Ugandan grading system
In Uganda, university courses at Makerere are graded A+ (90–100%, 5 points) to F (below 50%), and D (50–54%) is the lowest pass; a final CGPA of 4.40 or more earns a first class degree. Degree classes: CGPA 0 to 5, lowest pass 2.0. UCE grades: A to E, lowest pass D. UACE grades: A to F, lowest pass O.
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. D is the lowest pass.
3 courses, 15 credits.
University grades: A+ to F (0 to 5 points)
Courses at Makerere University, marked out of 100. The CGPA is the average of these grade points weighted by each course’s credit units.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | exceptional | 90–100% | Pass |
| A | excellent | 80–89% | Pass |
| B+ | very good | 75–79% | Pass |
| B | very good | 70–74% | Pass |
| C+ | good | 65–69% | Pass |
| C | fairly good | 60–64% | Pass |
| D+ | fair | 55–59% | Pass |
| D | pass | 50–54% | Pass |
| F | fail | below 50% | Fail |
Degree classes: CGPA 0 to 5
Degrees, diplomas and certificates at Makerere University, classed by the final cumulative grade point average (CGPA).
| 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 2.0 | below the minimum CGPA: academic probation | Fail |
UCE grades: A to E
The Uganda Certificate of Education (O level) under the new lower secondary curriculum, set by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) from 2024. Candidates on the old curriculum were graded 1 to 9: distinctions 1 and 2, credits 3 to 6, passes 7 and 8, and 9 a fail.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| A | exceptional: an extraordinary level of competency | Pass |
| B | outstanding: a high level of competency | Pass |
| C | satisfactory: an adequate level of competency | Pass |
| D | basic: the minimum level of competency | Pass |
| E | elementary: below the basic level of competency | Fail |
UACE grades: A to F
Principal subjects in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (A level), set by UNEB. The points are those Makerere University uses to weigh A level results for admission.
| Grade | Meaning | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| A | principal pass; 6 points | Pass |
| B | principal pass; 5 points | Pass |
| C | principal pass; 4 points | Pass |
| D | principal pass; 3 points | Pass |
| E | lowest principal pass; 2 points | Pass |
| O | subsidiary pass in a principal subject; 1 point | Pass |
| F | fail; 0 points | Fail |
Ugandan grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for Ugandan 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 Uganda
- The pass mark at Makerere is 50% in undergraduate courses and 60% in graduate courses.
- A final-year student with 45–49% in a course may be granted a conceded pass, once only, if the CGPA stays at least 2.0.
- When a course is retaken, the better of the two grades counts in the CGPA.
- A CGPA below 2.0 puts an undergraduate on probation, and three probations in a row lead to discontinuation.
- University admission needs at least two principal passes (A to E) at UACE, while one principal and two subsidiary passes are accepted by other tertiary institutions.
Sources: Makerere University, Academic Policies Manual (revised version 2025); Uganda National Examinations Board, Release of 2024 UCE transition and new lower secondary school (NLSC) results; Uganda National Examinations Board, 2022 UACE statement of release of results.