Complete Guide: University Grading System in Australia
| Created At: | 20 February, 2020 |
| Created By: | Ola Elwassify |
| Updated At: | 15 March, 2023 |
Each country has its own academic grading system. In Australia, you may not be able to decipher their Australian grading scale on the spot, since it's a bit heavy to comprehend at first. Just like what we mentioned in breaking down the Australian academic year blog, the system changes from one state to another and every university or institute might use a different system.
To guide you through the Australian university grading systems, we are introducing each state with its scaling table.
Australian Undergraduate Degree Grading (New South Wales & Queensland)
AUS Grades | Grade Name | Percentage (%) | GPA | US Equivalent |
HD | High Distinction | 83-100 | A+ | First Class |
D | Distinction | 73-82.99 | A | Second Class - Upper Division |
C | Credit | 63-72.99 | B | Second Class - Lower Division |
P | Pass | 50-62.99 | C | Third Class |
F | Fail | 0-49.99 | D | Fail |
South Australia has the same grading scale, except that it has extra entries.
South Australia Grades | Grade Name | Percentage (%) |
HD | High Distinction | 85-100 |
D | Distinction | 75-84.99 |
C | Credit | 65-74.99 |
P1 | Pass Level 1 | 55-64.99 |
P2 | Pass Level 2 | 50-54.99 |
F2 | Fail Level 1 | 40-49.99 |
F2 | Fail Level 2 | 30 to 39.99 |
The state of Victoria is well known for its renowned education system worldwide and hosting leading universities, like Monash University, Deakin University, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.
Take a look at the below table to see what’s the grading system followed by the educational institutions of Victoria:
Grade | Grade Name |
A | |
B | |
C | |
D | |
E | The lowest grade needed to pass |
F | Fail |
The state of Western Australia has numerous universities, like the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, and Murdoch University.
The grading scale followed by the educational institutions of Western Australia is as follows:
Grade | Grade Name | Grade Scale |
HD | High Distinction | 80-100 |
A | Excellent Achievement | 80-100 |
B | High Achievement | 70-79.99 |
C | Sound Achievement | 60-69.99 |
D | Limited Achievement (lowest grade needed to pass) | 50-59.99 |
E | Fail | 0-49.99 |
Sometimes, Australian institutions and universities use other forms for rating unusual grades, like NGP (Non-Graded Pass) or (Non-Graded Fail), for passing/failing with quantity instead of quality, meaning that it's important to have a quality grade, not quantitative. F1 (Pass Conceded), for grades between 53 and 55%.
In Australia, degrees with honours typically follow a particular grading system. For undergraduate degrees with honours, an additional year of study is typically required.
Grade | Description | Percentage |
H1 | First Class Honours | 80% and above |
H2A | Second Upper-Class Honours (2:1) | 75-79% |
H2B | Second Lower Class Honours (2:2 | 70-74% |
H3 | Third Class Honours | 65-69% |
P | Pass | 50-64% |
N | Fail | 49% and below |
How to Calculate the Australian Grade Point Averages - GPA?
The most common formula for an Australian GPA is the sum of grade points x course unit values /the total number of credit points endeavoured. The grades then get converted into numbers like this:
High Distinction = 7.
Distinction = 6.
Credit = 5
Pass = 4
Fail level 1 = 1
Fail level 2 = 0
The grading systems used in Australia are both letter-based, but you’ll find that the most common one is the HD.
What is a good mark in university in Australia?
GPAs of 6 and 7 are considered excellent in the grading system in Australia.
There you have it!
We hope we’ve cleared things up a bit when it comes to the university grading system in Australia. We do realise it’s a lot to take in, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually.
Updated: 31-8-2022
