Grade Point Average

When you complete your degree at Oxford Brookes, as well as your degree classification (1st, 2:1 etc) you’ll also get a Grade Point Average (GPA) score on your degree transcript. Oxford Brookes was the first UK higher education institution to launch a true, internationally equivalent GPA.

A GPA:

is a reflection of your academic performance throughout your studies
is recognised internationally, meaning it might be helpful if you want to study or work overseas
complements the current UK degree classification system.

You can track your GPA throughout your course through Student Information on your Record & Results page.

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Student Records and Curriculum Management

Introducing the Grade Point Average

A Grade Point Average or GPA is a way of showing your overall level of achievement on your degree course - it is your average attainment over all the modules you take, including any first year modules you take where the credits contribute to your final award.

GPA has many benefits when used alongside the traditional Honours award bands. For example, since GPA is calculated across all your modules, good performance in your first year of study is directly rewarded in your GPA, whereas first year marks are not included in your Honours classification.

Another feature of GPA is that you can keep making substantial improvements to your GPA throughout your study.

The greater precision offered by a GPA also helps differentiate between students who are awarded the same honours classification (for example, upper second), but have very different average marks for classification (for example 61% versus. 68%). This could offer employers a greater level of detail about performance, beyond the four broad classifications of the Honours Classification System.

How GPA is calculated

GPA is calculated in three steps.

First, the final grade that you achieved for each module is converted to one of nine possible numerical scores with a grade of A+ receiving the highest possible numerical score of 4.5 (see GPA Grade Table below).

Next, this numerical score is multiplied by the number of credits for that module (for example, 15 or 30 credits) to create a grade point score for each module. This process is repeated for all modules that receive a final mark and contribute to the student’s degree award.

Finally, the grade point average is calculated by summing up all the module grade points and dividing by the total number of credits attempted.

Notes:

The GPA calculation includes modules which have been failed
The GPA calculation excludes modules which do not have a mark such as modules assessed on a pass/fail basis only or modules which have been included in credit transfer (for example, modules taken while on exchange or awarded using APL/APEL).
The GPA calculation includes all modules taken at Oxford Brookes, even if they are not part of the requirements for the final award. For example, if a student started at Oxford Brookes on a BSc Nutrition degree and attempted 60 credits before switching to a BSc Business degree, the GPA calculation would include all the modules they had taken.

Why the GPA is capped at 4.00

You may have noticed that the maximum Grade Point is 4.5, but the GPA is capped at 4.00. This is a compromise between expected international standards for the GPA and marking practices within the UK. The most common maximum GPA internationally is 4.00, but marking practices in the UK tend to have a greater scale at the very top end than is common elsewhere. Hence, to ensure that your GPA is broadly comparable with other international GPAs, the maximum grade point you can achieve is 4.5 even though the final GPA is capped at 4.00.

GPA Grade Table

Percentage	Grade	GradePoint	Pass /Fail
75 – 100	A+	4.5	Pass
70 – 74	A	4.0	Pass
65 – 69	B+	3.5	Pass
60 – 64	B	3.0	Pass
55 – 59	C+	2.5	Pass
50 – 54	C	2.0	Pass
45 – 49	D+	1.5	Pass
40 – 44	D	1.0	Pass
0 – 39	Various	0.0	Resit /Fail

Key points

To make sure you benefit from the best of both systems, you will receive both a degree classification and a GPA.

Your GPA does not affect your degree classification and it doesn’t affect whether you can progress from one year of study to the next or whether you are eligible to complete your degree.

Your current GPA, based on the modules you’ve studied up to any given point, will be available in Student Information. Your final GPA will be included on your degree transcript.

Most students will get a GPA, but you won’t get one if you’re on a Foundation degree or if you’re studying an award delivered by a partner organisation (eg an Associate College Partner).

For example, Student A gets the following results over the course of their degree programme.

	Credits	Mark	Grade	Grade point weighting (see GPA Grade Table above)	Grade points (credits x grade point weighting)
Year 1 (Level 4)
Core skills 1	15	55	C+	2.5	37.5
Essential skills 1	15	65	B+	3.5	52.5
Necessary skills 1	30	75	A+	4.5	135
Total	60				225
				GPA (year 1)	3.75
Year 2 (Level 5)
Really important skills 2	15	78	A+	4.5	67.5
Very useful skills 2	30	61	B	3.0	90
Handy skills 2	15	59	C+	2.5	37.5
Total	60				195
				GPA (year 2)	3.25
Year 3 (Level 6)
Vital skills 3	30	69	B+	3.5	105
Dissertation 3	15	73	A	4.0	60
Research project 3	15	80	A+	4.5	67.5
Total	60				232.5
				GPA (year 3)	3.88

Overall total for degree	180				3.63

Final (cumulative) GPA is: 3.63 / 4.00