Add your module marks, credits and year of study, pick how your university weights its years, and you’ll see the degree class your marks point to. If you haven’t finished yet, say how many credits you have left and the page shows the average you need for the class you want.
Enter your modules and year weights
Examples from named universities. Choose Custom or edit the boxes to use your own.
Your modules
Still to take? See what you need
Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your degree class
Your result shows up here once you add a module with a mark, its credits and its year.
What to enter
- Year weights
- How much each year counts toward your final mark. Pick one of the examples, or choose Custom and type your own. Many universities give year 1 a weight of 0.
- Modules
- Add each module with its mark, its credits and the year it belongs to. Use the credits on your transcript, such as 15, 20 or 30.
- Credits still to take
- Optional. If you are partway through, enter the credits you still have to take and the year they fall in.
- The class you want
- Optional. Pick a class and the page shows the average you need on the credits still to take.
A worked example
Here is a made-up student on a three year degree, weighted 33:67 between years 2 and 3. Year 2 is six modules of 20 credits. Year 3 is four modules of 20 credits and a 40 credit dissertation.
| Module | Year | Credits | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | 2 | 20 | 62 |
| Module 2 | 2 | 20 | 58 |
| Module 3 | 2 | 20 | 71 |
| Module 4 | 2 | 20 | 65 |
| Module 5 | 2 | 20 | 55 |
| Module 6 | 2 | 20 | 68 |
| Module 7 | 3 | 20 | 66 |
| Module 8 | 3 | 20 | 72 |
| Module 9 | 3 | 20 | 61 |
| Module 10 | 3 | 20 | 70 |
| Dissertation | 3 | 40 | 68 |
Year 2 average: the marks add to 379 over six equal modules, so the average is 63.17%. Year 3 average: the dissertation counts double, so the average is 67.50%. The result is 0.33 × 63.17 + 0.67 × 67.50 = 66.07%, which is a 2:1.
Now suppose the dissertation comes back at 78 instead of 68. Year 3 rises to 70.83% and the overall result is 68.30%. That is still a 2:1, but it is 1.70 marks under a First. That is the kind of gap a borderline review looks at, and it’s also why one big module can move a class.
From a percentage to a degree class
Universities in the UK mark out of 100, and 70 is a First, so a UK percentage is read differently from a US one. Once you have an overall percentage, the class comes straight from these boundaries.
| Class | Overall percentage |
|---|---|
| First (1st) | 70 and above |
| Upper second (2:1) | 60 to under 70 |
| Lower second (2:2) | 50 to under 60 |
| Third (3rd) | 40 to under 50 |
| Below a Third | Under 40 |
A made-up overall average of 68.4% is Upper second (2:1), which is 1.6 marks short of a First. An average of 59.6% is Lower second (2:2), and it is only 0.4 marks under a 2:1, which is close enough that many universities would look at it again. The borderline section below explains how.
The overall percentage is not just the average of your module marks. It is a credit-weighted average, and your university may count some years more than others. Add your modules above and the page works out the percentage and the class together.
How the calculation works
- For each year, multiply every module mark by its credits, add them up, and divide by the year’s total credits. That is the year’s credit-weighted average.
- Multiply each year average by its weight and add the results.
- Divide by the total of the weights you used. If the weights add up to 100, you can skip this step.
- Compare the result with the class boundaries: 70 for a First, 60 for a 2:1, 50 for a 2:2 and 40 for a Third.
Overall = sum of (year weight × year average) ÷ sum of the year weights
Why the year weighting matters
The same marks can land in different classes under different weightings. Say a student averages 62% in year 2 and 76% in year 3. Here is the result under four schemes.
| Weighting | Result | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2 33%, Year 3 67% | 71.38% | First (1st) |
| Year 2 40%, Year 3 60% | 70.40% | First (1st) |
| Year 2 and Year 3 equal | 69.00% | Upper second (2:1) |
| Year 3 only | 76.00% | First (1st) |
Leicester weights years 2 and 3 at 33 and 67 on a three year degree, and 20, 30 and 50 across years 2, 3 and 4 on an integrated master’s. Other universities choose differently, and some weight your best credits instead. Your university’s regulations are the rule, so look up yours before you trust any result.
What you need to move up a class
Say a student has a year 2 average of 64% and 60 credits of year 3 done at 66%, with 60 credits still to take. To land on the First line of 70%, they need an average of 80.0% on those 60 credits. The best they could do is 76.73% and the lowest is 43.23%. The page shows the same thing for your own marks, plus a table of what each average would give you.
If you are on the borderline
Many universities review a student who is within a mark or two of the next class. Swansea uses a window of 2 marks and promotes a student whose credits are half or more in the higher band, and Leicester reviews each case and says promotion is not automatic. The result panel shows how close you are and how many of your credits are at or above the next boundary. It cannot tell you what your university will decide.
Assumptions to keep in mind
- The weights are the ones you set. Leicester’s 33:67 and 20:30:50 are real examples, and other universities use different ones, so check your own regulations.
- Year 1 often has a weight of 0. If your university counts it, give it a weight.
- It uses the exact year averages. Some universities round each year average before they combine them, which can change the last decimal.
- Some universities, such as Swansea, weight your best credits more. That is a different method from year weighting, and this page does not do it.
- Borderline rules are reported, not applied. Whether a borderline student is promoted is up to the university’s board.
Mistakes that throw a degree class off
Averaging modules without their credits
A 40 credit dissertation counts twice as much as a 20 credit module. Averaging the marks without the credits gives the wrong year average, and the wrong class.
Counting year 1 when your university doesn’t
Leicester, for example, only counts years 2 and 3 on a three year degree. Putting year 1 marks in at full weight pulls the result toward your first year, for better or worse.
Using the wrong year weighting
A 33:67 weighting and a 50:50 weighting can put the same marks in different classes. Look up your university’s regulation and use its weights.
Assuming a borderline mark is promoted automatically
Being within a mark or two of the next class starts a review at many universities. It does not decide the result. Leicester says promotion to the higher class is not automatic.
Mixing up a module pass mark and a degree class
A module pass is usually 40%. A degree class comes from your weighted average across the years that count. They are different thresholds.
Questions students ask
How do I calculate my degree classification?
Work out the credit-weighted average for each year that counts, multiply each by its weight, and add them. Compare the result with 70 for a First, 60 for a 2:1, 50 for a 2:2 and 40 for a Third. Add your modules above and the page does it for you.
What weighting does my university use?
It varies, and it’s in your university’s assessment regulations, often called the award or classification rules. Leicester weights years 2 and 3 at 33 and 67 on a three year degree. Many other universities use different splits, and some use best-credit methods instead, so check yours.
Does my first year count towards my degree class?
At many universities it doesn’t. Leicester says only marks from years 2 and 3 count on a three year degree. Your regulations say what yours does, and you can give year 1 a weight above 0 if it counts.
What happens if I’m on the borderline?
Many universities review students within a mark or two of a boundary. Swansea’s window is 2 marks and it looks at whether half or more of your credits are in the higher band. Leicester reviews each case and says promotion is not automatic. The page tells you how close you are and how many of your credits are in the higher band.
What do I need in my final year to get a 2:1 or a First?
Enter your marks so far, the credits still to take and the class you want. The page works out the average you need on those credits, and says plainly if the class is out of reach. The final grade calculator does the same for a single module.
