Question 1

What are the standard grade bands at Arab world universities?

Accepted Answer

Arab world universities use a 0–100 percentage scale with four primary grade bands labelled in Arabic: ممتاز (Mumtaz/Excellent, typically ≥90), جيد جداً (Jayyid Jiddan/Very Good, typically 80–89), جيد (Jayyid/Good, typically 70–79), and مقبول (Maqbul/Accepted, the passing band, typically 60–69 in Saudi/Lebanon/Jordan or 50–64 in Egypt). Below the Accepted band is ضعيف (Daif/Weak) or راسب (Rasib/Fail). Band boundaries, particularly for the Accepted band, differ between Egypt and the Mashreq/Gulf countries.

Question 2

Why does Egypt have a different grading scale from Saudi Arabia and Jordan?

Accepted Answer

Egypt's public university grading system uses a broader band structure historically developed for its large-scale public university sector. The key differences are the pass threshold (50% in Egypt vs 60% in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan) and the Very Good band (75–89 in Egypt vs 80–89 elsewhere). These differences matter for international transcript conversion: an Egyptian graduate with a score of 75 is in the Very Good band, while the same score might be in the Good band at a Saudi university. OpenEduCat stores country-specific band boundaries and applies the correct mapping for each campus.

Question 3

Does Lebanon use a different grading system from other Arab countries?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lebanon has two coexisting systems due to its dual French and Arab educational traditions. Universities of French tradition — such as Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) — use a 0–20 scale (Très Bien, Bien, Assez Bien, Passable, Insuffisant) with 10/20 as the pass mark. Universities following the Arab tradition use the 0–100 scale with Arabic grade band labels. The Lebanese American University (LAU) and American University of Beirut (AUB) use the US GPA system. When processing Lebanese transcripts, it is essential to identify which system the issuing institution uses.

Question 4

How does OpenEduCat handle Arab world grading across different countries?

Accepted Answer

OpenEduCat uses an aw_country selector (set to egypt, saudi, lebanon, jordan, kuwait, bahrain, uae, or morocco) at the campus level. Each country setting activates the correct grade band boundaries, pass threshold, and report card format. The Egyptian configuration uses a 50% pass threshold and 75+ for Very Good. The Saudi/Jordan/Lebanon configuration uses 60% as the pass threshold and 80+ for Very Good. Lebanese French-tradition universities can be configured with the 0–20 scale. The Arabic كشف الدرجات report card is generated with the correct national Ministry formatting for each country.

Arabic / English Label	English	Egypt (%)	Saudi Arabia (%)	Lebanon (%)	Jordan (%)	Notes
ممتاز (Mumtaz / Excellent)	Excellent	90–100	90–100	90–100	90–100	Highest band. Required for competitive scholarships (King Abdulaziz University, Cairo University distinction programmes). Arabic: ممتاز is universal across Arab systems.
جيد جداً (Jayyid Jiddan / Very Good)	Very Good	75–89	80–89	80–89	80–89	Egypt uses a wider Very Good band (75–89). Saudi, Lebanon, and Jordan align on 80–89. Most postgraduate admissions require at least Very Good.
جيد (Jayyid / Good)	Good	65–74	70–79	70–79	70–79	Egypt uses 65–74 for Jayyid; others use 70–79. Band boundaries between Very Good and Good are the key differentiator between Egyptian and Mashreq/Gulf systems.
مقبول (Maqbul / Accepted)	Accepted / Satisfactory	50–64	60–69	60–69	60–69	Minimum passing band. Egypt uses 50–64; Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan set Accepted at 60–69. The pass threshold difference is significant for transcript conversion.
ضعيف / راسب (Fail)	Weak / Fail	Below 50	Below 60	Below 60	Below 60	Fail threshold: Egypt 50, Saudi/Lebanon/Jordan 60. Kuwait and Bahrain use 50 as the fail threshold, similar to Egypt. UAE varies by emirate education authority (ADEK, KHDA).

Arab World University Grading Scale — Egypt, Saudi, Lebanon, Jordan

Arab World Grade Bands by Country

Country-Specific Grading Profiles

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Lebanon

Jordan

Frequently Asked Questions

One gradebook platform for the entire Arab world