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Guide to grades

You will receive a result for each of your units of study at the end of semester. Find out when results are released and what they mean.

Semester results release

If you are enrolled in any units of study during a semester, we will send an email with your results to your University student email account at the end of the semester. After 24 hours, your results will then be available in Sydney Student.

Event or deadline	Date

Intensive unit results

Usually you will need to wait until the end of the current semester to receive your results for an intensive unit. If you’re unsure about a result for an intensive unit, contact your unit of study coordinator.

Replacement exam results

Results for replacement exams will become available approximately two weeks after your exam. You can confirm this with your unit of study coordinator.

Pending or missing results

You will not get a results email if you have no results currently approved.
When you get a results email, if you have a result that is ‘pending’ in your email, this means it has not yet been approved. You will need to wait to receive an email with your result once it is approved.
If you have a sanction applied to your record at the time of results release, your email will not include any results.
In some instances you may have a missing or incomplete (IC) result after results are released. Find out more about missing or incomplete (IC) result.

Your results for previous semesters are in Sydney Student. Go to ‘My studies’, then ‘Assessments’ to view your results notice. You can also view them on your academic transcript.

Your average marks (WAM, AAM, SAM and others)

There are different types of average marks used at the University, including Weighted Average Mark (WAM), Annual Average Mark (AAM) and Semester Average Mark (SAM).

Find out more about average marks and how they are calculated.

What the results mean

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy (Schedule 1).

Each faculty or school and unit of study has specific criteria for meeting the learning outcomes of each unit. These can generally be found in your unit of study outline. Contact your unit of study coordinator for further details.

Result code	Result name	Mark range	Description
HD	High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
DI	Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
CR	Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
PS	Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
FA	Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.
AF	Absent fail	0 - 49	When you haven’t completed all assessment tasks or met the attendance requirements.
CN	Cancelled	No mark	When your enrolment has been cancelled.
DC	Discontinued not to count as failure	No mark	When you discontinue a unit under special circumstances (outlined in clause 92 of the Coursework Policy), after the relevant census date.
DF	Discontinue – fail	No mark	When you discontinue a unit after the relevant census date but before the DF deadline, and you have not been granted a discontinuation under special circumstances.
FR	Failed requirements	No mark	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard, for units which are marked as either Satisfied requirements or Failed requirements.
SR	Satisfied requirements	No mark	When you meet the learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard, for units which are marked as either Satisfied requirements or Failed requirements.
WD	Withdrawn	No mark	When you discontinue a unit before the relevant census date. WD grades do not appear on your academic transcript

IC (incomplete) results

‘Incomplete’ results are temporary results used when your final grade has not been finalised. Your results may be incomplete because:

you were granted an extension to submit a final piece of work due to illness or misadventure
your examiner needs to seek additional information before awarding your grade
your honours program, exchange program or placement finishes after the session ends (this may take several weeks, depending on the unit of study).

Your faculty or school will need to approve and finalise your result. Once this has happened, your results notice will be updated and you’ll receive an email notifying you of the change.

If you have any questions regarding an Incomplete result, contact your unit of study coordinator.

Result code	Result name	Mark range	Description
IC	Incomplete	No Mark	Temporarily used when further information is being sought or additional work considered before a final result is given. You will not be able to re-enrol with an IC result.
RI	Result incomplete	No mark	Temporarily used in cases where a result will remain incomplete for a longer period than the IC (Incomplete) result. You will be able to re-enrol with an RI result.
UC	Unit of Study Continuing	No mark	When a unit continues in the following session. You will be able to re-enrol with a UC result.

Missing results

If you have a result 'pending' or missing, contact your unit of study coordinator. If it is for an intensive session result, you should wait until your semester results are released before contacting your unit of study coordinator. Once your faculty or school finalises your result, your results notice will be updated.

Updating your results

In certain instances, such as if you have a missing or incomplete result, the initial grade you receive will be subsequently updated. This is a three-part process that may take up to a few weeks to complete.

Initially, your unit of study coordinator needs to update the result. This updated result has to then be approved by your faculty or school. Your result will then be updated in Sydney Student, and you’ll receive an email notifying you of the change.

Honours results

Your faculty or school will provide you with marking criteria specific to your honours course. If you have any questions, contact your honours coordinator.

The Honours degree is awarded in classes ranging from First Class to Second or Third Class as specified in the Coursework Policy and the resolutions of the faculty administering the Honours.

The following table applies to students who commenced their course up until the end of 2022.

Honours class	Honours mark range (for honours up to 96 credit points)*	Honours mark range (for honours of 96 credit points or more)*
First Class	80 - 100	75 - 100
Second Class / Division 1	75 - 79	70 - 74
Second Class / Division 2	70 - 74	65 - 69
Third Class	65 - 69	50 – 64 **
Not awarded honours	0 - 64	0 – 49 **

*Some honours courses may require you to achieve higher marks. Check your course resolutions in your handbook and the Coursework Policy.

**Prior to 2017, Third Class honours was not awarded for honours of 96 credit points or more. If your mark was in the range 0 to 64, you were not awarded honours.

Last updated: 04 July 2023

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