UK degree class to US GPA: the standard scale
The UK undergraduate degree honours system: First-class (1st), Upper Second (2:1), Lower Second (2:2), Third (3rd), Pass / Ordinary degree, and Fail. The class is awarded based on the weighted average of final-year and sometimes penultimate-year module marks, using boundaries published by each university.
UK universities do not issue GPAs — they issue degree classes. US graduate schools, however, ask for a US-equivalent GPA on the 4.0 scale. Both WES (World Education Services) and ECE use a standard mapping built on UK module-mark conventions. This calculator implements that exact mapping.
The official conversion table
| UK class | UK mark | US letter | US GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-class Honours (1st) | 70%+ | A | 4.00 |
| Upper Second (2:1) | 60–69% | A− | 3.70 |
| Lower Second (2:2) | 50–59% | B | 3.00 |
| Third-class (3rd) | 40–49% | C | 2.00 |
| Ordinary / Pass | 35–39% | D | 1.00 |
| Fail | <35% | F | 0.00 |
- WES standard 2:1 → US GPA
- 3.7 (A−)
- First-class boundary (most UK)
- 70% module average
- Oxbridge Maths/Engg First
- 65% in some years
- Typical US grad-school minimum
- 3.0 (UK 2:2)
When the conversion is not enough
- Programs that explicitly want a WES evaluation.Top US Master's and PhD programs require an official WES or ECE course-by-course report, not a self-converted GPA. The official report costs about $200 and takes 1–3 weeks. Use this calculator for early planning; submit the official evaluation closer to the application deadline.
- Universities with non-standard First boundaries. Oxford and Cambridge (in some subjects), the LSE, and Imperial College sometimes award a First at 65%. The calculator above assumes the 70% boundary. If your transcript lists the actual class (not just the mark), use degree-class mode.
- Scottish four-year degrees. Scottish honours degrees (MA Hons) follow the same class system. The conversion is identical. Scottish ordinary degrees (without honours) typically convert to the UK Pass class.
- Old percentage transcripts. Pre-1990s UK transcripts sometimes list raw module percentages with no overall class. In that case use percentage mode and report the average. If your transcript lists module-level grades (e.g. distinction, merit), check our letter grade to GPA converter.
For US students: what UK percentages feel like
UK module marks compress very differently from US grades. A 70% in a UK exam is a top mark — at most universities, less than 10% of students get a First. A 50% UK mark is the threshold for the 2:2 (a passing honours degree), not a fail. If you are coming from the US system, do not assume a UK 60% maps to a US 60% — it maps to a US A−.
Related calculators
- GPA to percentage calculator — US 4.0 GPA to percentage equivalent.
- Percentage to GPA calculator — reverse direction.
- CGPA to percentage calculator — Indian 10-point CGPA to percentage.
- Letter grade to GPA converter — US A–F to 4.0 scale.
- GPA scale guide — every scale compared side by side.
- Cumulative GPA calculator — multi-semester GPA computation.