Botswana grading system
At the University of Botswana, courses are marked out of 100 and graded A+ (90–100%, 5.0 points) to E (below 35%, 0.0 points), and 50% (C−) is the pass mark; a cumulative GPA of 4.70 or more earns a first class degree. BGCSE subjects are graded A* (highest) to G (lowest), with U for ungraded. Degree classes: 0.00 to 5.00, lowest pass 2.00.
Example · Credit-weighted average of 3 courses
Between A− and A
Excellent either way: your institution’s rule on rounding decides which grade goes on your record. C− is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits.
University grades: A+ to E
Undergraduate courses at the University of Botswana (UB). Each grade carries the points shown, and the cumulative GPA is their average weighted by credits, worked out to two decimal places.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | outstanding | 90–100% | Pass |
| A | excellent | 85–89.9% | Pass |
| A− | excellent | 80–84.9% | Pass |
| B+ | very good | 75–79.9% | Pass |
| B | very good | 70–74.9% | Pass |
| B− | good | 65–69.9% | Pass |
| C+ | good | 60–64.9% | Pass |
| C | satisfactory | 55–59.9% | Pass |
| C− | satisfactory | 50–54.9% | Pass |
| D+ | poor (fail) | 45–49.9% | Fail |
| D | poor (fail) | 40–44.9% | Fail |
| D− | poor (fail) | 35–39.9% | Fail |
| E | very poor (fail) | 0–34.9% | Fail |
Degree classes: 0.00 to 5.00
Bachelor’s degrees at the University of Botswana, classed by the cumulative GPA.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| First class | first class | Pass |
| Second upper | second class (upper division) | Pass |
| Second lower | second class (lower division) | Pass |
| Pass | pass | Pass |
| Below 2.00 | below the minimum GPA for graduation | Fail |
BGCSE grades: A* to U
The Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education, set by the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC). The BGCSE does not add grades up, but some users of the results total the best six subjects on the criteria of the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF): 8 points for A* or A, 7 for B, 6 for C, 5 for D and 4 for E, so 48 is the highest total.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| A* | highest grade | Pass |
| A | graded | Pass |
| B | graded | Pass |
| C | graded | Pass |
| D | graded | Pass |
| E | graded | Pass |
| F | graded | Pass |
| G | lowest grade | Pass |
| U | ungraded: below the minimum for grade G | Fail |
Botswana grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Botswana grades: we found no table for them on Wikipedia or from an official source, and we do not make one up. A US university reads a foreign transcript itself or through the credential evaluation service it names, and its conversion is the one that counts.
Send your grades as they are, with the scale above. When a form asks for your average, give it on your own scale and say which scale it is: the converter’s average does exactly that, weighted by credits when you enter them.
What to know about grades in Botswana
- At the University of Botswana a course is passed with a mark of at least 50% (C−), and a C− or better in a prerequisite is needed before the course that follows it.
- A student needs a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 to be considered for graduation.
- The BGCSE has no overall grade: each subject is a stand-alone qualification with its own grade, and X marks a candidate who could not be graded.
- The usual University of Botswana degree entry requirement is six BGCSE subjects at grade D or better, five of them at grade C or better from one sitting.
Sources: University of Botswana, Undergraduate Academic Calendar: General Academic Regulations; Botswana Examinations Council, BGCSE Summary of Provisional Results.