University Grading Systems in Pakistan: HEC Scale vs Relative Grading (2026 Guide)

University Grading Systems in Pakistan: HEC Scale vs Relative Grading (2026 Guide) The short answer Pakistani universities do not all use the same grading table. The Higher Education Commission's uniform semester-system guidelines define percentage bands mapped to grade points on a 4.0 scale — 85% and above earns an A (4.00 grade points), 80–84% an A− (3.66), and so on down to below 50% = F. But HEC permits two different systems for turning your marks into those letters: absolute grading (fixed bands announced before the semester) and relative grading (boundaries set from the class's mark distribution after exams). NUST has graded on a curve since its inception; IBA Karachi publishes its own tougher fixed scale (A only at 93–100) and lets instructors switch to a curve; GIKI demands a 3.00 CGPA for graduate degrees against HEC's 2.00 floor. The same exam score can therefore be a B+ at one university, a B at another, and an A at a third — and this guide shows you exactly how, …