Nigerian grading system
In Nigeria, university courses are graded A (70–100%, 5 points) to F (below 40%, 0 points), and E (40–44%) is the lowest pass; a final CGPA of 4.50 or more on the 5-point scale earns a first class degree. Degree classes: 0.00 to 5.00, lowest pass 1.00. WASSCE grades: A1 to F9, lowest pass E8.
Example · Credit-weighted average of 3 courses
Between B and A
Very good or excellent: your institution’s rule on rounding decides which grade goes on your record. E is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits.
University grades: A to F
Undergraduate courses at Nigerian universities, on the National Universities Commission's 5-point scale. Each grade carries the points shown, and the GPA or CGPA is their average weighted by course units.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | excellent | 70–100% | Pass |
| B | very good | 60–69% | Pass |
| C | good | 50–59% | Pass |
| D | satisfactory | 45–49% | Pass |
| E | adequate | 40–44% | Pass |
| F | fail | 0–39% | Fail |
Degree classes: 0.00 to 5.00
Bachelor's degrees at Nigerian universities, classed by the CGPA at the end of the programme.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| First class | first class honours | Pass |
| Second upper | second class honours (upper division) | Pass |
| Second lower | second class honours (lower division) | Pass |
| Third class | third class honours | Pass |
| Pass | pass degree | Pass |
| Below 1.00 | below the minimum CGPA: probation, then withdrawal | Fail |
WASSCE grades: A1 to F9
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination, set by WAEC at the end of senior secondary school. NECO's Senior School Certificate Examination uses the same nine grades and descriptors.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | excellent | 75–100% | Pass |
| B2 | very good | 70–74% | Pass |
| B3 | good | 65–69% | Pass |
| C4 | credit | 60–64% | Pass |
| C5 | credit | 55–59% | Pass |
| C6 | credit | 50–54% | Pass |
| D7 | pass | 45–49% | Pass |
| E8 | pass | 40–44% | Pass |
| F9 | fail | 0–39% | Fail |
Nigerian grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Nigerian 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 Nigeria
- The CGPA counts every course taken, passed or failed, and every attempt at a repeated course, so a failed course still counts after it is passed.
- The CGPA is worked out to two decimal places, so 4.49 is a second class upper and 4.50 a first.
- A CGPA below 1.00 at the end of a year puts a student on probation, and a CGPA still below 1.00 after the probation year leads to withdrawal.
- Postgraduate coursework usually needs 50% to pass, not 40%.
- For a degree place, WASSCE grades should be credits (C6 or better), above all in English language and mathematics; candidates with D7 or lower in those subjects are advised to resit.
Sources: Wikipedia, Academic grading in Nigeria; Wikipedia, West African Senior School Certificate Examination; National Universities Commission, Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) for Nigerian Universities: Computing; Obafemi Awolowo University, University Examination Regulations.