundrum on their website: 

“The IB often receives requests for an official grade conversion from IB to the system in the United States (USA). Due to the decentralized nature of the education system in the USA, there is no standard or externally moderated grading scale. Instead, grading scales are determined at the local (state or school district) level. As part of their holistic review of applications, many universities in the USA recalculate grade point averages (GPAs) based on their criteria and are familiar with different grading scales.

Therefore, the IB does not provide or endorse a conversion table to the USA’s A to F grading scale or the 4.0 GPA scale.

The best practice is for IB World Schools to submit student grades in the IB’s 1–7 grading scale, as this best represents student achievement.”

Don’t Stress the IB Grading Scale

The moral of the story? Let your (hopefully) stellar IB grades speak for themselves and leave it up to the schools you’re applying to to make sense of them. As more and more students graduate with IB diplomas each year, these transcripts slowly become more and more familiar to elite college admissions officers. Rest assured, you will not be disadvantaged when applying to top schools with an IB diploma. Your dedication to this highly regarded academic program will be rewarded!

And don’t yet worry about whether these courses will count for college credit. Just as is the case with GPA tabulation, every college does things a little differently when giving out credit for high school courses. For now, focus on getting into the school of your dreams, and make sure to hit those books and study hard before sitting for your IB exams!