TU vs KU vs PU vs PBU: Grading Systems Compared
A side-by-side comparison of the grade-point scales used by Tribhuvan, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Purbanchal Universities, and why using the right one matters.
Key takeaways
- TU, KU, PU and PBU all use a 4.0 scale but map letter grades to different points.
- Pokhara University’s top grade is a plain A (4.0); TU, KU and PBU top out at A+ (4.0) with A = 3.6.
- TU’s 2024 scheme and KU share identical grade points; PBU adds a C+ worth 1.6.
- The same B in a 3-credit subject is 9.0 points at PU but 7.2 at TU or KU.
Nepal's four major semester-system universities — Tribhuvan (TU), Kathmandu (KU), Pokhara (PU) and Purbanchal (PBU) — all report results on a 4.0 grade-point scale, but they do not map letter grades to the same numbers. Using the wrong table is the single most common reason a hand-calculated GPA comes out wrong. This reference lays the scales side by side.
The key difference: where 4.0 sits
The most important thing to understand is what the top grade is called. At Pokhara University, the highest grade is a plain “A” worth 4.0. At TU, KU and PBU, the highest grade is “A+” worth 4.0, and a plain “A” sits lower at 3.6. So the same letter “A” means different things depending on your university.
Pokhara University (PU)
PU uses a fine-grained scale from A down to D, with many intermediate grades:
| Grade | Point |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 |
| F | 0.0 |
Tribhuvan University (TU) & Kathmandu University (KU)
TU's 2024 scheme and KU use the same grade-point values, topped by A+:
| Grade | Point |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| A | 3.6 |
| A- | 3.2 |
| B+ | 2.8 |
| B | 2.4 |
| B- | 2.0 |
| C | 1.2 |
| D | 0.8 |
| F | 0.0 |
Purbanchal University (PBU)
PBU's 2024 scale is very close to TU/KU, with one extra grade — a C+ at 1.6:
| Grade | Point |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| A | 3.6 |
| A- | 3.2 |
| B+ | 2.8 |
| B | 2.4 |
| B- | 2.0 |
| C+ | 1.6 |
| C | 1.2 |
| D | 0.8 |
| F | 0.0 |
Why this matters for your GPA
Suppose you scored a “B” in a 3-credit subject. At Pokhara University that is 3.0 × 3 = 9.0 points. At TU or KU the same letter “B” is only 2.4 × 3 = 7.2 points. Across a whole semester those gaps compound into a meaningfully different SGPA. This is exactly why you cannot copy a friend's conversion if they study at a different university — and why a calculator that applies the correct table per university is so useful.
One calculator, every scale
Rather than memorising four tables, the gpaNepal calculator lets you pick your university once and then applies the right grade-point values automatically for every subject. Choose PU, TU, KU or PBU and your SGPA and CGPA are always computed on the correct scale.