Banaras Hindu University, founded in 1916 in Varanasi, is one of India’s oldest and most prestigious central universities. With lakhs of students across its faculties, from arts and science to medicine and technology, its grading rules affect an enormous number of academic careers. Yet the BHU grading system confuses even its own students: letter grades, grade points, SGPA, CGPA, division classifications, and more than one CGPA-to-percentage formula floating around online.

This guide explains the BHU grading system in full: the letter grades and what they mean, how SGPA and CGPA are calculated, how to convert CGPA to percentage, the division system, promotion and pass rules, grace marks, revaluation, and how to read the grade card. Where official rules differ across programs or have been updated, the guide says so plainly.

BHU at a Glance

Banaras Hindu University is a central university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, established in 1916. It runs undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs across a wide range of faculties. Most of its programs now follow a Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), in which each course carries credits and students earn letter grades that convert to grade points. Performance is summarized each semester as SGPA and cumulatively as CGPA, on a 10-point scale.

Because BHU is a large, old university with program-specific ordinances, students should treat their own faculty’s ordinance as the final authority. This guide is based on the widely published B.Sc. (Hons.) ordinance framework and related official sources; details can vary for professional programs like MBBS or B.Tech.

The BHU Letter Grade Table

BHU awards a letter grade in every course based on marks out of 100. Each course is evaluated out of 100 marks: 30 marks for sessional (internal) work and 70 marks for the end-semester examination.

Marks (out of 100)	Grade	Grade Point	Meaning
90 – 100	S	10	Outstanding
80 – 89	A	9	Excellent
70 – 79	B	8	Very Good
60 – 69	C	7	Good
50 – 59	D	6	Fair
40 – 49	E	5	Satisfactory
Passed with grace	P	4	Pass by grace marks
0 – 39	F	0	Fail

A few special grades also appear:

• I (Incomplete): awarded when a student misses the examination. It counts as an F (0 grade points) until resolved.
• T: transfer or waiver grade in applicable cases, carrying 0 grade points.

Grade E is the minimum pass grade in the standard scale. Scoring below 40 means an F in the course.

How SGPA and CGPA Are Calculated at BHU

BHU uses the standard credit-weighted method:

SGPA = Sum of (Grade Points x Course Credits) for one semester / Total credits of that semester

CGPA = Sum of (Grade Points x Course Credits) for all semesters so far / Total credits of all semesters so far

Both SGPA and CGPA are truncated or rounded to two decimal places on the grade card.

Worked example: a student takes four courses in a semester.

Course	Credits	Marks	Grade	Grade Points	Weighted Points
Physics	4	85	A	9	36
Chemistry	4	72	B	8	32
Mathematics	3	55	D	6	18
English	2	45	E	5	10

Total weighted points: 36 + 32 + 18 + 10 = 96 Total credits: 4 + 4 + 3 + 2 = 13 SGPA = 96 / 13 = 7.38

For a semester-by-semester walkthrough of this method, the grade GPA calculator covers weighted calculations in detail, and the general CGPA calculator guide shows how semester figures roll up into the cumulative number.

BHU CGPA to Percentage: The Formula Question

This is where students encounter conflicting information, so it deserves a careful explanation.

The B.Sc. (Hons.) ordinance converts CGPA to percentage with this formula:

Percentage = (10 x CGPA) – 4.5

Example: a CGPA of 7.5 converts to (10 x 7.5) – 4.5 = 75 – 4.5 = 70.5%.

However, some BHU-related calculators and third-party sites use the simpler formula Percentage = CGPA x 9.5. Under that formula, 7.5 CGPA becomes 71.25%.

Which one is correct? The ordinance formula (10 x CGPA – 4.5) is the officially published one for the programs it governs. But BHU’s ordinances differ across faculties and have been revised over the years, and individual departments or recruiters may apply their own conversion. The practical advice:

• Use the formula printed in the student’s own program ordinance or grade card instructions.
• When a form asks for percentage and no formula is specified, state which conversion was used.
• Never silently mix formulas across documents; inconsistency looks worse than either choice.

Students can find more free calculators for grades and attendance on the homepage.

Division Classification at BHU

Under the ordinance framework, the CGPA maps to divisions as follows:

Division	CGPA Range
First Division with Distinction	8.5 and above
First Division	6.5 to below 8.5
Second Division	5.0 to below 6.5

These divisions appear on the degree and matter for employment and higher-study applications that ask for the class of degree. Students should note that some third-party sites publish different cutoffs (for example, distinction at 7.5); again, the program ordinance is the authority.

Pass, Promotion, and Fail Rules

BHU’s result status uses three labels:

• Passed: the student has cleared every course of the semester.
• Promoted: the student moves to the next semester but carries one or more failed courses to clear later.
• Failed: the student does not move up until the failed courses are cleared.

Key thresholds under the ordinance framework:

• Promotion after the 2nd and 4th semesters requires a minimum CGPA of 4.0.
• The final degree requires a minimum CGPA of 5.0.
• A failed course gets two additional chances to clear it.
• The entire degree must be completed within six years of admission.

These rules make early semesters load-bearing: falling below 4.0 CGPA by the end of semester 2 creates a promotion problem, not just a low number.

Grace Marks Policy

BHU allows grace marks to help a student pass a course or secure a better division. The published limits:

• Maximum grace: 10 marks or 1 percent of the total aggregate marks, whichever is less.
• Purpose: to help the student pass an examination or obtain a better division.

Courses cleared with grace are marked with the P grade (4 grade points) rather than the E grade. Students should understand that grace marks are a limited safety net, not a strategy; relying on them is far riskier than securing the marks directly.

Revaluation and Supplementary Examinations

Students who believe their evaluation was off can apply for revaluation:

• Application mode: online through the student portal.
• Deadline: within one month of result declaration.
• Applies to: theory papers.
• Options: revaluation, re-totalling, or obtaining a photocopy of the answer book.

Students who fail one or more subjects can appear for supplementary examinations. Under current published rules, these may be conducted as open-book examinations, with a defined question-paper pattern. Eligibility and exact format are announced with each examination cycle, so students should watch the official notifications rather than relying on last year’s pattern.

How to Read the BHU Grade Card

The online result and the grade card carry the same core fields. Here is what each one means:

• Student name and roll number: identity fields; verify against the admit card.
• Course codes and titles: the subjects taken that semester.
• Credits: the credit weight of each course.
• Sessional marks: internal assessment out of 30.
• End-semester marks: final examination out of 70.
• Total marks: sessional plus end-semester, out of 100.
• Grade: the letter grade earned in each course.
• SGPA and CGPA: the semester and cumulative averages.
• Result status: Passed, Promoted, or Failed.

After checking results online, students should verify that every entry matches their admit card and actual performance. Errors happen, and the correction window is limited, so checking promptly matters.

BHU vs Other Indian University Grading Systems

Students often compare BHU’s system with other universities, which causes confusion. Two points of contrast help:

• VIT and many private universities use CGPA x 10 for percentage conversion, with no subtraction. BHU’s ordinance subtracts 4.5, so the same CGPA yields a lower percentage at BHU than at VIT.
• CBSE school CGPA historically used CGPA x 9.5, which is where the alternative BHU formula likely comes from in third-party calculators. It is not the ordinance formula.

The broader framework for credit-based grading in Indian higher education is set by the University Grants Commission, and BHU’s system operates within that national structure while keeping its own ordinance-level details.

Grade Strategy Tips for BHU Students

Because BHU’s system is credit-weighted, not all marks are equal. A few practical habits make a real difference:

• Weight effort by credits. A 4-credit core subject moves SGPA twice as much as a 2-credit elective. Study time should follow the credit weights.
• Guard the 40-mark line. The gap between E (pass, 5 points) and F (fail, 0 points) is the steepest cliff in the table. Even a narrow pass preserves grade points and avoids a backlog.
• Track SGPA every semester, not just CGPA. SGPA is the early-warning signal; a weak semester is far easier to offset in the next term than to repair two years later.
• Know the conversion before applying anywhere. Job and higher-study forms that ask for percentage need the ordinance formula, applied consistently across every document.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grading system does BHU follow?

BHU follows a Choice Based Credit System with letter grades (S, A, B, C, D, E, P, F) mapped to grade points on a 10-point scale. Performance is reported as SGPA per semester and CGPA cumulatively.

How is CGPA calculated at BHU?

CGPA is the sum of (grade points x course credits) across all completed semesters, divided by the total credits. SGPA uses the same method for a single semester. Both are shown to two decimal places.

How do I convert BHU CGPA to percentage?

Under the B.Sc. (Hons.) ordinance, Percentage = (10 x CGPA) – 4.5. Some sources use CGPA x 9.5. Students should use the formula specified in their own program ordinance.

What is the passing CGPA at BHU?

The final degree requires a minimum CGPA of 5.0. Promotion after the 2nd and 4th semesters requires at least 4.0 CGPA.

What is the minimum passing grade at BHU?

Grade E (40-49 marks, 5 grade points) is the minimum pass grade. Below 40 is an F. Courses passed with grace marks get a P grade worth 4 points.

What does “Promoted” mean on a BHU result?

It means the student moves to the next semester but still has failed courses to clear. Failed courses get two additional chances, and the degree must be finished within six years of admission.

Can I apply for revaluation at BHU?

Yes, for theory papers, through the online student portal within one month of result declaration. Options include revaluation, re-totalling, and obtaining a photocopy of the answer book.