Degree classification
Find out about the NTU degree classification rules.
NTU degree classification rules
Section A rules apply to most final year students, who started their studies on a three-year undergraduate course in September / October 2016 and who are now in their third and final year. They do not apply to every final year student. If, for example, you have done a placement year, or for any other reason have delayed your studies (perhaps if you deferred your studies, or if you had to repeat a year) then your degree classification may be calculated in a different way. You can tell which set of rules apply to you by finding out whether the ‘grade points’ associated with the grades you have been awarded are on a 0-16 scale. If they are, then the rules in Section A apply. If, on the other hand, there are ‘numerical equivalents’ of your grades which are on a 0-100 scale, then Section B rules apply.
If you are in any doubt about which rules apply to you, please talk to your course leader.
If you are doing an integrated masters course, please talk to your course leader about how your classification is calculated.
Section A
There are two routes by which you can achieve a given degree classification: a ‘majority’ route, and a ‘weighted mean’ route. This section describes how these two routes work, in relation to achieving an upper second (2.1) degree classification. The same principles apply to all the degree classifications. For detailed and definitive statements about how this works you should consult the quality handbook.
Of the credits you are required to pass in order to qualify for an award, a proportion are ‘qualifying credits’. These count towards your final degree classification. In order to achieve an upper second class degree classification you must either pass the majority of these credits at upper second class standard (or above), or achieve a weighted mean of these credits which is equal to or greater than 9.5, or do both. A 0-16 scale is used to calculate the weighted mean. Which credits count as ‘qualifying’ depends on whether the 2nd year contributes towards the final degree classification for your course.
Courses where the year two doesn’t count in the final degree classification
If you are on a degree course for which your qualifying credits come solely from your 120 credits of final year (‘level 6’) modules, then to achieve an upper second you must have achieved either or both of the following:
- more than 60 credits passed at an upper second standard (or higher)
- a weighted mean for the 120 credits of 9.5 or higher.
Courses where year two counts in the final degree classification
If you are on a degree course on which your second year of studies (‘level 5’) contributes 20 per cent of your degree classification, then the number of qualifying credits is 140. Of these, 120 credits come from your year three studies, and 20 credits come from your overall grade for your year two studies.
To achieve an upper second you must have achieved either or both of the following:
- more than 70 credits passed at an upper second standard (or higher)
- a weighted mean of 9.5 or higher, with your year two performance weighted at 20 per cent and your year three performance weighted at 80 per cent.
Section B
Section B rules apply to some final year students, who, most likely, started their studies in September / October 2015, and have, for example, done a placement year, or for some other reason have delayed their studies (having deferred for a year, for example, of having had to repeat a year). This section describes how the rules work in relation to achieving an upper second (2.1) degree classification. The same principles apply to all the degree classifications. For detailed and definitive statements about how this works you should consult the quality handbook.
If you are in any doubt about which rules apply to you, please talk to your course leader first, or you can contact the relevant tracking team for your School:
- Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, and Science and Technology, email CASTracking1@ntu.ac.uk
- Art, Architecture, Design and Humanities, including Confetti, email adb.systems@ntu.ac.uk
- Business, Law and Social Sciences email BLSStudentRecords@ntu.ac.uk
Of the credits that you are required to pass in order to qualify for an award, a proportion are ‘qualifying credits’. These are the credits that count towards your final degree classification. In order to achieve an upper second class degree classification the weighted mean of these credits must be equal to or greater than 60. A 0-100 scale of ‘numerical equivalents’ is used to calculate the weighted mean from your grades. Which credits count as ‘qualifying’ depends on whether the 2nd year contributes towards the final degree classification for your course.
Courses where the year two doesn’t count in the final degree classification
If you are on a degree course for which your qualifying credits come solely from your 120 credits of final year (‘level 6’) modules, then to achieve an upper second you must have achieved a weighted mean for the 120 credits of 60 or higher.
Courses where year two counts in the final degree classification
If you are on a degree course on which your second year of studies (‘level 5’) contributes 20 per cent of your degree classification, then to achieve an upper second you must have achieved a weighted mean of 60 or higher, with your year two performance weighted at 20 per cent and your year three performance weighted at 80 per cent.
If you do not quite average 60, you may still be eligible to qualify for an upper second. The award board may look at the profile of your performances across your final year modules (and, if appropriate, across your second year modules). Such decisions are matters of discretion for award boards and you can get information about this from your course leader. However, the way of guaranteeing the award of an upper second is to achieve a weighted mean of 60 or higher. This principle applies to all degree classifications.