What is the university grading system in Ghana?
Every Ghanaian university turns your course marks into a number, averages those numbers across your courses, and uses the final average to decide your class of degree. The idea is the same everywhere. The mark bands, grade points and class boundaries are not.
We read the regulations of five universities on 12 October 2026 and copied the figures from the documents themselves.
Key facts at a glance (checked 12 October 2026)
| University of Cape Coast (UCC) | CGPA | 4.0 | 3.6 | UCC, Grading System page |
| University of Ghana (UG) | FGPA | 4.0 | 3.60 | Regulations for Junior Members, 2017 |
| University of Education, Winneba (UEW) | CGPA | 4.0 | 3.5 | Undergraduate Handbook, 2019 |
| GIMPA | FGPA | 4.0 | 3.75 | Junior Members Handbook, 2022 |
| KNUST | CWA | Percentage | 70% | Amended 2003 regulations |
Source: each university's own regulations, linked under Sources. Last checked 12 October 2026.
Class of degree in Ghana: the boundaries side by side
Click a column heading to sort. Each figure is the lowest score that earns that class.
| University of Cape Coast | CGPA | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| University of Ghana | FGPA | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| University of Education, Winneba | CGPA | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| GIMPA | FGPA | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | Below 2.00 |
| KNUST | CWA (%) | 70 | 60 | 50 | No such class | 45 |
Source: the regulation or handbook linked in the first column. Last checked 12 October 2026.
Each figure is the lowest score for that class. KNUST uses a percentage CWA, the others a GPA. Where the document names no such class, the cell says so. Checked 12 October 2026.
The first chart shows the lowest GPA that earns a First Class.
The second shows the entry point for Second Class Lower Division, which runs from 2.00 at the University of Ghana to 2.60 at GIMPA.
The order of the classes is the same everywhere: First Class, Second Class Upper Division (people say "2.1"), Second Class Lower Division ("2.2"), Third Class, then Pass. Only the cut-off points move.
UCC grading system
UCC publishes its scale on its Grading System page. Your continuous assessment and end-of-semester examination are combined into one raw score out of 100, and that score is converted like this:
| 80 to 100 | A | 4.0 | Excellent |
| 75 to 79 | B+ | 3.5 | Very Good |
| 70 to 74 | B | 3.0 | Good |
| 65 to 69 | C+ | 2.5 | Average |
| 60 to 64 | C | 2.0 | Fair |
| 55 to 59 | D+ | 1.5 | Barely satisfactory |
| 50 to 54 | D | 1.0 | Weak Pass |
| Below 50 | E | 0 | Fail |
Source: UCC, Grading System page. Last checked 12 October 2026.
UCC classes undergraduate degrees by CGPA: First Class 3.6 to 4.0, Second Class Upper 3.0 to 3.5, Second Class Lower 2.5 to 2.9, Third Class 2.0 to 2.4 and Pass 1.0 to 1.9.
Look closely at those bands. As printed, they leave gaps, such as 3.5 to 3.6, and the page does not say how a CGPA of 3.55 is placed. We have not guessed. If your CGPA falls between two printed bands, ask your department or the registrar how it is placed. The page's sample GPA calculation also uses grade points that do not match its own table, so use the table.
University of Ghana grading system
The University of Ghana sets its rules in the Regulations for Junior Members, September 2017. Section 9.20 gives the same marks and grade points as UCC for A to D, then adds two letters. An E, for marks from 45 to 49, carries 0.5 of a grade point, and an F, for marks from 0 to 44, carries nothing. Grades A to D are passes. E and F are failures, although the regulations say an E can still meet a prerequisite for another course.
UG classes degrees by the Final Grade Point Average, the FGPA, which is the cumulative average at the end of your programme. The regulations weight your GPA from Levels 100 to 400 in the ratio 1:1:2:2, so your last two years count twice as much as your first two. The bands are First Class 3.60 to 4.00, Second Upper 3.00 to 3.59, Second Lower 2.00 to 2.99, Third Class 1.50 to 1.99, Pass 1.00 to 1.49 and Fail 0.00 to 0.99.
Here is a hand check. Say your level GPAs are 3.2, 3.4, 3.6 and 3.8. The weighted sum is 3.2 + 3.4 + (2 x 3.6) + (2 x 3.8) = 21.4. Divide by 6 (the weights 1 + 1 + 2 + 2) and you get 3.5667, or 3.57. That is Second Upper, just under the First Class line. A plain average of the four levels would have given exactly 3.5.
These regulations are dated 2017, so ask your college whether they have changed.
UEW grading system
The University of Education, Winneba publishes its rules in the Undergraduate Handbook on Rules and Regulations, 2019 edition. Its mark bands and grade points match UCC's table above, from 80 to 100 for an A (4.0) down to 50 to 54 for a D (1.0). Marks from 0 to 49 earn an E, a fail worth 0.
The classes for a bachelor's degree are First Class 3.5 to 4.0, Second Upper 3.0 to 3.49, Second Lower 2.5 to 2.99, Third Class 2.0 to 2.49 and Pass 1.0 to 1.99. Diploma and certificate programmes have their own: Distinction 3.5 to 4.0, Credit 2.5 to 3.49 and Pass 1.0 to 2.49.
A CGPA of 3.55 is a First Class at UEW and a Second Upper at UG.
KNUST CWA grading system
KNUST does not convert marks to grade points. It averages your actual percentage marks, weighted by credit hours. That average is the Cumulative Weighted Average, or CWA.
The amended 2003 regulations for certificate, diploma and undergraduate programmes set the classes in section 12. Undergraduate degrees are First Class at 70% or above, Second Class Upper at 60 to 69.99%, Second Class Lower at 50 to 59.99% and Pass at 45 to 49.99%. A student needs at least 45% to graduate. This document has no Third Class.
Unofficial guides online do not always agree on the lowest pass band at KNUST. The regulations say 45.
GIMPA grading system
GIMPA uses a different scale again. Its Junior Members Handbook (September 2022) gives A+ for 80 to 100 worth 4.00, A for 70 to 79 worth 3.75, B+ for 65 to 69 worth 3.50, B for 60 to 64 worth 3.00, and so on down to D for 40 to 44 worth 1.00. Below 40 is an F.
So a mark of 72 is a B (3.0) at UCC, UG and UEW but an A (3.75) at GIMPA. The classes are First 3.75 to 4.00, Second Upper 3.25 to 3.74, Second Lower 2.60 to 3.24, Third 2.00 to 2.59, and Pass below 2.00.
How to calculate CWA, step by step
The KNUST regulations give the method.
- Multiply each course's percentage mark by its credit hours. This is the weighted mark.
- Add the weighted marks for every course you have taken so far.
- Add the credit hours for the same courses.
- Divide the total weighted marks by the total credit hours.
Here is an example we worked by hand. You have four courses: 72 in a 3-credit course, 65 in a 3-credit course, 58 in a 2-credit course and 80 in a 4-credit course. The weighted marks are 216, 195, 116 and 320. They add up to 847 across 12 credits, and 847 divided by 12 is 70.58. That is a First Class on the KNUST scale. Change only the 58 to a 50 and the total drops to 831, which gives 69.25, a Second Class Upper.
How to calculate GPA and CGPA
At UCC, UG and UEW the method is the same. Multiply each course's credit hours by its grade point, add those up, and divide by the total credit hours.
For example, take four UCC courses: a 3-credit A, a 3-credit B+, a 3-credit B and a 2-credit C. The credit points are 3 x 4.0 = 12, 3 x 3.5 = 10.5, 3 x 3.0 = 9 and 2 x 2.0 = 4. They total 35.5 over 11 credits, and 35.5 divided by 11 is 3.227, or 3.23. That sits inside UCC's Second Class Upper band of 3.0 to 3.5.
The CGPA is the same sum across every course you have taken. UCC says it is not the average of your semester GPAs. Suppose semester one has 15 credits at a GPA of 3.0 (45 points), and semester two has 9 credits at a GPA of 4.0 (36 points). The CGPA is 81 divided by 24, which is 3.375. The average of 3.0 and 4.0 would be 3.5, which is too high.
Can you convert CWA to GPA?
Not by any official rule. None of the regulations we read contains a formula that turns a CWA into a GPA. Our own calculator makes the same point: it holds no grading scale.
You can estimate one from your own marks by putting each course through a grade point table. Take the 72, 65, 58 and 80 marks above, with credits of 3, 3, 2 and 4. Through the UCC table they become 3.0, 2.5, 1.5 and 4.0. The points are 9, 7.5, 3 and 16, which total 35.5 over 12 credits, a GPA of 2.96, from a CWA of 70.58.
Now take marks of 79, 79, 50 and 69 on the same credits. The CWA is 850 divided by 12, which is 70.83, a little higher. The grade points are 3.5, 3.5, 1.0 and 2.5, giving 10.5, 10.5, 2 and 10, a total of 33 over 12 credits, so the GPA is 2.75. Higher CWA, lower GPA. We chose these marks to show the problem. If an overseas school asks for a GPA, send your transcript and ask which conversion it accepts.
What class is a 2.7 GPA in Ghana?
A 2.7 is Second Class Lower Division at all four GPA universities we read: UCC (2.5 to 2.9), the University of Ghana (2.00 to 2.99), UEW (2.5 to 2.99) and GIMPA (2.60 to 3.24). Not every score is that tidy. Here is the same CGPA at each university, using the published bands:
| 2.2 | Third Class | Second Lower | Third Class | Third Class |
| 2.55 | Second Lower | Second Lower | Second Lower | Third Class |
| 3.2 | Second Upper | Second Upper | Second Upper | Second Lower |
| 3.55 | Not stated in the printed bands | Second Upper | First Class | Second Upper |
Source: the class bands in the table above, applied by us. Last checked 12 October 2026.
UCC's printed bands skip from 3.5 to 3.6.
Before you apply: the entry grades
Admission depends on your WASSCE grades, which have their own scale. Our WASSCE grade calculator shows how A1 to F9 add up. See universities still taking applications, the university admission calendar, and entry marks for University of Ghana, KNUST and UCC.
What we could not confirm
We looked for the University for Development Studies, UMaT, UHAS and UPSA and did not find an undergraduate class of degree table in their own documents, so they are not in the charts. If your university is not here, use its handbook.
- Whether UCC has a rule for CGPAs between its printed bands, such as 3.55.
- Whether newer editions exist for the University of Ghana (2017), UEW (2019) or KNUST (amended 2003). We found none.
- How KNUST rounds a CWA at a boundary. Its own examples show two decimal places.
Frequently asked questions
What CGPA is first class in UCC?
UCC's Grading System page puts First Class at a CGPA of 3.6 to 4.0, with Second Upper at 3.0 to 3.5.
What class is 2.7 GPA in Ghana?
Second Class Lower Division at UCC, the University of Ghana, UEW and GIMPA, using the bands each publishes.
Which class is 2.5 CGPA?
Second Class Lower Division at UCC, UG and UEW. At GIMPA, where Second Lower starts at 2.60, it is Third Class. KNUST does not use a GPA, so the question does not apply there.
What CWA is first class at KNUST?
A CWA of 70% or above. Second Upper is 60 to 69.99, Second Lower 50 to 59.99 and Pass 45 to 49.99.
What is the grading system for the University of Ghana?
Marks of 80 to 100 earn an A (4.0), down to 50 to 54 for a D (1.0). An E (45 to 49) is worth 0.5 and an F nothing. Your class comes from the FGPA, with the four levels weighted 1:1:2:2.
What is a passing grade at a Ghanaian university?
At UCC, UG and UEW the pass grades run from A to D, so 50 is the lowest pass mark. At GIMPA they run from A+ to D+, so 45 is the lowest pass mark.
Which is better, 2.1 or 2.2?
A 2.1 (Second Class Upper) is above a 2.2 (Second Class Lower) at every university we checked.
How do I convert my CWA to GPA?
There is no official conversion. Use the estimate method above and treat the result as an estimate.
How do I calculate my CWA?
Multiply each course mark by its credit hours, add the products, and divide by the total credit hours. Marks of 72, 65, 58 and 80 in courses of 3, 3, 2 and 4 credits give 847 divided by 12, which is 70.58.
What is the difference between CGPA and FGPA?
CGPA is your cumulative average up to a given point. FGPA is the same average at the end of your programme. At the University of Ghana the FGPA decides your class.
What is the UEW grading system?
UEW uses the same mark bands as UCC on a 4.0 scale. First Class needs a CGPA of 3.5 or more, and Second Upper starts at 3.0.
Sources
- University of Cape Coast, Grading System (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Ghana, Regulations for Junior Members, September 2017 (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Education, Winneba, Undergraduate Handbook on Rules and Regulations, 2019 (checked 12 October 2026)
- KNUST, Regulations for the Conduct of Certificate/Diploma/Undergraduate Degree Programmes (amended version, 2003) (checked 12 October 2026)
- GIMPA, Junior Members Handbook (Undergraduate Programmes), September 2022 (checked 12 October 2026)