Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
✓ Last Verified: October 2026Primary Sources Sourced
Quick answer
Ireland has no single national GPA. Trinity College Dublin classifies degrees by percentage: First 70%+, 2:1 60–69%, 2:2 50–59%, Third 40–49%. University College Dublin converts module grades into a GPA out of 4.2: First 3.68+, 2:1 3.08–3.67, 2:2 2.48–3.07 and Pass 2.00–2.47 (UCD grade table). TU Dublin has used a GPA system across all campuses since September 2025 (TU Dublin).
Prefer to check your own result? Use the calculator below, then compare it with the tables and worked examples on this page.
Ireland grade and honours calculator
Find an honours class from a percentage, or work out a UCD GPA from module grades.
Bands used: Trinity College Dublin marks (70/60/50/40), UCC honours bands (Third 45–49%, Pass 40–44%) and UCD's published grade points and award GPA bands. This tool does not convert to a US GPA or turn a percentage into a UCD GPA, because those mappings are not published by the universities. Programmes weight years and stages differently, so a result here is a guide, not an official classification. Check your own university's regulations.
Aiming for a specific class? The Target GPA Planner shows what grades you need in your remaining modules. For the basics of the metric itself, see What is GPA?.
Honours classes in Ireland: percentage bands and UCD GPA bands
Irish honours degrees (NFQ Level 8) use four classes. Where a percentage scale is used, the bands are shown below for Trinity and UCC; UCD classifies by degree GPA instead. The same classification is written several ways: “2:1”, “2.1” and “II.1” mean the same thing, as do “First”, “1st” and “1.1”.
| Class | Also written | Trinity (TCD) marks | UCC marks | UCD degree GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Class Honours | I, 1st, 1.1 | 70–100% | 70–100% | 3.68–4.20 |
| Second Class, Grade 1 | II.1, 2.1, 2:1 | 60–69% | 60–69% | 3.08–3.67 |
| Second Class, Grade 2 | II.2, 2.2, 2:2 | 50–59% | 50–59% | 2.48–3.07 |
| Third Class Honours | III, 3rd, 3.1 | 40–49% | 45–49% | No Third class band |
| Pass | — | No Pass band (30–39% is F1) | 40–44% | 2.00–2.47 |
Sources: Trinity Mathematics undergraduate regulations (marks and grades), UCC Students’ Union grading guide and UCC Marks and Standards (honours bands), UCD grade and GPA award table. UCC publishes Marks and Standards per programme, so confirm yours.
UK universities publish the same four bands (First 70–100%, upper second 60–69%, lower second 50–59%, third 40–49%), for example in UCL’s transcript guide. The differences are institutional: UCD reports a GPA, UCC splits Third and Pass at 45%, and each university decides which years count. See our UK grading system guide for the UK side.
Qualification levels are set nationally: an Honours Bachelor Degree sits at NFQ Level 8 and an Ordinary Bachelor Degree at Level 7 on the 10-level framework (QQI guide to the NFQ).
What common Irish GPA numbers mean
These answers apply the official UCD bands. A university that does not use GPA has no fixed meaning for a GPA figure.
| If you are asking about | Answer |
|---|---|
| A 2:1 / 2.1 in GPA | UCD degree GPA 3.08–3.67. At Trinity and UCC it is a mark of 60–69%, with no GPA attached. |
| A 1.1 or First in GPA | UCD degree GPA 3.68 or above (maximum 4.20). Elsewhere, 70% or above. |
| A 3.0 GPA in Ireland | At UCD, a module grade of C+ carries 3.0 grade points. As a degree GPA, 3.0 falls in the 2:2 band (2.48–3.07). |
| A 3.5 GPA in Ireland | At UCD, a degree GPA of 3.5 falls in the 2:1 band (3.08–3.67). |
| The highest possible GPA | 4.2 at UCD (grade A+). The UCD GPA range is 0–4.2. |
| Third class or a pass mark | Trinity: Third is 40–49%. UCC: Third is 45–49% and Pass is 40–44%. UCD: degree GPA 2.00–2.47 is a Pass. |
UCD grade points (4.2 scale)
UCD attaches a grade point to each module grade. The table below follows UCD’s published table of grades and grade point values. UCD builds module grades from a 21-point grade scale rather than one fixed percentage table (UCD Registry), so check your module descriptor or transcript instead of converting a percentage yourself.
| Module grade | Grade points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.2 |
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.8 |
| B+ | 3.6 |
| B | 3.4 |
| B- | 3.2 |
| C+ | 3.0 |
| C | 2.8 |
| C- | 2.6 |
| D+ | 2.4 |
| D | 2.2 |
| D- | 2.0 |
| E | 1.6 |
| F | 1.0 |
| G | 0.4 |
| NG (no grade) | 0.0 |
How UCD calculates your GPA
Within a stage, GPA is the credit-weighted average of grade points: GPA = Σ(grade points × credits) ÷ Σcredits. Your degree GPA then combines the stages that count towards your award, using the weighting set for your programme (UCD Registry GPA calculations). Stage 1 grades are not used in the degree GPA in the programmes UCD documents on its site, for example Social Policy and Sociology.
Weightings differ by programme. In BA Arts Joint Honours, Stage 2 counts for 30% and Stage 3 for 70% (UCD BA Arts guide). Check the page for your own course.
Worked example 1: one semester (hypothetical grades)
| Module | Credits | Grade | Grade points | Credits × points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 5 | A | 4.0 | 20.0 |
| English | 5 | B+ | 3.6 | 18.0 |
| Biology | 5 | A- | 3.8 | 19.0 |
| History | 5 | B | 3.4 | 17.0 |
| Mathematics | 5 | C+ | 3.0 | 15.0 |
| Total | 25 | 89.0 |
89.0 ÷ 25 = 3.56. A semester figure like this is a progress indicator only: classification uses the degree GPA across the stages that count.
Worked example 2: combining two stages (hypothetical grades)
Suppose Stage 2 GPA is 3.20 and Stage 3 GPA is 3.60, each over 60 credits, with the 30%/70% weighting above. Degree GPA = (0.30 × 3.20) + (0.70 × 3.60) = 0.96 + 2.52 = 3.48, which is in the 2:1 band (3.08–3.67). With a different weighting the same two stage GPAs would give a different result.
Trinity, UCC and TU Dublin
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity reports a letter grade and a percentage: I 70–100, II.1 60–69, II.2 50–59, III 40–49, F1 30–39, F2 0–29, with no GPA scale (Trinity Mathematics regulations). In the Trinity Joint Honours programme the degree result uses 120 ECTS from the Junior and Senior Sophister years, weighted 30% and 70% (Trinity Joint Honours assessment). Other programmes can differ.
University College Cork
UCC awards marks from 0 to 100% and generally does not count first-year marks towards the overall result, though weighting differs between courses (UCC Students’ Union). UCC’s published Marks and Standards set honours at 70% and above for First and 45–49% for Third. One 2024/25 programme document calculates the award from 33.33% of the penultimate year plus 66.67% of the final year (UCC Marks and Standards example). Find your own programme in UCC Marks and Standards.
TU Dublin
TU Dublin introduced a granulated GPA system from September 2025, and 2025/26 is the first year one GPA system operates across all its campuses and programmes (TU Dublin results information). Its assessment regulations were revised on 5 June 2026 (TU Dublin assessment regulations). Use those regulations for the grade scale and award rules that apply to you.
Other Irish universities, including DCU, Maynooth and the University of Galway, publish their own regulations. Check them directly rather than assuming they match the rows above.
Irish GPA and US GPA are different scales
UCD’s 4.2 scale is not the US 4.0 scale, so a UCD GPA of 3.5 is not a US 3.5, and Trinity’s percentage marks have no GPA at all. For a US application, use the conversion or evaluation method the programme asks for. Our WES evaluation guide explains the evaluation process.
Leaving Certificate points and GPA
Leaving Certificate results are converted to CAO points for admission. These points are not a GPA and do not convert to one: university GPA or marks begin only once you enrol. The common points scale used since 2017 is below (IADT Leaving Certificate requirements).
| Grade | Higher Level points | Ordinary Level points |
|---|---|---|
| H1 / O1 | 100 | 56 |
| H2 / O2 | 88 | 46 |
| H3 / O3 | 77 | 37 |
| H4 / O4 | 66 | 28 |
| H5 / O5 | 56 | 20 |
| H6 / O6 | 46 | 12 |
| H7 / O7 | 37 | 0 |
| H8 / O8 | 0 | 0 |
Higher Level Mathematics earns 25 bonus points at grade H6 or above, so an H6 scores 46 + 25 = 71. The bonus counts only if Mathematics is among your best six subjects after it is added (CAO bonus points guide).
Common mistakes when working out an Irish GPA
- Using UCD’s scale elsewhere. Trinity has no GPA scale and TU Dublin has its own. Use the scale of the university that issued the grades.
- Converting percentages to UCD grades yourself. UCD module grades come from its 21-point scale, so read the grade on your transcript.
- Counting first-year or Stage 1 marks. UCD and UCC generally exclude them from the final result, but check your programme.
- Treating a semester GPA as your degree GPA. Classification uses the stages and weights set for your programme.
- Rounding too early. Keep full decimals through the calculation and round the final GPA to two places.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA scale does Ireland use?
What is a 2:1 in GPA in Ireland?
At UCD a 2:1 is a degree GPA from 3.08 to 3.67. At Trinity and UCC it is a mark of 60–69% with no GPA. Source: UCD grade table.
What is a 1.1 degree in Ireland?
What is a 3.0 GPA in Ireland?
At UCD, 3.0 is the grade point for a C+ module grade. As a degree GPA it is in the 2:2 band (2.48–3.07). Other universities have no fixed meaning for a 3.0.
What is the pass mark?
Do first-year marks count towards my degree?
Generally not at UCC (UCC) and not at UCD in the programmes it documents (UCD example). Rules differ by programme, so confirm yours.
What is the highest GPA in Ireland?
At UCD the maximum is 4.2, awarded for an A+ module grade.
How do I convert my Irish result to a US GPA?
UCD’s 4.2 scale and Irish honours classes are not the same as the US 4.0 scale, so do not copy a figure across. Follow the conversion or evaluation method your target programme requires.
How we researched this
Last checked: 14 October 2026. We compared the figures on this page with the university and agency pages linked in each section: UCD’s grade and GPA award table, its GPA calculation and programme pages, Trinity’s regulations, UCC’s Marks and Standards and Students’ Union guide, TU Dublin’s results information and assessment regulations, the CAO bonus-points guide, IADT’s points table and QQI’s NFQ guide.
Worked examples use hypothetical grades to show the method. Regulations change and differ by programme, so confirm your own rules with your university’s registry.
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.