Study In Ireland

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	Honors
70 – 100%	Excellent; exceeds expectations	A	H1
60 – 69%	Very good; meets all expectations	B	H2.1
50 – 59%	Good; meets most expectations	C	H2.2
40 – 49%	Poor; meets minimum expectations	D	Pass
Less than 40%	Fail; does not meet expectations	F	Fail