How grading works at King Khalid University
KKU records your performance in each course as a percentage mark out of 100, which converts to a letter grade on a 1.00–5.00 grade-point scale:
| Mark | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 95–100 | A+ (Exceptional) | 5.00 |
| 90–<95 | A (Excellent) | 4.75 |
| 85–<90 | B+ (Superior) | 4.50 |
| 80–<85 | B (Very Good) | 4.00 |
| 75–<80 | C+ (Above Average) | 3.50 |
| 70–<75 | C (Good) | 3.00 |
| 65–<70 | D+ (High Pass) | 2.50 |
| 60–<65 | D (Pass) | 2.00 |
| Below 60 | F (Fail) | 1.00 |
KKU's own regulations publish a shared national table with two possible point columns, out of 5.00 and out of 4.00 — KKU has adopted the 5.00 column exclusively for every course grade and for the overall graduation rating. Note that a Fail (F) is worth 1.00, not 0.00, on this scale.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Appendix (1); Articles 37-38 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
What counts toward your GPA at KKU
Not every notation on a KKU transcript carries a grade-point value or affects your cumulative GPA:
- In-Progress (IP), Incomplete (IC), Withdrawn (W) and Exemption (E) carry no grade-point value and are not counted in your GPA.
- No-grade Pass (NP) and No-grade Fail (NF) record a pass/fail outcome without a numeric grade-point value, so they don't move your average either.
- Denied (DN) is worth 1.00 — the same weight as an ordinary Fail — but has no associated percentage-mark range in KKU's own grading table.
Resit (second round) exams: at colleges on the full academic-year system, a student who passes a second-round exam after an initial Fail is recorded a grade of D, replacing the original F — not a higher grade, regardless of the resit score.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Appendix (1); Article 35 Implementing Rule (second-round exams) — verified Aug 2026
Academic warnings and dismissal at KKU
You are issued an academic warning if your cumulative GPA drops below 2.00 out of 5.00, documented in your academic record. Your registration is automatically suspended after a first or second warning until you complete required academic advising.
Dismissal follows three consecutive warnings tied to the graduation-floor GPA, though the University Council can grant a fourth chance (assuming you could reach 60 grade points from 15 units) and, exceptionally, a fifth (assuming 45 grade points from 15 units). You can also be dismissed for not completing graduation requirements within one and a half times your program's normal duration, with its own exceptional-chance track for students close to finishing.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Article 22 and its Implementing Rule — verified Aug 2026
What KKU requires for your degree
To graduate from KKU, you must complete all requirements of your study plan with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 out of 5.00 — the University Council may set a higher floor for a specific specialization, but it can never be lower than the "Pass" rating in any case.
For programs that include a mandatory training period after coursework, your graduation document is issued only after you complete that training successfully and meet all academic and practical requirements.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Article 41 and its Implementing Rule — verified Aug 2026
Graduation ratings and Latin honors at KKU
Your overall graduation rating is based on your cumulative GPA on KKU's 5.00 scale:
| Rating | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 4.50–5.00 |
| Very Good | 3.75–<4.50 |
| Good | 2.75–<3.75 |
| Pass | 2.00–<2.75 |
Latin honors require a higher bar plus conditions: First Class (GPA 4.75–5.00) or Second Class (GPA 4.25–<4.75), and in both cases you must never have failed a course — at KKU, at another university, or as a visiting or transferred student — must have finished within the average of your college's minimum and maximum allowed duration, and must have studied at least 60% of your graduation requirements at KKU itself.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Articles 37 and 39 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
Transfer credit and course equivalency at KKU
KKU accepts external transfer students from licensed universities or colleges, provided they weren't dismissed from their previous institution for disciplinary reasons.
Course equivalency for prior study elsewhere requires: the course was completed within the last 5 years, at least 75% content and contact-hour overlap with a KKU course, and equivalenced courses may not exceed 40% of your program's total plan. Equivalenced external courses are recorded on your transcript but excluded from your cumulative GPA.
This differs for internal transfers between KKU's own colleges or departments: equivalenced courses in that case are counted in your cumulative GPA, while non-equivalenced prior courses are recorded only as No-grade Pass or No-grade Fail.
Exemption from a course — via a standardized test, a recognized professional certificate, or a department exam with a score of at least 85 out of 100 — is capped at 25% of your plan's units (combined with equivalenced courses, 40% total) and is not counted in your GPA.
Visiting students: courses you take at another university while visiting are excluded from your KKU GPA; courses taken while visiting between KKU's own branches are included.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Articles 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I save my semesters and track my CGPA at KKU?
How do I convert SGPA to CGPA at KKU?
Can I add past semester GPAs without entering every course?
Is my CGPA tracker data sent to your servers?
Is this King Khalid University (KKU) GPA calculator free?
What is King Khalid University's GPA scale?
KKU uses a 1.00 to 5.00 scale, not 0 to 5.00. The highest grade is A+ (Exceptional), worth 5.00 grade points for marks of 95–100%. The lowest passing-track grade, Fail (F), is worth 1.00 — KKU's own regulations never print a 0.00 value on the scale it has adopted.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Appendix (1); Articles 37-38 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
Why isn't a Fail worth 0.00 at KKU?
KKU's national grading template publishes two possible point columns for every letter grade — out of 5.00 and out of 4.00. KKU's own Implementing Rules (Articles 37 and 38) explicitly adopt the 5.00 column for every course grade, and on that column, a Fail (F) is defined as 1.00 point, not 0.00. This is a deliberate feature of the scale KKU uses, not a data error.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Appendix (1); Articles 37-38 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
What does DN (Denied) mean on a KKU transcript?
Denied (DN) carries the same 1.00 grade-point weight as an ordinary Fail. Unlike an ordinary Fail, however, KKU's grading table does not print an associated percentage-mark range for DN, so it isn't something you can reach by entering a mark into a GPA calculator — it's applied directly to your record rather than derived from a score.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Appendix (1) — verified Aug 2026
What happens if I pass a resit (second-round) exam at KKU?
At colleges on the full academic-year system, if you fail a course and then pass its second-round ("دور ثاني") exam, your recorded grade becomes a D — replacing the original Fail — regardless of how well you actually score on the resit. It's a fixed replacement grade, not a mark-based one.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Article 35 Implementing Rule — verified Aug 2026
What's the minimum GPA to avoid an academic warning at KKU?
You're issued an academic warning if your cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 out of 5.00. Your registration is automatically suspended after your first or second warning until you complete required academic advising, and three consecutive warnings can lead to dismissal (though additional chances to recover your GPA are sometimes available).
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Article 22 and its Implementing Rule — verified Aug 2026
What GPA do I need for graduation honors at KKU?
For First Class honors you need a cumulative GPA of 4.75 to 5.00; for Second Class, 4.25 up to (but under) 4.75. Either way, you must never have failed a course anywhere (including as a visiting or transferred student), must have finished within the average allowed duration for your college, and must have completed at least 60% of your graduation requirements at KKU itself.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Article 39 Implementing Rule — verified Aug 2026
Does a transferred or equivalenced course count toward my KKU GPA?
It depends on the type of transfer. A course equivalenced from outside KKU (external transfer, or an external visiting-student course) is recorded on your transcript but excluded from your cumulative GPA. A course equivalenced during an internal transfer between KKU's own colleges or departments, or while visiting between KKU's own branches, is included in your GPA. Exempted courses (via test, certificate, or department exam) are never counted either way.
Source: Study and Examinations Regulations, Articles 24, 26, 27 and 28 Implementing Rules — verified Aug 2026
