UK Degree Equivalents

LSE defines the US equivalent of a 2:1 to be 3.5 gpa

What is the equivalent of a 1:1? 3.7 or 3.8? I'm thinking of applying for Diploma in Acc & Finance as I don't have a finance background...

Also are the difficulty of majors (such as Engineering vs Business Admin) considered in admissions like they are in the US?

From their website it seems they have an admit rate of about 19% for the program... Would 3.65 GPA Engineering and (near) perfect quant GMAT give you a good chance or is the GPA too low?

11 Comments
 

I feel like that's totally wrong. 3.5 GPA is pretty high.

My understanding is that in general, a 3.2 is equal to a 2:1

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LSE has a conversion table somewhere... 3.8+ is a first. But LSE's criteria for a 2:1 is higher than a 3.2.

 
Best Response

It's tough to convert UK degrees to GPA equivalents. They don't compare well. In the UK, a 70 is an 'A,' and having studied in both the US and the UK, a 70 in the UK is much, much harder to earn than a 90 in the US from a comparable institution.

A 1:1 isn't necessarily straight A's, but it's predominantly A's. At most universities, you need to have a 68-70 average to get a 1:1, so it's probably equivalent to a 3.75-4.0. I would say a 2:1 can be anywhere between 3.25-3.75, and that a 2:2 is 2.75-3.25.

Like I said, the numbers in the US for GPA are a lot more exact than they are in the UK. A 1:1 is summa cum laude, and a 2:1 is magna cum laude. That's probably a better delineation.

 

Well I'm not really concerned about the general perception. I just want to know how LSE will see it.

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/graduateProspectus2010/entryRequirements/Home.aspx They state here that event to APPLY you need a 3.5 GPA, which means I'm assuming the average of admits is a bit higher at like ~3.75

Does anyone know if this is true? I'm also in Engineering so I was wondering if they would give any weight to the major being tough.

I just realized they also don't require GMAT, so its all just based on essay, recs and GPA.

 

Are you sure they don't require the GMAT? At the bottom of the page you just provided, it specifically says that the Departments of Finance, Economics, Mathematics, etc. require the GRE or GMAT.

I did the MSc. In Finance and Economics at the LSE, and I promise that you have to take the GRE/GMAT. Maybe you don't have to for the certificate in accounting and finance, but I think you do.

If you're applying from a good US school with an engineering degree and, say, a 3.3, it's worth applying.

Good luck.

 

Alright thanks brotherbear thats useful. I will have a 3.65ish when applying - hopefully its good enough to get me in

I am applying for the Diploma, not MSc, and it states that you don't need the GMAT/GRE. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/graduateProspectus2010/taughtProgrammes/DiplomaIn…

Also, it says intake/applicants = 35/186 which is ~18%, much better than the ~2.5% for MSc Does "intake" mean accepted or enrolled (before or after yield?

 

Banks in the US have the 3.5 cutoff, and banks in the UK have a 2.1 cutoff, but the a 2.1 is a 60-70 so there is a very wide range.

Pretty sure LSE equates a 1.1 to 3.7-4 and so anything in that range is more than fine, so couldn't you just round your 3.65 to a 3.7?

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