Maltese grading system
At the University of Malta, study-units are marked out of 100 and graded A+ (90–100%) to F (0–44%), and 45% (grade D) is the lowest pass; MATSEC grades Matriculation subjects A to F, and E is the lowest pass.
Example · Credit-weighted average of 3 courses
Full and critical understanding
A pass: 80–89% of the marks. 45% is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits. Your institution’s own rules on rounding or cutting off decimals decide the grade on your record.
University grades: A+ to F (0 to 100%)
Study-units in undergraduate courses at the University of Malta. Both the percentage mark and the letter grade go on the academic record, and the percentage is what counts for progress and the degree class.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | work of exceptional quality | 90–100% | Pass |
| A | full and critical understanding | 80–89% | Pass |
| B+ | full understanding | 75–79% | Pass |
| B | substantial understanding | 70–74% | Pass |
| C+ | sound understanding | 60–69% | Pass |
| C | satisfactory understanding | 55–59% | Pass |
| D+ | satisfactory understanding with shortcomings | 50–54% | Pass |
| D | basic understanding; lowest pass | 45–49% | Pass |
| F | inadequate understanding: fail | 0–44% | Fail |
Matriculation grades: A to F
Subjects taken at Advanced (AM) or Intermediate (IM) level for the MATSEC Matriculation Certificate. The grade points are added up, not averaged: the certificate needs at least 44 from six subjects.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| A | 30 grade points at Advanced level, 10 at Intermediate | Pass |
| B | 24 grade points at Advanced level, 8 at Intermediate | Pass |
| C | 18 grade points at Advanced level, 6 at Intermediate | Pass |
| D | 12 grade points at Advanced level, 4 at Intermediate | Pass |
| E | lowest pass; 6 grade points at Advanced level, 2 at Intermediate | Pass |
| F | fail; no grade points | Fail |
Maltese grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Maltese 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 Malta
- A bachelor’s honours degree is classed by the final weighted average mark: first class at 80% and above, upper second 70–79%, lower second 55–69% and third 45–54%.
- The year average is weighted by credits and kept to one decimal place, while the final average that sets the class is rounded to a whole number.
- A mark of 35–44% in a compensatable study-unit can become a compensated pass (CP) when the student does well in other units.
- The Matriculation Certificate needs two Advanced and three Intermediate level subjects plus Systems of Knowledge, and at least 44 grade points in total.
Sources: University of Malta, General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2019; MATSEC Examinations Board, University of Malta, Matriculation Examination Regulations 2025.