Study In Ireland
Table of content
Grading System in Ireland
The grading system in Ireland varies across institutions. Most institutes follow a unique grading system. The minimum score for passing in Ireland is 40%. The following is a common grading system followed by Irish universities.
| Percentage of Grade | Description | International Scale |
| 70% or above | First Class Honours | A (Excellent) |
| 69% – 60% | Upper Second Class Honours | B (very good, with few errors) |
| 59% – 50% | Lower Second Class Honours | C (good, with some errors) |
| 49% – 45% | Third Class Honours | D (satisfactory, with many errors) |
| 44% – 40% Leaving Certificate Grading | Compensating Fail. This is the minimum passing grade | E (sufficient) |
The following examples of grading across universities will help you understand it better.
Dublin City University (DCU)
| Percentage of Grade | Degree Classification | Description |
| 70% – 100% | First Class Honours | Excellent, exemplary, thorough, clear, and free of errors. |
| 60% – 69% | Second Class Honours, First Division | Good, well-structured, only minor omissions or errors. |
| 50 – 59% | Second Class Honours, Second Division | Fair, satisfactory, content, some less developed areas, errors. |
| 40-49% | Third Class Honours | Adequate, or barely adequate, substantial errors and/or omissions |
| Less than 40% | Insufficient does not meet the minimum expected standards | Fail |
University College Cork (UCC)
| Percentage of Grade | Degree Classification | Description |
| 70% – 100% | First Class Honours | Excellent, exemplary, thorough, clear, and free of errors. |
| 60% – 69% | Second Class Honours, Grade 1 | Good, well-structured, only minor omissions or errors. |
| 50 – 59% | Second Class Honours, Grade 2 | Fair, satisfactory, content, some less developed areas, errors. |
| 45-49% | Third Class Honours | Adequate, or barely adequate, substantial errors and/or omissions |
| 40-44% | Poor; meets minimum expectations | Pass |
| 40-44% | Insufficient does not meet the minimum expected standards | Fail |
National University of Ireland
| Percentage of Grade | Description | Grade | Grade |
| 70 – 100% | Excellent; exceeds expectations | A | A |
| 60 – 69% | Very good; meets all expectations | B | B |
| 50 – 59% | Good; meets most expectations | C | C |
| 40 – 49% | Poor; meets minimum expectations | D | D |
| Less than 40% | Fail; does not meet expectations | F | F |
