Exam Grading System in Nigerian Universities a degree classification system to assess the overall performance of students in bachelor’s degree programs.
This degree classification determines the overall performance of students throughout the duration of the study. It is also relevant for employment and admission prospects.
Undergraduate degree classification relies on the cumulative grade point average (CGPA), which is calculated by multiplying credit units by score ratings and dividing by the total number of units earned by students.
CLASSES OF DEGREE AT 1ST DEGREE LEVEL
In 2017, the National Universities Commission (NUC) introduced a revised grading system for universities in Nigeria. Instead of the previous five-point Grading Scale for Classification of Degrees, NUC mandated all universities to transition to a more stringent four-point scale. This change raised the GPA requirements for graduation, effectively phasing out the ‘PASS’ class of degrees.
- 4.5-5.0 First Class
- 3.5-4.49 Second Class Upper (also known as 2:1)
- 2.4-3.49 Second Class Lower (also known as 2:2)
- 1.5-2.39 Third Class
- 1.0-1.49 Pass
- Below 1.0 Fail
Exam Grading System in Nigerian Universities
These are the 5-point grading system which is most commonly used by Nigerian universities.
| Percentage | Letter | GPA |
| 70-100 | A | 5 |
| 60-69 | B | 4 |
| 50-59 | C | 3 |
| 45-49 | D | 2 |
| 40-44 | E | 1 |
| 0-39 | F |
Degree Requirements For Graduation In Any University
Are you an undergraduate student seeking information on the required credit units in Nigerian universities? To be eligible for the award of a degree, a minimum of 120 credit units is required, with consideration for specific Department and Faculty prerequisites.
A student becomes eligible for degree completion upon meeting these conditions. Each semester, a minimum credit load of 15 credit units is mandatory.
In the calculation of a student’s Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), which determines the class of the degree to be conferred, all grades earned in both compulsory and elective courses, whether passed or failed, must be factored into the computation.
Even in cases where a student retakes a course multiple times before successfully passing or substitutes another course for a previously failed elective, the grades from all attempts are included in the GPA calculation. Additionally, prerequisite courses must be successfully completed before advancing to higher-level courses.
Students Who Are Qualified To Go For Master Programme
If you are preparing to go for your master’s degree in any of the universities in Nigeria or another country your CGPA must be up to a minimum grading point. These are Categories of people that can proceed for Master’s Programme with the following CGPA:
- 4.5-5.0 First Class
- 3.5-4.49 Second Class Upper (also known as 2:1)
- 2.4-3.49 Second Class Lower (also known as 2:2)
STUDENTS WHO ARE QUALIFIED FOR DEGREE AT MASTER’S LEVEL
- 1.) 3.50 and above can proceed for PhD.
- 2.) 3.00 – 3.49 need to run a-year programme first before proceeding to run Ph.D programme.
- 3.) Masters holder with below 3.0 cannot proceed to run Ph.D programme unless he/she go for another Masters Degree Programme and come out with required grade.
Simple Method On How To Calculate Grade Point Average (GPA)
Each subject is assigned a specific number of Credit Units (CU). To calculate the Quality Points (QP) for a given course, simply multiply the Credit Units (CU) by the Grade Point (GP) associated with that course.
As an example, when a student achieves a 75% score in a 3 Credit Unit course, their Quality Points can be calculated by multiplying the Grade Point (B=4) by the number of Credit Units, which equals 3 x 4 = 12.
The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the Total Quality Points (TQP) by the Total Credit Units (TCU) for a single semester. For example, if a student achieves 54 Quality Points for 18 Credit Units in one semester, their GPA is 3.0.
To compute the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), add up the Total Quality Points (TQP) for all semesters and divide by the Total Credit Units (TCU) for all semesters. For instance, if a student earns 54 Quality Points for 18 Credit Units in one semester and 62 Quality Points for 20 Credit Units in the second semester, the CGPA is calculated as:
CGPA = (54 + 62) / (18 + 20) = 116/38 = 3.05.
