Convert Moroccan Grades to US GPA

Scale: Moroccan universities use a French-influenced 0–20 scale. The minimum passing grade is 10/20. Très Bien (16+) is the highest distinction; Insuffisant (below 10) is a fail.  |  Range: 0–20 French-influenced scale (pass = 10)
US GPA Equivalent
4.00
Excellent
US Letter Grade
Morocco Grade
16–20
Score Range
16–20
Classification
Très Bien — Excellent

How Moroccan University Grading Works

Morocco's higher education system is governed by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, du Préscolaire et des Sports and the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche Scientifique et de l'Innovation. Moroccan universities use a French-influenced 0–20 grading scale inherited from the French Protectorate period (1912–1956).

The five grade classifications are: Très Bien (16–20/20) — Very Good/Excellent; Bien (14–15/20) — Good; Assez Bien (12–13/20) — Fairly Good; Passable (10–11/20) — Pass/Satisfactory; Insuffisant (below 10/20) — Fail. The minimum passing grade is 10/20, following the French convention where 10 represents 50% of the maximum. Grades are expressed as integers or to one decimal place.

The Moroccan academic system follows a Licence-Master-Doctorat (LMD) framework aligned with the Bologna Process: Licence (3 years, equivalent to bachelor's), Master (2 years), and Doctorat (3+ years). Alongside universities, Morocco has a network of Grandes Écoles (engineering schools, business schools) and Classes Préparatoires (highly competitive 2-year preparatory programmes) similar to the French system.

Key Moroccan institutions: Université Mohammed V de Rabat — Morocco's oldest university (founded 1957), flagship public institution; Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane — English-medium, US-style liberal arts university with affiliations to international universities; Université Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech — major public university with strong science and engineering faculties; ENSIAS (Rabat) — leading computer science engineering school; École Mohammadia d'Ingénieurs (EMI) — Morocco's top engineering school. Al Akhawayn uses a direct US 4.0 GPA system and requires no conversion.

Morocco to US GPA Conversion Table

Score (/20) French Classification English Meaning US GPA US Letter
16–20 Très Bien Very Good / Excellent 4.00 A
14–15 Bien Good 3.50 B+
12–13 Assez Bien Fairly Good 3.00 B
10–11 Passable Satisfactory / Pass 2.00 C
< 10 Insuffisant Insufficient / Fail 0.00 F

Conversion Formula

Band-based conversion (recommended): Match your score to the table above.

Approximate formula: US GPA ≈ (Moroccan score − 10) ÷ 10 × 4.0 (for passing grades only)

Example: 14/20 → (14 − 10) ÷ 10 × 4.0 = 4 ÷ 10 × 4.0 = 1.6 GPA (approximate — use band: Bien = 3.5)

Note: The formula underestimates high scores. The band-based conversion table (same as France) is the standard used by WES and NACES evaluators for Moroccan transcripts.

Conversion Example

Student: Yasmine studies Computer Engineering at ENSIAS (Rabat) and is applying to a US master's programme in artificial intelligence.

Her transcript grades: Algorithmique 15/20 (4 credits), Intelligence Artificielle 17/20 (4 credits), Réseaux 13/20 (3 credits), Bases de Données 14/20 (3 credits), Projet de Fin d'Études 18/20 (6 credits).

Moroccan weighted average: (15×4 + 17×4 + 13×3 + 14×3 + 18×6) / 20 = (60 + 68 + 39 + 42 + 108) / 20 = 317 / 20 = 15.85/20

US GPA equivalent: 15.85 falls in 14–15 band (just below Très Bien) = 3.50 / 4.0 (B+) — Strong application for US AI master's programmes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Moroccan grading the same as French grading?▼
Moroccan and French universities both use a 0–20 scale with the same descriptors (Très Bien, Bien, Assez Bien, Passable) and the same 10/20 pass threshold. The conversion tables are essentially identical. However, score inflation and assessment practices differ between institutions in the two countries, so a 14 at Université Mohammed V may reflect different absolute performance than a 14 at Université Paris-Sorbonne.
Does Al Akhawayn University use a different grading system?▼
Yes. Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) uses the US 4.0 GPA letter-grade system (A = 4.0, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, etc.) as part of its US-model educational structure. AUI is accredited and its transcripts are used directly by US universities without conversion. This makes AUI graduates one of the most straightforward Moroccan applicant groups for US admissions offices to evaluate.
What is a Grandes Écoles transcript and how does it compare to university grading?▼
Morocco's Grandes Écoles (engineering schools like EMI, ENSIAS, INPT) and business schools use the same 0–20 scale but tend to have stricter grading than public universities. Average scores at these elite schools often cluster around 11–13/20 even for strong students. A 14/20 from a Grande École is therefore highly competitive and often treated with more weight by WES and US evaluators than the same score from a general university.
How does WES evaluate a Moroccan Licence degree?▼
WES evaluates a Moroccan Licence (3 years under the LMD system) as equivalent to a 3-year bachelor's degree — one year short of a US bachelor's. A 4-year Licence (pre-LMD) or a Maîtrise is evaluated as a full US bachelor's equivalent. A Moroccan Master (2 years post-Licence) is evaluated as a US master's equivalent. For graduate school applications, WES's course-by-course evaluation is typically required.
Are Moroccan transcripts issued in French or Arabic?▼
Most Moroccan university transcripts are issued in French (or bilingual French/Arabic), reflecting the French-medium instruction at most universities. Sciences, engineering, and business programmes are predominantly French-medium. Arabic-medium programmes (typically humanities, law, Islamic studies) issue transcripts in Arabic requiring certified English translation. For WES evaluation, French transcripts are generally accepted without translation, but Arabic transcripts require a certified English translation.

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Sources & References
Morocco Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur grading regulations.
WES (World Education Services) Country Guide: Morocco.
NACES member evaluation standards.