Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
✓ Last checked: 17 October 2026
Quick answer
There is no national rule for first, second and third division. In every scheme we found, first division starts at 60%. Second division starts at 45% in the state-board schemes reported (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra) and at 50% in the university pattern Nuffic describes. Third division starts at 33%, 30% or 40% depending on the scheme.
Example: 46% is second division in the state-board schemes and third division in the university pattern.
CBSE awards no overall division. Its bye-laws say so in plain words.
Division calculator
Enter your overall percentage to see the division under each scheme we found. The rows can disagree, which is the point: the answer depends on who is classifying you.
Division calculator
Enter your overall percentage to see the division under each scheme we found. Schemes differ, so compare the rows.
Bands are as reported by the sources named on this page. The state-board rows come from education websites, not from the boards’ own regulations, and the university row follows Nuffic’s description of what some institutions use. CBSE awards no overall division. Check the rule on your own mark sheet, especially at the exact boundaries (60, 45, 33 and so on).
First, second and third division percentage by scheme
| Scheme | Distinction | First | Second | Third | Source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh board | 75% and above | 60–74% | 45–59% | 33–44% | Collegedunia: secondary, cites no board text |
| Bihar board | 75% and above | 60% to under 75% | 45% to under 60% | 30% to under 45% | CollegeDekho (2023): secondary |
| Maharashtra board | 75% and above (“first class with distinction”) | 60% to under 75% | 45% to under 60% | Not given | Careers360: secondary, cites no board text |
| University pattern | None | 60–100% | 50–59% | 40–49% | Nuffic: “some institutions” |
| CBSE | None | None | None | None | CBSE bye-laws: primary |
The state-board bands come from education websites, and we could not open any board’s own regulation to confirm them. The CBSE row is the only one backed by the board’s own text. Boundaries are where sources differ most, so check whether 60% or 45% sits in the higher division on your own mark sheet.
Which division is my percentage?
Find your overall percentage in the left column. This is our own arithmetic from the bands in the table above (the same sources and the same limits), not a board or university table. It uses whole percentages, so check a mark such as 59.5% against the exact boundary on your mark sheet. “Not given” means the source we used gives no division for that range.
| Your percentage | Uttar Pradesh | Bihar | Maharashtra | University pattern (Nuffic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% and above | Distinction | Distinction | First class with distinction | First |
| 60 to 74% | First | First | First | First |
| 50 to 59% | Second | Second | Second | Second |
| 45 to 49% | Second | Second | Second | Third |
| 40 to 44% | Third | Third | Not given | Third |
| 33 to 39% | Third | Third | Not given | Not given (below 40) |
| 30 to 32% | Not given | Third | Not given | Not given |
The schemes agree at 60% and above and at 50–59%. They disagree most at 45–49%, which is second division in the state-board schemes reported but third division in the university pattern, so 46%, 48% or 49% can be either depending on who classifies you. CBSE awards no division at any percentage.
What a division is
A division is a class label based on your overall percentage, such as first, second or third division. Some boards and universities use it. Others report only marks or grades, and then a “division” is just something a reader works out from your percentage.
Divisions are different from a grade point average. If your result is a CGPA, see how to calculate GPA in India.
CBSE: no overall division
The edition of the CBSE Examination Bye-Laws we could read, updated to December 2004, says for both the Senior School Certificate (rule 40.1(iii)) and the Secondary School (rule 41.1(iii)): “No overall division/distinction/aggregate shall be awarded.” (bye-laws). CBSE’s Examination Controller repeated this in December 2023 and added that the board does not calculate or announce percentages, so an institution or employer that needs one may work it out (ETV Bharat).
That means “CBSE first division percentage” has no official answer. The pass mark is 33% in each subject (rules 38(iv), 40.1(ii) and 41.1(ii)).
CBSE Class 10 grades
| Grade | Marks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 91–100 | Pass |
| A2 | 81–90 | Pass |
| B1 | 71–80 | Pass |
| B2 | 61–70 | Pass |
| C1 | 51–60 | Pass |
| C2 | 41–50 | Pass |
| D | 33–40 | Pass |
| E1 | 21–32 | Fail |
| E2 | 0–20 | Fail |
The grade bands are the scale in use since 2017 as listed on Wikipedia, a secondary source. Check your mark sheet.
ICSE and ISC
We found no CISCE rule that awards divisions. What we could confirm is the pass mark: a government press release of 19 March 2018 says the Class X (ICSE) pass mark was lowered from 35% to 33%, and the Class XII (ISC) pass mark from 40% to 35%, from the 2018 examinations (press release). Confirm the current figure with CISCE, since that release is from 2018.
Careers360 reports ICSE theory grades on a 1 to 9 scale, where 1 and 2 are very good, 3 to 5 are credit, 6 and 7 are pass and 8 and 9 are fail. We did not find CISCE’s own table for the mark ranges, so we do not list them.
Universities
Nuffic says some Indian institutions convert results into divisions, and gives the pattern in the table above. It also says many institutions use a CGPA instead. The University Grants Commission suggests a letter-grade scale from O (10 points) to F (0), but not as a compulsory system.
We found no national rule fixing division percentages for universities. Each university sets its own, so use the one in your university’s examination rules. To turn a CGPA into a percentage, see our CGPA to percentage tool, and for CBSE school results see CBSE percentage to GPA.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage is first division in India?
There is no national rule. In every scheme we found it starts at 60%.
What percentage is second division?
It starts at 45% in the Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra schemes reported, and at 50% in the university pattern Nuffic describes.
What percentage is third division?
The reported schemes put it at 33% to 44% in Uttar Pradesh, 30% to under 45% in Bihar and 40% to 49% in the university pattern. The Maharashtra source we used gives no third class.
46 percent is which division?
Second division in the Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra schemes reported, and third division in the university pattern.
Does CBSE give first division?
No. The CBSE bye-laws say no overall division, distinction or aggregate is awarded, and its Examination Controller repeated that in December 2023.
Does ICSE award divisions?
We found no CISCE rule that does. CISCE reports marks and grades, and the Class X pass mark is 33% from the 2018 examinations.
What is division in an educational qualification?
It is a class label such as first, second or third division, based on your overall percentage. Only some boards and universities use it.
Is division the same as CGPA?
No. A division is a class band from a percentage, and a CGPA is a credit-weighted average of grade points.
How we researched this
Last checked: 17 October 2026. We read the CBSE Examination Bye-Laws (the edition published on CBSE’s academic site), ETV Bharat’s report of CBSE’s December 2023 statement, a 2018 government press release on the CISCE pass marks, Nuffic’s description of Indian grading, and education-site reports on the Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra boards.
Limits: we could not open any state board’s own regulation, so the state-board division bands are secondary-source figures and may differ from the current rule. We found no source for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal or other boards, so we do not show them. The CBSE bye-laws edition we read is old, so the rule numbers may have moved in a newer edition. Boards and universities change their rules, so confirm the current one with your board or examination office.
This page is for general information. LearnViaHub is not affiliated with CBSE, CISCE, any state board or any university.
Christian Chinonso is the founder of LearnViaHub, with 6+ years of research experience in international education — including GPA systems, scholarships, student financing, and study-abroad guidance — for students worldwide.