UK Grading System: Degree Classes, Percentages and GPA

The UK grading system for university degrees uses percentage marks that add up to a degree class: 70% and above is a First, 60–69% an Upper Second (2:1), 50–59% a Lower Second (2:2) and 40–49% a Third. Below 40% is a fail at bachelor's level. Master's degrees use a different scale (Pass, Merit, Distinction) with a higher pass mark of 50%. Schools use number grades (GCSE 9–1) and letter grades (A level A*–E).

This guide explains each scale using the rules UK universities and the exam regulator Ofqual publish. It shows how your final class is calculated and what UK universities accept from India, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and the US. We checked these sources in October 2026.

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UK degree classes and their percentage bands

A UK bachelor's degree with honours ends with one of four classes. Imperial College London gives these bands in its guide to understanding grades:

First-Class Honours (First, 1st): 70% and above
Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1, 2.i): 60–70%
Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2, 2.ii): 50–60%
Third-Class Honours (Third, 3rd): 40–50%

The University of Leeds sets the same lines: 70.0 for a First, 60.0 for a 2:1, 50.0 for a 2:2 and 40.0 for a Third. Students who don't meet the honours requirements may be offered an Ordinary or General degree instead. The University of Edinburgh's regulations allow this.

The numbers look low if you are used to school marks of 90% or more. Imperial tells its own students that marks in the 50–70% range are "perfectly normal" and that marks above 90% are rare. A UK mark is not a share of the questions you got right. It shows how far your work meets the descriptors for each class.

Is 70% an A in the UK?

At university, 70% is the bottom of a First, which is the top class. UK universities usually report marks and classes, not letters, so there is no official "A". When people compare a First to an A, they are only describing its place on the scale.

At school level a percentage doesn't map to a letter grade either. Ofqual explains that new grade boundaries are set each year to reflect how hard each paper was. So the raw mark needed for an A at A level, or a 7 at GCSE, changes from paper to paper and year to year.

What is a 60% grade in the UK?

60% is the start of a 2:1 at bachelor's level, and a solid result. At master's level, 60% is the Merit threshold at universities such as Edinburgh (see below). For a single essay or exam, 60% means the work met the 2:1 descriptors.

Is a 2:1 degree considered good?

Yes. A 2:1 is the second-highest class, and many UK master's courses state their entry requirement as "a 2:1 or equivalent". King's College London, for example, builds its international entry tables around 2:1 and "high 2:1" levels. A 2:2 still opens many courses, but you will have fewer options. Check the programme page, because requirements vary by course.

How your final degree class is calculated

The class is not an average of every mark you ever got. Each university sets its own rules, and three things matter most.

Which years count. At Leeds, the classification average for a bachelor's degree with honours weights programme years 2 and 3 in a ratio of 1:2. The final year counts twice as much, and the first year is left out. Integrated master's degrees at Leeds use a 1:2:2 weighting across years 2, 3 and 4.

Credit weighting. A 40-credit dissertation counts four times as much as a 10-credit module. Edinburgh and Leeds both weight each course by its credit value.

Borderlines. Leeds awards the higher class when the average is within 0.5 of the next boundary, so 69.5 becomes a First. Edinburgh defines borderline marks as up to two percentage points below a boundary (68.00–69.99% for a Distinction) and asks its exam boards to consider those cases.

Scotland: four-year degrees and honours years

Bachelor's degrees in Scotland traditionally last four years. At the University of Edinburgh, years 1 and 2 are "pre-honours" and years 3 and 4 are the honours years. The degree class comes from a credit-weighted average across both honours years. Some programmes weight the final (senior honours) year twice as much as the third (junior honours) year.

At Edinburgh and other historic Scottish universities, humanities students graduate with an MA (Hons). Despite the name, this is an undergraduate degree, the equivalent of a BA (Hons) elsewhere, not a master's. Edinburgh also has integrated master's degrees with three honours years, weighted 20%, 40% and 40%.

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Master's degrees: Pass, Merit and Distinction

Taught master's degrees are not classed as Firsts or 2:1s. Edinburgh's taught assessment regulations set out the usual pattern:

Pass: the pass mark for master's courses is 50%. You need an average of at least 50% and at least 50% on the dissertation.
Merit: at least 60% on the dissertation and an average of at least 60% on the other courses.
Distinction: at least 70% on the dissertation and an average of at least 70% on the other courses.

Other universities use the same 50/60/70 lines but may add their own conditions. Your programme handbook has the exact rule.

School grades: GCSE 9–1 and A levels

If you are applying for a UK bachelor's degree, you will see school grades in offers and on UCAS.

GCSE (England): graded 9 to 1, with 9 the highest and U for ungraded. Ofqual says the bottom of a 7 lines up with the bottom of the old A, the bottom of a 4 with the old C, and the bottom of a 1 with the old G.
A level: graded A*, A, B, C, D and E, with U for unclassified, according to Ofqual's glossary.

What is a 4.0 GPA in the UK? US and other equivalents

There is no national conversion formula. Each university publishes its own table. King's College London's international postgraduate entry requirements are a detailed example. These are what King's asks for a 2:1:

United States: GPA 3.3 out of 4.0 (3.7 for a First, 3.5 for a high 2:1). By that table, a 4.0 GPA meets the First requirement.
India: 60% or 7.5/10 from universities King's considers highly prestigious, 63% or 7.7/10 from prestigious ones, and 65% or 8/10 from other recognised universities.
Nigeria: Second Class Honours (Upper Division), 60% overall or a GPA of 3.5 out of 5.0.
Ghana: a 2:1 (Honours) classification, a GPA of 3.25 out of 5.0 or 70% overall, from a four-year bachelor's.
Kenya: Upper Second Class Honours with 60% overall.
Saudi Arabia: GPA 3.3 out of 4.0, 3.75 out of 5.0 or 75% overall.
UAE: GPA 3.3 out of 4.0.
Egypt: 80% overall or a GPA of 3.3 out of 4.0.

The same Indian percentage can count differently depending on where you studied, and another UK university may draw the lines elsewhere. Our guide to good GPAs by country shows a different UK university's Indian equivalents for comparison.

Quick reference (bachelor's): First 70%+, 2:1 60–69%, 2:2 50–59%, Third 40–49%, fail below 40%. Master's: Distinction 70%+, Merit 60%+, Pass 50%+. Not sure your grades meet a course's requirement? Check your eligibility.

How to convert your grades for a UK application

Find the course's requirement. Read the programme page, not just the university's general admissions page, and note the class it asks for (for example "2:1").
Open that university's page for your country. Most UK universities publish one, as King's does. Look for your grading scale (percentage, CGPA out of 10, GPA out of 4 or 5).
Check which group your institution is in. Like King's, some universities set different thresholds for different groups of Indian universities.
Use your final cumulative figure. Use the overall result on your transcript or degree certificate, not your best year.
If your scale isn't listed, ask. King's says degrees graded out of 4, 7 or 8 in India are assessed case by case and may need an official grading scale from your university.

To compare universities before you apply, see the EduRank-based list of the best universities in the United Kingdom. It includes Edinburgh (EduRank world #36) and Imperial (#38).

Next step

Once you know which class your grades match, shortlist courses whose stated requirement you meet, and follow our guide on how to apply to a university abroad.

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