UK Degree classification
The biggest distinction made is whether the degree is awarded with or without honours. Nowadays, nearly all candidates sit for honours; an ordinary (or pass) degree (i.e. a degree without honours) is usually awarded to a candidate who marginally fails the honours examination, or significant parts of it. A candidate who fails badly is usually allowed to retake the examination for a pass degree, as most universities prohibit such a student from receiving honours.
Most universities award a class of degree based on the average mark of the assessed work a candidate has completed. Below is a list of the possible classifications with common abbreviations. rough percentages for each class are also listed, these percentages vary between subjects and universities:
| Class | Class | Level | Percentage |
| First class degree | 1st | Excellent | 70% + |
| Upper second | 2:1 | Very good | 60-70% |
| Lower second | 2:2 | Good | 50-60% |
| Third class | 3rd | Satisfactory | 40-50% |
| Ordinary Degree | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Unclassified (some degrees aren't classified master degrees and medicine)
The system does allow for a small amount of discretion and candidates may be elevated up to the next degree class if their average mark is close and they have submitted many pieces of work worthy of the higher class. However, they may be demoted a class if they fail to pass all parts of the course even if they have a high average.
There are also variations between universities (especially in Scotland, where honours are usually reserved only for courses lasting four years or more) and requirements other than the correct average are often needed to be awarded honours. When a candidate is awarded a degree with honours, they can suffix (Hons) to their class of degree, such as BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons).
At University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, honours classes apply to examinations, not to degrees. Thus, in Cambridge, where undergraduates are examined at the end of each part of the tripos, a student may receive different classifications for different parts. The classification of the final part is usually considered the classification of the degree. At Oxford, the Final Honour School results are generally applied to the degree.
In some universities, candidates who successfully complete one or more years of degree-level study, but choose not to or fail to complete a full degree, may be awarded a lower qualification - a Certificate of Higher Education or Higher National Certificate for one year, or a Diploma of Higher Education or Higher National Diploma for two years.
Beyond the Bachelor degree
Regulations governing the progression of undergraduate degree graduates to higher-degree programmes such as a master degree programme vary between universities, and the rules are often flexible. A candidate for a postgraduate master's degree is usually required to have a minimum grade of 2:2 honours in their bachelor degree (though some institutions specify a 2:1). Students who hold bachelor degree with third class honours or pass grade are sometimes accepted, provided they have acquired satisfactory professional experience subsequent to graduation. A candidate for a doctorate/doctoral programme such as PhD or DBA who does not hold a masters degree is nearly always required to have a bachelor degree with a minimum grade of First or 2:1.