Add your unit marks and credit points to get your WAM. Some universities weight by year level, so you can switch that on. If you want a particular WAM, say how many credit points you have left and the page shows the average you need on them.
Enter your units
Pick the rule your university uses. Check its WAM page if you aren’t sure.
Your units
Target mode: what do you need on the units you have left?
Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your WAM
Your WAM shows up here once you add a unit with a mark and its credit points.
What to enter
- Mark and credit points
- Use the numeric mark out of 100 from your transcript, not the grade. A grade without a mark, like HD on its own, cannot be used here.
- How the WAM is weighted
- Credit points only is the Melbourne and UTS method. First-year units count half is the Monash method. My own year weights lets you set a weight for each year level.
- Year level
- The level of the unit, so a 1000-level unit is year 1. This only matters when the weighting uses year level.
- Failed units
- Enter a failed unit with its mark, including a 0 for a withdrawn fail where your university counts it. Failed marks count toward your WAM at the universities cited.
- Target mode
- Optional. Add the WAM you want, how many credit points you still have to take, and their year level, and the page shows the average you need.
A worked example
Here is a made-up student with six units across three year levels. The same marks give a different WAM depending on how the university weights them.
| Unit | Year level | Mark | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit A | 1 | 64 | 6 |
| Unit B | 1 | 72 | 12 |
| Unit C | 2 | 68 | 6 |
| Unit D | 2 | 58 | 12 |
| Unit E | 3 | 75 | 6 |
| Unit F | 3 | 81 | 12 |
With credit points only, the working is 3774 ÷ 54 = 69.889, so the WAM is 69.889. With first-year units counted at half weight, the weighted credit points drop from 54 to 45, and the WAM is 70.000. The first-year marks average a little below the rest, so counting them for less lifts the result by 0.111.
| Weighting | Weighted credit points | WAM |
|---|---|---|
| Credit points only (Melbourne, UTS) | 54 | 69.889 |
| First-year units at half weight (Monash) | 45 | 70.000 |
How WAM is calculated
- Multiply each unit mark by its credit points, and by its year weight if your university uses one.
- Add up those results.
- Add up the credit points, also multiplied by the year weight where it applies.
- Divide the first total by the second. That is your WAM. Many universities show it to three decimals.
WAM = sum of (mark × credit points × year weight) ÷ sum of (credit points × year weight)
What you need on the units you have left
Same student, credit points only, WAM of 69.889. Say they want a WAM of 75 and have 24 credit points still to take. They need an average of 86.5% on those 24 credit points. If they scored 100% on all of them the WAM would reach 79.15, and if they scored 0% it would drop to 48.38. The page shows this for your own numbers, and a table of the WAM each average would give you.
What counts and what doesn’t
The universities cited agree on the main points. A unit with a mark counts, and so does a failed attempt. A pass/fail unit with no mark, a unit with a grade but no mark, and a unit credited from another institution do not count. At Melbourne a continuing unit counts once its final mark is in. At UTS a withdrawn fail counts as a mark. Check your own university’s page for the exact list.
Assumptions to keep in mind
- Different universities use different WAM rules, and this page offers the three ways described above. Pick the one your university uses.
- Failed marks count. At the cited universities the mark for a failed unit goes into the average, and so do withdrawn fails.
- Units credited from another institution, exchange units and units with a grade but no mark are not counted at the universities cited. Leave them out.
- WAM for honours or a scholarship can follow a different rule from the WAM on your transcript. Sydney says to check your course resolutions.
- The result is shown to three decimals, which is how Melbourne and Monash report it.
Mistakes that throw a WAM off
Using grades instead of marks
A WAM is built from numeric marks out of 100. An HD or a D has no single mark, so using 85 for every HD would not give your true WAM. Use the mark on your transcript.
Leaving out a failed unit
Failed attempts count at Melbourne, Sydney, Monash and UTS. Leaving one out gives a WAM that is too high and does not match your transcript.
Weighting by year level when your university does not
Melbourne and UTS weight by credit points only. Turning on year weighting gives a different number from the one on your transcript.
Treating credited units as if they had marks
Units credited from another institution, or taken on exchange, are not counted at the universities cited. Add only units you completed there with a mark.
Assuming one WAM fits every use
The WAM for honours or a scholarship may use a different rule from your transcript WAM. Read the criteria for the thing you are applying for.
Questions students ask
How is WAM calculated?
Multiply each unit mark by its credit points, add those up, and divide by the total credit points. A 12 point unit counts twice as much as a 6 point unit. Some universities, like Monash, also weight by year level, so you can switch that on above.
What’s the difference between WAM and GPA?
WAM averages your numeric marks, so it is a number out of 100. GPA converts each result to a grade point on a scale like 7 or 4 and averages those. The Australian GPA calculator does the GPA version.
Do failed units count towards my WAM?
At Melbourne, Sydney, Monash and UTS they do. The mark for a failed attempt goes into the average. If you retook the unit, both marks count at Sydney.
Does my first year count?
At Melbourne and UTS every unit counts at its credit points. At Monash, first-year units count at half weight. Sydney says year level is used in some cases. Check which rule applies to you.
What WAM do I need for honours?
It depends on your university and course, so the page does not guess. Check the entry requirements for your honours program, which also say how the WAM is calculated for it. Target mode shows the average you need to reach a WAM you’ve been given.
Where to go next
- Want your GPA on the 7-point scale? The Australian GPA calculator works it out from your grades and credit points.
- Down to one last exam? The final grade calculator shows the mark you need on it, with Australian pass presets.
- Want your current mark in a unit? The grade calculator works it out from your assessment weights.
