How to enter WASSCE grades on the Common App
Enter your grades exactly as your school and WAEC record them, and do not convert them to an American 4.0 GPA. Leave the GPA blank or use your school's own scale, and choose None for class rank unless your school ranks. Put your WASSCE results in the Testing section if it lists the WASSCE, or in Additional Information if it does not. WAEC or your school then sends the official results.
Where do WASSCE and SHS grades go on the Common App?
They go in three places, and the official copies follow later. You fill in your school's grading details in the Education section. You enter your WASSCE in the Testing section, or in Additional Information if Testing does not list it. Your school and WAEC then send the official versions.
The Common App was built for American high schools. They report a GPA, a class rank and a list of courses by year. Your SHS reports term results, sometimes positions in class, and a final WASSCE. Do not force one to look like the other.
This page shows you which box takes what. Our guide to WASSCE, A-levels or IB for US universities explains how admissions officers read the results themselves.
What do I put in the GPA and class rank fields?
Put your school's own figures, or nothing. Most schools outside the United States do not calculate an American-style GPA. The Common App lets you leave the GPA blank and choose "None" for class rank.
Here is what to enter, field by field, for a typical Ghanaian SHS:
| Common App field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Graduating class size | The rough number in your year group, if you know it |
| Class rank reporting | "None", unless your school publishes positions. If it does, what the school reports |
| Cumulative GPA | Blank, unless your school calculates one. If it does, exactly as on your transcript |
| GPA scale | Your school's own scale, if it has one. Do not convert to 4.0 |
Your school profile does the explaining. It is a short document your counsellor sends that describes your school, its programmes and how it grades. The admissions office reads your results against it. Ask your counsellor whether your school has one, and what it says.
Where do my WASSCE results go?
Put them in the Testing section if it offers the WASSCE for your year. If it does not, put them in Additional Information. Check Testing first. It lists exams such as the SAT, ACT, AP, IB and Cambridge, and the list can change from one year to the next.
In Additional Information, keep it plain:
- The exam and sitting: WASSCE (school candidate), May/June 2026.
- Each subject and grade, one per line: English Language, A1.
- Nothing more: no percentages, no conversions, no comments on the grades.
List the four core subjects first: English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies. Then list your electives in the order they appear on your results slip. A reader who knows WAEC results will look for that order.
Do I need to explain the A1 to F9 grades?
No. Admissions offices that admit students from Ghana, Nigeria and the rest of West Africa see the scale every year. Evaluation services such as WES (World Education Services) also publish guidance on reading WAEC results.
For your own reference, the WASSCE grades each subject on a nine-point scale. A1 is the top grade and F9 the bottom. A1 to C6 are credits, D7 and E8 are passes, and F9 is a fail.
| Grade | Commonly described as |
|---|---|
| A1 | Excellent |
| B2 | Very good |
| B3 | Good |
| C4, C5, C6 | Credit |
| D7, E8 | Pass |
| F9 | Fail |
How do my SHS term results reach the university?
Your counsellor uploads them as your transcript. You do not type them in. At a Ghanaian SHS, the transcript usually means your terminal reports from SHS 1 onwards, summarised on school letterhead, signed and stamped.
Ask your school early. Many Ghanaian schools do not produce a transcript as a routine document. Give the school a list of what each university needs: every term's results, the subjects you took and the grading scale. A school that has done this before will know the format. One that has not may need a few weeks and a sample.
Check that every grade agrees: on your transcript, in any WASSCE results you list, and anywhere else you report them. A mismatch invites a question you would rather not answer.
What if I am still in SHS 3?
Report what you have and say what is coming. Your counsellor uploads your SHS results so far. In Testing or Additional Information, you list the WASSCE as an exam you will sit, with the expected date.
WAEC usually releases results in August, after the May to June sitting. You then send them to the universities that admitted you, as each one instructs. Our guide to applying before WASSCE results covers the whole SHS 3 year, and our guide to US application deadlines shows how it fits the US cycle.
How do universities get my official results?
WAEC or your school sends them, not you. WAEC Ghana sends a confirmed statement of results straight to a university when you ask. It also runs an online portal for confirmation and attestation requests. Its published fee for a confirmed statement sent abroad has been GH₵170 per statement per examination, before courier costs.
Three things to get right:
- Use the official route. A results checker printout is useful to you, but it is not official, so a university will not accept it.
- Request it when the university asks. That is usually after admission. Give WAEC the exact address the university provides.
- Keep your index number and exam year safe. WAEC needs both for any request.
Some universities ask instead for an evaluation from a service such as WES. Order one only when a university requires it, because it costs money and takes time.
What should I do now?
Ask your counsellor two questions this week. Does the school calculate a GPA or publish class positions? Does it have a school profile? The first answer decides what you type in the Education section. The profile decides how universities read your grades.
You can fill in these sections on your own. If you would like someone to review your whole Common App before you submit it, you can book a call with us.
Questions people ask
Should I convert my WASSCE grades to a 4.0 GPA?
No. Report your grades as your school and WAEC record them. Admissions offices that read applications from Ghana know the A1 to F9 scale, and your school profile explains it. A home-made conversion that does not match your transcript raises more doubts than it settles.
What do I put for class rank if my school does not rank?
Choose "None" or leave it blank, as the Common App allows. If your school does publish positions in class, report exactly what the school reports.
Where do WASSCE results go if the testing section has no WASSCE option?
Put them in the Additional Information section. List each subject, its grade and the sitting, such as May/June 2026. The university will then ask WAEC or your school for official confirmation.
How do I send official WASSCE results to a US university?
Ask WAEC Ghana to send a confirmed statement of results straight to the university. WAEC charges a fee per statement per examination and takes requests through an online portal. A printout from the results checker is not an official document.
I am in SHS 3. How do I report results I do not have yet?
List the WASSCE as an exam you will sit, and send the results when WAEC releases them. Your counsellor uploads your SHS grades so far. Universities that admit Ghanaian students expect this.