The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant variation, in other countries and regions.
The UK's university degree classification system, established in 1918, serves to recognize academic achievement beyond examination performance. Bachelor's degrees in the UK can either be honours or ordinary degrees, with honours degrees classified into first class, upper second class (2:1), lower second class (2:2), and third class based on weighted averages of marks. The specific thresholds for these classifications can vary by institution. Integrated master's degrees follow a similar classification, and there is some room for discretion in awarding final classifications based on a student's overall performance and work quality.
The honours degree system has been subject to scrutiny owing to significant shifts in the distribution of classifications, leading to calls for reform. Concerns over grade inflation have been observed. The Higher Education Statistics Agency has documented changes, noting an increase in the proportion of first-class and upper second-class honours degrees awarded; the percentage of first-class honours increased from 7% in 1997 to 26% in 2017. Critics argue this trend, driven partly by institutional pressures to maintain high league table rankings, dilutes the value of higher education and undermines public confidence. Despite improvements in teaching and student motivation contributing to higher grades, there is a sentiment that achieving a first or upper second is no longer sufficient for securing desirable employment, pushing students towards extracurricular activities to enhance their curriculum vitae. The system affects progression to postgraduate education, with most courses requiring at least a 2:1, although work experience and additional qualifications can sometimes compensate for lower classifications.
In comparison to international grading systems, the UK's classifications have equivalents in various countries, adapting to different academic cultures and grading scales. The ongoing debate over grade inflation and its implications for the UK's higher education landscape reflect broader concerns about maintaining academic standards and the value of university degrees in an increasingly competitive job market.
History The classification system used in the United Kingdom reached its current form in 1918. Honours were then a means to recognise individuals who demonstrated depth of knowledge or originality, as opposed to relative achievement in examination conditions.
It was claimed by The New Statesman in 2019 that academics were under increasing pressure from administrators to award students good marks and grades with little regard for those students' actual abilities, in order to maintain their league table rankings. A report by the Reform think tank in 2018 found that the percentage of graduates who received first-class honours had grown from 7% in 1997 to 26% in 2017, with the rate of growth sharply accelerating toward the end of this period. A 2018 study by the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment did not find conclusive evidence that either grade inflation or genuine improvement in student outcomes was behind the upward trend in student grades. However, it did find that the upward trend meant that British undergraduate degree classifications would become less useful to students and employers, and that it might undermine public confidence in the overall value of higher education.
Degree classification A bachelor's degree can be an honours degree (bachelor's with honours) or an ordinary degree (bachelor's without honours). Honours degrees are classified, usually based on a weighted average (with higher weight given to marks in the later years of the course, and often zero weight to those in the first year) of the marks gained in exams and other assessments. While grade boundaries are defined by institutions, there are well-defined conventional values that are generally followed: First-class honours (1st, 1 or I) – 70% or higher Second-class honours: Upper division (2:1, 2i or II-1) – 60–69% Lower division (2:2, 2ii or II-2) – 50–59% Third-class honours (3rd, 3 or III) – 40–49%
Students who do not achieve honours may be awarded an ordinary degree, sometimes known as a "pass". Ordinary degrees, and other exit awards such as the Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE; for completing the first two years of a degree course) and Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE; for completing the first year of a degree course), may be unclassified (pass/fail) or, particularly in Scotland where the ordinary degree is offered as a qualification in its own right, classified into pass, merit and distinction.
Integrated master's degrees are usually classified with honours in the same way as a bachelor's honours degree, although some integrated master's degrees are classified like postgraduate taught master's degrees or foundation degrees into: Distinction – typically 70% and higher Merit – typically 60–69% Pass – typically 50–59%.
At most institutions, the system allows a small amount of discretion. A candidate may be elevated to the next degree class if their average marks are close to (or the median of their weighted marks achieves) the higher class, and if they have submitted several pieces of work worthy of the higher class. However, even students with a high average mark may be unable to take honours if they have failed part of the course and so have insufficient credits.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a bachelor's degree with honours normally takes three years of full-time study and usually requires 360 credits, of which at least 90 are at level 6 (final year of a bachelor's degree) level, while an ordinary bachelor's degree normally requires 300 credits, of which 60 are at level 6. In Scotland, the honours bachelor's degree takes four years and requires 480 credits with a minimum of 90 at level 10 of the Scottish framework (last year of the honours degree) and 90 at level 9 (penultimate year), while the ordinary degree takes three years and requires 360 credits with a minimum of 60 at level 9 (last year of the ordinary degree).
In Scotland, it is possible to start university a year younger than in the rest of the United Kingdom, as the Scottish Higher exams are often taken at age 16 or 17 (as opposed to 18), so Scottish students often end a four-year course at the same age as a student from elsewhere in the UK taking a three-year course , assuming no gap years or students skipping the first year (direct entry to 2nd year).
When a candidate is awarded a degree with honours, "(Hons)" may be suffixed to their designatory letters – e.g. BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), BMus (Hons), MA (Hons). An MA (Hons) would generally indicate the bachelor's-level Scottish MA awarded by some Scottish universities, while other master's degrees awarded with honours would normally indicate an integrated master's degree at master's level.
Distribution of classes The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has published the number of degrees awarded with different classifications since 1994–1995. The relative proportions of different classes have changed over this period, with increasing numbers of students being awarded higher honours. The table below shows the percentage of classified degrees (i.e., not including fails or unclassified degrees such as MBBS) in each class at five-year intervals; note that HESA stopped giving statistics separately for third-class honours and pass degree after 2003.
Class1994/951999/20002004/052009/102014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/221st7% 8% 12% 14% 22% 23% 26% 28% 28% 35%36% 32%2:140% 43% 47% 48% 49% 49% 49% 48% 48% 47%46% 46%2:235% 34% 33% 30% 23% 22% 20% 19% 19% 15%14% 17%3rd6% 5% 8% 8% 6% 5% 5% 5% 4% 3% 3% 4%Pass12% 10%
First-class honours +Proportion of first classYearAwarded19957%200512%201522%202232% First-class honours, referred to as a "first", is the highest honours classification and indicates high academic achievement. Historically, first-class honours were uncommon, but since 2019 a first has been awarded to nearly thirty percent of graduates of British universities. The increase is said by some commentators to be due to student-demanded grade inflation rather than an improvement in students' academic ability.
In the early 1990s, first-class honours went to about 7% of graduates, or about one student in 15. The percentages of graduates achieving a first vary greatly by university and course studied. Students of law are least likely to gain a first, while students of mathematical sciences are most likely to gain a first.
A first-class honours degree is sometimes colloquially referred to in rhyming slang as a "Geoff" after Geoff Hurst, the English 1966 FIFA World Cup footballer.
Upper second-class honours
The upper division is commonly abbreviated to "2:1" or "II.i" (pronounced two-one). The 2:1 is a minimum requirement for entry to many postgraduate courses in the UK. It is also required for the award of a research council postgraduate studentship in the UK, although a combination of qualifications and experience equal to a 2:1 is also acceptable. This is often interpreted as possession of a master's degree (sometimes at merit level or above) in addition to a 2:2 undergraduate degree.
The percentage of candidates who achieve upper second-class honours can vary widely by degree subject, as well as by university.Higher Education Statistics Agency. (2006.) "Higher Education Qualifications Obtained in the UK by Level, Mode of Study, Domicile, Gender, Class of First Degree and Subject Area 2005/06" .
A 2:1 degree ("two-one") is sometimes referred to as an "Attila" (after Attila the Hun) or a "Trevor Nunn" in rhyming slang in the UK.
Until 1986, the University of Oxford did not distinguish between upper and lower second-class degrees.
Lower second-class honours This is the lower division of second-class degrees and is abbreviated as "2:2" or '"II.ii" (pronounced two-two) and is sometimes referred to as a "Desmond" (after Desmond Tutu).The Independent. (2005.) "Degree classification: Have the Desmond and Vorderman had their day"
Third-class honours
Third-class honours, commonly referred to as a "third", is the lowest honours classification in most UK universities. Informally, it is referred to as a "gentleman's third" ( the "gentleman's C" in US parlance).
Approximately 3–5% of UK students graduating between 2018 and 2022 were awarded thirds.
Ordinary degree While most university bachelor's degree courses lead to honours degrees, some universities offer courses leading to ordinary degrees. Some honours courses permit students who do not gain sufficient credits in a year by a small margin to transfer to a parallel ordinary degree course. Ordinary degrees may also sometimes be awarded to honours degree students who do not pass sufficient credits in their final year to gain an honours degree, but pass enough to earn an ordinary degree.