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If you fail your dissertation, your enrolment will be cancelled and your candidature terminated. Your academic record will show the fail grade for the dissertation, and you will not be awarded an Honours degree.
Learn about the different types of grades you can receive for your courses at Griffith.
Course grades are awarded through aggregating and weighting marks achieved in individual assessment tasks. The relevant Dean (Learning and Teaching) awards the final grade signifying your overall performance in the course.
Grades
Griffith has a seven-point grading scale, in which 7 is the highest grade awarded and 1 the lowest.
| Grade | Title | Percentage range | Grade descriptors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | High Distinction | 85-100% | Student demonstrated an exceptionally high quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. |
| 6 | Distinction | 75-84.5% | Student demonstrated a high quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. |
| 5 | Credit | 65-74.5% | Student demonstrated a good quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. |
| 4 | Pass | 50-64.5% | Student demonstrated a satisfactory quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. |
| 3 | Fail | 45-49.5% | Student demonstrated an unsatisfactory quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. There was evidence of achievement of desired learning outcomes close to the passing standard but insufficient to pass. |
| 2 | Fail | 25-44.5% | Student demonstrated an unsatisfactory quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. There was evidence of achievement of desired learning outcomes below the passing standard. |
| 1 | Fail | 0.5-24.5% | Student demonstrated an unsatisfactory quality of performance or standard of learning achievement. There was evidence of achievement of desired learning outcomes significantly below the passing standard. |
Other grades
Griffith also uses other grades to identify courses affected certain circumstances like if the grade is unfinalised, or the student in question has withdrawn from the course.
If one of your courses have been awarded an other grade, the code will be recorded against it on your Academic Transcript.
| Grade | Title | Grade descriptor |
|---|---|---|
| CTG | Continuing Assessment | A grade will not be awarded in the current trimester. |
| DEC | Deceased | Grade awarded for enrolled courses that have not been completed at the time of the student's death. |
| DEF | Deferred Exam Approved | A deferred exam has been approved to be sat in the upcoming deferred/supplementary exam period. |
| FNS | Fail No Assessment Submitted | Did not present any work for assessment, to be counted as failure. |
| NGF | Non-graded Fail | Unsuccessful completion of a course assessed on a pass/fail basis. |
| NGP | Non-graded Pass | Successful completion of a course assessed on a pass/fail basis. |
| NOG | No Grade Associated | An administrative grade applied in lieu of a fail grade (1, 2, 3, NGF, NFS). Students awarded this grade will not have a fail grade recorded on their academic record, nor will this grade be included in the calculation of their grade point average (GPA). This grade is to be used for any disruptive event at the discretion of the University (so far only used in Trimester 1 2020, Study Period 1 and Study Session 1 2020 and Teaching Periods 1 to 3 2020 to manage the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic). |
| RW | Result Withheld | No result entered yet for this course. Students should contact their School if they do not know why the result is withheld. |
| SSP | Supplementary assessment | Students awarded a SSP grade will not be sitting their supplementary assessment/exam in the central deferred/supplementary exam period. The School will notify students of the assessment/exam arrangements by email. |
| SUP | Supplementary assessment | Students awarded a SUP grade will have their supplementary exam held during the central deferred/supplementary exam period. |
| UNF | Unfinalised Grade | No grade entered yet for this course. This grade is approved to remain unfinalised beyond 31 August if it is applicable to Trimester 1, beyond 31 March of the following year if it is applicable to Trimester 2 and beyond 15 April if it is applicable to Trimester 3. |
| W | Withdrawal | Student has withdrawn from the course. This is not counted as failure and appears beside the course on the academic record when the withdrawal from the course is processed administratively after the last date to drop a course without being liable for fees, up until the final date for withdrawal without failure. |
| WF | Withdrawal with Failure | An assessment grade indicating that the student cancelled their enrolment in the course after the final date for withdrawal without failure. |
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your Grade Point Average (GPA) reflects your overall academic performance across your program. It is shown on your Academic Transcript and is calculated using the final grades you receive in your courses.
How is your GPA calculated
Your GPA is calculated as a weighted average. This means both your final grade and the credit points for each course are taken into account.
To calculate your GPA :
- Each final grade has a numerical value.
- That value  is multiplied by the course's credit points.
- The total of these results is then divided by the total credit points completed in your program.
Grades of Fail - No Assessment Submitted (FNS) and Withdrawal with Failure (WF) are assigned a numerical value of 0 and are included in the calculation.
Courses with non-graded outcomes (such as non-graded pass/fail results or approved transfer credit) are not included in your GPA calculation.
GPA calculator
Use this tool to calculate your GPA . This calculator is intended as a guide only. Your official GPA is recorded on your Academic Transcript and calculated in accordance with the University’s GPA Protocol.
Frequently asked questions
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One year Honours programs:
Your final Honours class is determined by your Program GPA and your dissertation mark (you must also meet a minimum percentage for the dissertation).
Four year (or longer) Honours programs:
The way your Honours class is calculated is outlined in your program requirements on the Programs and Courses website.
About your dissertation mark
Your final dissertation percentage is based on the marks awarded by your examiners, along with any other assessment components that apply to your dissertation.| Class of Honours | Minimum Dissertation Percentage | Grade for Minimum Dissertation Percentage | Program GPA |
| Class I | 80% | 7 | 6.200 – 7.000 |
| Class IIA | 70% | 6 | 5.650 – 6.199 |
| Class IIB | 60% | 5 | 5.000 – 5.649 |
| Class III | 50% | 4 | 4.000 – 4.999 |
A candidate who achieves a Program GPA of less than 4 and/or less than 50% for the dissertation is not awarded the Honours degree. Some programs do not award all classes of honours.
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