31b. Academic outcomes in undergraduate modular programmes - final year

Final year of study

Award of Credit for (‘passing’) a unit

31.35. To be awarded credit for a unit (a ‘pass’), students must:

achieve the pass mark for the unit (a mark of 40 at level 4-6 or 50 at level 7) and
meet any designated criteria set out in the unit specification.

31.36. Students are not permitted to take reassessment or supplementary assessment unless as set out below. If a student is not eligible for reassessment, credit may be awarded for the failed unit/s to allow a qualification to be made (see 31.41).

Reassessment and supplementary assessment

31.37. A student is only permitted to take reassessment as a second and final attempt in their final year of undergraduate study where the failed unit is:

‘must-pass’,
due to the application of a penalty for academic misconduct that requires reassessment, and/or
in an accredited undergraduate programme from 2022/23 in the following schools where credit cannot otherwise be awarded:

- School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
- School of Computer Science
- School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
- School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology.

31.38. A student is also permitted to take supplementary assessment in their final year of undergraduate study where:

their performance in assessment in the failed unit/s has been impacted by exceptional circumstances and it is possible for them to achieve a higher classification compared to awarding credit points for the failed unit/s under 31.40
they have self-certified their absence due to illness from an examination or other assessment held on a specified day

in which case the student is permitted to take the assessment in the reassessment period or in a supplementary year.

31.39. Regulations for reassessment or supplementary assessment within a unit in a non-final year of study also apply to the final year.

The award of credit points to allow a qualification to be made

“This means where a student in the final year of study is awarded 120 credit points for the year to allow a qualification to be awarded where they have met certain academic conditions despite one or more failed unit/s.”

31.40. Students are awarded 120 credit points for the final year of study despite failed unit/s to allow a qualification to be awarded if they have:

achieved a pass mark for the final year (i.e. at least 40 in programmes at level 6 and at least 50 in programmes at level 7)
achieved the pass mark for any must-pass unit; and
demonstrated the intended learning outcomes for the programme.

31.41. Students are likewise also awarded:

60 credit points in the final year of undergraduate study for the award of an Ordinary Degree where they have achieved an overall pass mark in units comprising at least 60 credit points at level 6
120 credit points for a full time year of study (or part time equivalent) in an Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma programme where they have achieved an overall pass mark for their final year of study
120 credit points on the basis of a pass overall in assessment in the relevant year of study in order for an exit award to be made.

Compensation for awarding a qualification - in Engineering and Computer Science programmes

31.42. Due to professional accreditation requirements, 31.40-41 are not available to students newly registered on undergraduate accredited programmes in the following schools from 2022/23:

School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
School of Computer Science
School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology

31.43. Students are instead awarded credit for a unit that has been narrowly failed at the first attempt through to allow a qualification to be awarded if all the below conditions are met:

all other units in the year of study have been passed at the first attempt
only one unit up to a maximum of 20 credit points has been failed
the failed unit is not must-pass
the failed unit has a mark of 35-39 for level 4-6 units or 45-49 for level 7 units
the overall year mark is at least 40.

31.44. Students are awarded the actual unit mark they achieved.

31.45. If a student does not meet the conditions for compensation, reassessment or supplementary assessment, then they receive an exit award.

Awards

31.46. A student is awarded their intended qualification where they are awarded the credit points set out in the University’s credit framework (see section 5) and fulfil any other requirements for award as set out in the programme specification.

31.47. Guidance sets out the possible awards where a student is unable to complete all the required assessment.

Exit awards

31.48. If a student does not achieve the necessary credit points for progression or award following application of the academic regulations or chooses to withdraw from the University, the student may receive a lower exit award. This will be according to the credit points they have achieved (see the University’s credit framework) as follows:

Bachelors honours degree exit awards: Ordinary degree, UG Diploma, UG Certificate
Integrated masters degree exit awards: Bachelors honours degree, Ordinary degree, UG Diploma, UG Certificate

31.49. Students who want to withdraw from an Integrated Masters degree programme following the completion of the penultimate year of study and exit with a classified Bachelors Honours degree must inform their home school no later than the day prior to the meeting of the relevant exam board where the Integrated Masters degree would otherwise have been awarded.

31.50. Students who want to withdraw during the year following a year abroad or in industry are not eligible for a Bachelors Honours degree as an exit award, but are eligible to be considered for an Ordinary degree.

31.51. If a student fails a must-pass unit in the final year after two attempts such that their intended degree cannot be awarded, but has otherwise achieved a pass overall in assessments undertaken in the final year, they are awarded an alternative classified honours degree qualification, as set out in the programme specification.

Classification

31.52. An honours degree with a classification is awarded on undergraduate degree programmes; except in non-modular programmes in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.

Primary Rule for calculating the final programme mark and degree classification

31.53. First year marks do not contribute to the calculation of the final programme mark and/or classification. Additionally, units that are pass/fail only are disregarded in this calculation.

31.54. All units taken in the years of study that contribute to the final programme mark and/or classification count towards the weighted average final mark. See the guidance where students are given exemption from units, due to prior learning: Annex 7: Guidance on calculating marks 2025/26 (PDF, 297kB).

31.55. The year weightings for calculating the final programme mark and degree classification are:

Faculty	Type of Programme
Faculty	Bachelors three year degree	Bachelors four year degree with a year in Industry or Study Abroad	Integrated four year Masters degree	Integrated four year Masters degree with year in Industry or Study Abroad	Integrated five year Masters degree with year in Industry or Study Abroad
Arts, Law and Social Sciences	0:40:60	0:30:10:60	0:10:40:50 or 0:20:30:50	0:15:10:75	-
Science and Engineering	0:25:75	0:15:10:25 *0:25:0:75	0:10:40:50	0:15:10:25 *0:25:0:75	0:10:10:30:50 *0:10:0:40:50
Health and Life Sciences except Psychological Science	0:25:75 0:40:60	0:15:10:75 -	0:10:40:50 0:10:40:50	0:15:10:75 -	0:10:10:30:50

* For new entrants on year in industry programmes in Engineering and Computer Science from 2025/26

31.56. The weightings apply to years of study, not to the level of the units taken by a student within the year. 

31.57. Within each year of study the weighting given to the unit mark, in relation to the mean ‘year mark’, corresponds to the credit point value of the unit, e.g. the mark for a 20 credit point unit would be 1/6 of the whole year mark, if the student has to achieve 120 credit points during the year.

31.58. The final programme mark is calculated as a weighted average of the year marks for those years of study that contribute to classification. The result of the calculation should then be rounded to the nearest integer. This must be done PRIOR to determining whether the final programme mark is within the classification boundary range. 

Where unit marks are excluded from classification, the weighting of the remaining unit marks in the year of study is scaled up to calculate the year mark (i.e. if a 20 credit point unit is excluded from classification, the weighting of the marks for the remaining 100 credit points in the year of study is scaled up).

31.59. Classification is awarded on the basis of the final programme mark in relation to the following bands of marks:

	Bachelors honours	Integrated masters
First class honours	70 and above	70 and above
Second class honours, first division	60-69	60-69
Second class honours, second division	50-59	50-59
Third class honours	40-49	N/A
Fail	39 and below	49 and below

Secondary Rule

31.60. Additionally, if a student’s final programme mark is just below a classification boundary range (‘borderline’) as set out below a secondary rule is applied.

Bachelors honours programmes

First class / 2i borderline         68-69

2.i / 2.ii borderline           58-59

2.ii / third class borderline         48-49

Integrated masters programmes

First class / 2.i borderline           68-69

2.i / 2.ii borderline           58-59

31.61. For final programme marks that are within the borderline of a classification boundary, a higher classification is awarded if 50% or more of the rounded individual unit marks, weighted by credit point value and year of study, which contribute to classification are achieved at the higher class or classes.

The 50% threshold is absolute in applying the secondary rule (i.e. the outcome of the calculation is not rounded).