The UK higher education sector comprises a diverse group of institutions with variable entry requirements and variable methods for calculating students’ final degree classifications, yet degrees are theoretically equivalent.
How can we make such claims?
Degree classification algorithms (DCAs) are a formula that is applied to eligible module-level results to calculate the final degree grade and classification – that is, a ‘final’ mark and whether the student graduates with a first class classification, upper second, lower second, third, or fail.
Wonkhe has previously covered the variation in DCA across the sector. This includes different approaches to the weighting of levels of study, discounting of low grades, and the inclusion of first-year studies. The bespoke nature of regulations at each institution means that policies related to resits and borderline thresholds also contribute to variation.
