What are the UK degree classification boundaries?

A weighted average of 70 or above is a First, 60 to 69 is an Upper Second (2:1), 50 to 59 is a Lower Second (2:2), and 40 to 49 is a Third. Below 40 is normally a fail or an unclassified or ordinary degree.

How is the average weighted?

Each module mark is multiplied by its credit value, the products are summed, and the total is divided by the total credits. A 30-credit dissertation therefore counts twice as much toward your classification as a 15-credit module.

Do all years count equally?

No. Most UK universities weight later years more heavily, commonly ignoring year one and weighting years two and three at something like 40 to 60 or 25 to 75. To model this, scale each module's credit value by its year weight before entering it here.

What about borderline marks?

Many universities apply borderline rules, such as promoting an average within two percent of a boundary if enough credits sit in the higher band. This calculator reports the raw boundary only and does not apply institution-specific borderline policies.

Is this an official result?

No. It is an estimate using the standard boundaries. Your institution's exact weighting scheme, rounding rules, and borderline policy are defined in its academic regulations, which are the authoritative source for your final classification.

What is the UK Degree Classification Calculator?

Enter the percentage mark and credit weight for each module to compute your credit-weighted average and classify your degree as First, Upper Second (2:1), Lower Second (2:2), Third, or below using the standard UK honours boundaries. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

UK Degree Classification Calculator

Name: UK Degree Classification Calculator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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UK honours degrees are classified from a credit-weighted average of your module marks, with set boundaries at 70, 60, 50, and 40 percent. This calculator does the weighting and tells you which class your average falls into.

How it works

Each module mark is weighted by its credit value, then averaged and mapped to a class:

weighted average = Σ (mark × credits) / Σ credits

70+      First (1st)
60–69    Upper Second (2:1)
50–59    Lower Second (2:2)
40–49    Third (3rd)
below 40 Fail / unclassified

A 30-credit dissertation therefore moves your average twice as much as a 15-credit module, which is why heavier modules deserve the most attention.

Worked example

Three modules: 72% at 30 credits, 65% at 15 credits, and 58% at 15 credits.

weighted total = (72 × 30) + (65 × 15) + (58 × 15)
              = 2160 + 975 + 870
              = 4005

weighted average = 4005 / 60 = 66.75%

66.75% sits in the 60–69 band → Upper Second (2:1).

Modelling year weighting

Most UK universities do not count every year equally. A common structure for a three-year degree:

Year 1: does not count (or counts a small amount — e.g. 0%)
Year 2: typically 33–40% of the final average
Year 3: typically 60–67% of the final average

To model this in the calculator, scale each module’s credit value by its year’s weighting factor before entering it. For example, if your university weights Year 2 at 40% and Year 3 at 60%, and a Year 2 module is worth 20 credits, enter it as 20 × 0.40 = 8 credits. Do the same for Year 3: a 20-credit module becomes 20 × 0.60 = 12 credits. The calculator’s weighted average will then reflect your university’s scheme.

Check your institution’s academic regulations — the exact percentages vary and are binding, not advisory.

The borderline zone

Many students ask about modules just below a class boundary. The raw boundary is what this calculator reports. However, most UK universities also have a borderline policy, which often works like this: if your weighted average is within 2 percentage points of a boundary (for example 68–69.9% for a First), the examination board looks at whether a specified proportion of credits sit in the higher band. If enough do, the degree may be upgraded.

This tool shows the raw classification. For borderline situations, check your institution’s academic regulations or speak with your personal tutor before results day — the borderline rules differ by university and are not standardised nationally.

Common mistakes to avoid

Entering the wrong credit values. Double-check whether your institution uses 10, 15, 20, or 30-credit modules — the credit size varies by university and even by course within a university.
Forgetting to apply year weights. If you enter all modules at face-value credits without scaling by year weight, and your university counts Years 2 and 3 differently, the result will be inaccurate.
Treating this as your official result. This is an estimate. Your institution applies its own rounding rules, resit policies, and borderline criteria that are not modelled here.