TOOL · SCHOOL · DEGREE CLASSIFICATION
Enter your module marks and credits for each counting year, pick your university’s year weighting, and get your weighted degree average plus classification: First ≥ 70, 2:1 ≥ 60, 2:2 ≥ 50, Third ≥ 40. The worked example — six 20-credit modules a year, 62.5% at Level 5 and 64.0% at Level 6 on the common 40/60 weighting — lands at 63.4%: an Upper Second (2:1), 6.6 points short of a First. You would need 75.0% in Level 6 for the First.
Type each module’s mark (0–100) and its credit value — leave a row blank to skip it. Each year’s average is credit-weighted, then the years combine with your university’s weighting. Boundaries: 70 = First, 60 = 2:1, 50 = 2:2, 40 = Third. Always check your own university’s regulations — weightings, rounding, and borderline rules differ between institutions.
Credit-weighted years, then weighted years, then the band. Each year’s average is ∑(mark × credits) ÷ ∑credits — a 40-credit dissertation counts double a 20-credit module. The degree average combines the counting years with your university’s weighting (most commonly Level 5 40% / Level 6 60%), and the bands are First ≥ 70, 2:1 ≥ 60, 2:2 ≥ 50, Third ≥ 40. At the defaults: Level 5 averages 62.5%, Level 6 averages 64.0%, so 0.4 × 62.5 + 0.6 × 64.0 = 63.4% — an Upper Second (2:1), 6.6 points below the First boundary. The “needed for a First” tile answers the follow-up: (70 − 0.4 × 62.5) ÷ 0.6 = 75.0% in Level 6.
Setup: six 20-credit Level 5 modules (60, 58, 65, 62, 61, 69) and six 20-credit Level 6 modules (62, 66, 60, 68, 63, 65), on the 40/60 weighting.
Line 1 — the year averages. Level 5: (60×20 + 58×20 + 65×20 + 62×20 + 61×20 + 69×20) ÷ 120 = 7,500 ÷ 120 = 62.5%. Level 6: (62×20 + 66×20 + 60×20 + 68×20 + 63×20 + 65×20) ÷ 120 = 7,680 ÷ 120 = 64.0%. Equal credits per module, so these are simple means — with mixed credits the bigger modules would pull harder.
Line 2 — the degree average. 0.40 × 62.5 + 0.60 × 64.0 = 25.0 + 38.4 = 63.4%.
Line 3 — the verdict. 63.4 sits in the 60–69.9 band: Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) — 6.6 points below the First boundary, 3.4 above the 2:2 line. Not borderline: borderline zones are typically the 2 points under a boundary.
Branch — the borderline case (Level 6 averages 73.0%): 0.4 × 62.5 + 0.6 × 73.0 = 68.8% — still a 2:1 on the number, but 1.2 points under the First boundary, inside the usual 2-point borderline window. The calculator flags it: many universities review borderline students against their profile (credits at the higher level, dissertation mark, year-on-year trajectory) — but the rule is in your university’s regulations, not here.
Branch — Level 6 only: switch the preset to Level 6 100% and the average is 64.0% — still a 2:1, and the First now needs a flat 70.0% in Level 6.
Branch — custom 25/75 weighting: 0.25 × 62.5 + 0.75 × 64.0 = 63.6% — a 2:1, with the First needing 72.5% in Level 6. Heavier final-year weightings reward a strong finish.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Year average | ∑(mark × credits) ÷ ∑credits | 62.5% (Level 5) and 64.0% (Level 6) at the defaults — the credit-weighted building blocks. |
| Degree average | w5 × avg5 + w6 × avg6 | 63.4% at the defaults (0.4 × 62.5 + 0.6 × 64.0) — the single number the band reads off. |
| Classification | band the average falls in | Upper Second (2:1) at the defaults — First ≥ 70, 2:1 ≥ 60, 2:2 ≥ 50, Third ≥ 40. |
| Distance to next boundary | boundary − average | 6.6 pp below the First boundary at the defaults — the gap you are chasing. |
| Level 6 needed for a First | (70 − w5 × avg5) ÷ w6 | 75.0% at the defaults — your final-year target if the First is the goal. |
| Borderline flag | within 2 pp under a boundary | No at the defaults — flagged at 68.8%, where many universities apply profile rules. |
This calculator applies the standard UK band boundaries (70 / 60 / 50 / 40) and the standard credit-weighted method — but universities differ on the details that decide real degrees: rounding (some round 69.5 up, others never round), borderline rules (2-point windows, credit-profile tests, dissertation thresholds, exam-board discretion), discounting (some drop your worst module), resit caps (usually 40), condoned fails, and integrated-master’s thresholds (sometimes 72 for a First). Blank rows are skipped; pass/fail modules should be left out. Treat every result as an estimate to plan with, and your university’s academic regulations as the answer that counts.
Bright Side Kit. "UK Degree Classification Calculator | Bright Side Kit." https://brightoolbox.com/uni-grade-calculator/ Accessed October 24, 2026.Data sourcesAt most UK universities: First Class Honours ≥ 70%, Upper Second (2:1) ≥ 60%, Lower Second (2:2) ≥ 50%, Third Class Honours ≥ 40%, and below 40% is a fail. A few courses — often integrated master’s degrees — set higher bars (e.g. 72% for a First), so check your handbook.
At most universities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland: no — you usually just need to pass it (often 40% in every module). A few courses, particularly integrated master’s, give it a small weight. Scottish four-year degrees weight the later years. Your degree regulations say for certain — this calculator starts at Level 5 for exactly that reason.
Many universities apply a borderline policy when you fall within about 2 points under a boundary. Common uplift tests: half or more of your final-year credits at the higher level, a dissertation at the higher level, or a strong upward trajectory. Some exam boards apply it automatically, others review each case — and some universities have no borderline policy at all. The calculator flags the zone; the regulation decides.
Usually yes: resit marks are typically capped at the pass mark (40%) unless you have accepted mitigating circumstances. That means a resat module can contribute at most 40% to your average even if you score 75% on the resit — multiple capped resits drag a classification down fast.
Pass/fail modules carry no mark, so they contribute nothing to the average — leave them out of the calculator entirely. A condoned fail is a narrow fail (often 35–39%) your exam board lets stand without a resit, usually limited to a small number of credits; your university’s regulations set the exact threshold and credit cap.
Needed Level 6 average = (70 − Level-5 weight × Level-5 average) ÷ Level-6 weight. At the defaults (62.5% at Level 5, 40/60 weighting): (70 − 25) ÷ 0.6 = 75.0%. The calculator’s tile computes this live for your own marks — and tells you when it is mathematically out of reach.
Because the same marks average differently: the default marks give 63.4% on 40/60 but 63.6% on a custom 25/75 split, and a strong final year is worth more under a 30/70 weighting. Universities choose their own pattern — 40/60 is the most common, but 33/67, 30/70, and 50/50 are all in use — so always use your institution’s split.