New Zealand is fast becoming a popular study abroad destination in the world owing to factors like quality education in diverse disciplines and a safe and supportive environment for international students. Aspirants willing to pursue their higher education in New Zealand should learn about the university grading system before starting their academic journey. The grading system adopted by New Zealand’s universities differs from that of US or Indian universities. So, let’s understand New Zealand’s grading system and other interesting information.

Also Read : New Zealand student visa : A brief guide

Key Highlights

• New Zealand university grading system
• Important Notes
• What is GPA & how is it calculated?

These grades are displayed on the student’s transcript. Some other grades, which you may find on the transcript, are as follows:

Letter grades	GPA	Definition
P	n/a	Pass
F	n/a	Fail
S	n/a	Special pass
R	1	Restricted pass #
I	n/a	Incomplete*

Important Notes:

• The mark “#” represents that examiners may grant a restricted credit in a course at 200 or 100-level. This shall be considered equivalent to “pass” for all purposes except as a prerequisite. In such a scenario, students may apply to re-enrol in a particular course to obtain non-restricted credit. However, this credit is issued only once for any course.
• The mark “*” means incomplete PhDs or a Master’s level program has been awarded instead of a PhD degree.

Also Read : PhD in New Zealand: A detailed guide

The grading system may differ from one university to another, and sometimes, there are different grading scales within departments of the same university. Thus, verify the university’s grading system before submitting your admission application.

These letter grades are easy to convert into Grade Point Average (GPA).

What is GPA & how is it calculated?

The Grade Point Average is often used for:

• Taking admission into a higher level of study, i.e. Master’s or Honours Degree

The Grade Point Average or GPA represents an average grade achieved across all your courses. You can easily calculate the GPA for a semester or all courses cumulatively. To calculate the GPA, multiply the grade point value by the credit value of the study program. Hereafter, add all grade points achieved and divide them by the total credit value for the courses. Let’s understand this with an example:

Course	Credit value of the course	Grade	Grade Point Value	Grade Point × credit value of course	Points Achieved
Management	15	A	8	8 points × 15 credits	120
Computers	15	B-	4	4 points × 15 credits	60
Communication	15	B+	6	6 points × 15 credits	90

Now, let’s calculate the Grade Point Average (GPA) for the courses:

Total credit value of courses studied (3 courses * 15 each)	Total grade points achieved (120+60+90)	Total grade points divided by Total credit value	Grade Point Average
45	270	270/45	6 or B+

This is one of the ways of calculating the grade point average; you can also use an online GPA calculator.

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