British undergraduate degree classification
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, Lower Second Class, 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-Class Honours 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 as used in the United Kingdom was developed 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.Concern exists about possible grade inflation. It is claimed that academics are 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. The percentage of graduates who receive a first grew 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 concluded that improvements in faculty skill and student motivation are only two of many factors driving average grades upward, that grade inflation is real, that the British undergraduate degree classifications will become less useful to students and employers, and that inflation will undermine public confidence in the overall value of higher education. Students already believe that a first or upper second, by itself, is no longer sufficient to secure a good job, and that they need to engage in extra-curricular activities to build their CV.
Degree classification
A bachelor's degree can be an honours degree or an ordinary degree. Honours degrees are classified, usually based on a weighted average 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 – 70% or higher
- Second-Class Honours:
- * Upper division – 60–69%
- * Lower division – 50–59%
- Third-Class Honours – 40–49%
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%.
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 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 and 90 at level 9, while the ordinary degree takes three years and requires 360 credits with a minimum of 60 at level 9.
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, 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.
When a candidate is awarded a degree with honours, "" may be suffixed to their designatory letters – e.g. BA, BSc, BMus, MA. An MA 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 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 in each class at five-year intervals; note that HESA stopped giving statistics separately for third-class honours and pass degree after 2003.| Class | 1994/95 | 1999/2000 | 2004/05 | 2009/10 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
| 1st | 7% | 8% | 12% | 14% | 22% | 23% | 26% | 28% | 28% | 35% | 36% | 32% |
| 2:1 | 40% | 43% | 47% | 48% | 49% | 49% | 49% | 48% | 48% | 47% | 46% | 46% |
| 2:2 | 35% | 34% | 33% | 30% | 23% | 22% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 15% | 14% | 17% |
| 3rd | 6% | 5% | 8% | 8% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| Pass | 12% | 10% | 8% | 8% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
First-class honours
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 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, or as a "Damien", after the contemporary artist Damien Hirst.
Upper second-class honours
The upper division is commonly abbreviated to "2:1" or "II.i". 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 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.
A 2:1 degree is sometimes referred to as an "Attila" 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.