University of New South Wales (UNSW) GPA Calculator

UNSW grades coursework on a five-band scale of High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS) and Fail (FL), tied to a single university-wide mark range: HD 85-100, DN 75-84, CR 65-74, PS 50-64, FL 0-49. UNSW's own Assessment and Progression Policy (Appendix 2) prints only these mark bands per grade -- there is no separate grade-point column attached to any of them.

UNSW also uses a smaller set of pass/fail-only outcomes for specific assessment types: UF (Unsatisfactory Fail) for failing a hurdle component within an otherwise-passed course, AF (Absent Fail) for no assessment attempted, and competency-based results (Competent, Competent with Merit, Not Yet Competent) for courses assessed as competent/not-yet-competent rather than marked.

UNSW does not calculate or publish a Grade Point Average. Instead it uses the Weighted Average Mark (WAM), an internal measure calculated directly from your course marks (0-100), not from grade points: WAM = (sum of each course's mark x its units of credit) / (total units of credit). The WAM is not displayed on official transcripts, but UNSW uses it internally for decisions like academic standing, awards and Honours classes.

If a course is finalised with only a grade and no numeric mark, UNSW substitutes a fixed nominal mark for that grade when calculating your WAM: HD = 90, DN = 80, CR = 70, PS = 55, FL = 25, AF = 0. Courses graded only Successful/Fail (no numeric mark or nominal mark available) are excluded from the WAM entirely.

UNSW assigns undergraduate students one of several academic standing levels each term -- from Good down through Academic Risk Levels 1 to 4 to Suspension and Exclusion -- based on the proportion of a student's study load (units of credit) passed that term, not directly on WAM. A student who fully passes their study load returns to Good standing; one who passes none of it (having attempted a meaningful load) moves toward Suspension or Exclusion.

Postgraduate coursework students are assessed differently: standing is based on the student's cumulative units of credit failed across their postgraduate study -- under 12 stays Good, 12-18 is Postgraduate Academic Risk, 19-35 is Suspension, and 36 or more is Exclusion. A student can only ever be placed on Exclusion after having previously been on Suspension in the same career.

UNSW's Assessment and Progression Policy leaves the specific course and unit-of-credit requirements for completing a degree to each program's own program rules -- there is no single, university-wide minimum WAM required to graduate (consistent with UNSW not using a GPA/CGPA system at all). What the policy does set university-wide is a maximum completion time: twice the normal full-time duration plus 2 years for an undergraduate or double-degree program (expressed as 2n + 2 years), and 10 years for a postgraduate coursework program. A student who does not finish within this time has their enrolment terminated unless their Program Authority agrees to extra time.

Award of Pass with Distinction -- available on a Bachelor Pass degree program or the Juris Doctor, awarded to a graduating student with an overall WAM of at least 75 (based only on the courses that count toward the award).

Award with Excellence -- available on a Masters coursework program (excluding Masters Extended), awarded to a graduating student with a WAM of at least 80.

Class of Honours -- available in a Bachelor Honours degree program, awarded in one of four classes: Class 1, Class 2 Division 1, Class 2 Division 2, or Class 3. A student's WAM (over the research and coursework courses that count toward the Honours program) determines the class awarded, but the specific WAM cut-off for each class is set by each program's own rules rather than stated as one university-wide scale.

Advanced standing (UNSW's term for credit transfer) lets a student's progress through their program be expedited by granting credit for prior learning, reducing the number of units of credit they still need to complete. It is approved under UNSW's Recognition of Prior Learning (Coursework Programs) Procedure for existing students, or the Program Design Procedure for postgraduate entry.

Moving between programs at UNSW (an Internal Program Transfer for undergraduates, a Postgraduate Program Transfer for postgraduates) requires completing at least one term or semester first and meeting the target program's entry requirements. A student's academic standing, their WAM, and their total units of credit completed are all factors UNSW's Program Authority weighs when reviewing a transfer application.