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A British degree certificate rarely shows a percentage. Instead it carries a class — and for a large share of graduates, that class is second class honours, divided into an upper second, written 2:1, and a lower second, written 2:2. The small colon between those numbers carries surprising weight: graduate schemes filter on it, postgraduate courses set entry rules by it, and students plan their final years around reaching the upper half of it. Yet many graduates cannot say exactly where the boundary falls or how universities draw it. This guide defines second class honours properly, places both halves in the full classification table, and explains what each one opens — and does not open — after graduation.
Quick Answer
Second class honours is the middle classification of a British bachelor’s degree, and it splits into two divisions. An upper second (2:1) is normally awarded for a weighted average of 60 to 69 percent, and a lower second (2:2) for 50 to 59 percent. The 2:1 is the classification most postgraduate courses and many employers ask for; the 2:2 is a full honours degree that still leaves most doors open, sometimes with extra evidence of ability.
The UK Degree Classification Table
Honours degrees in the United Kingdom are classified from a weighted average of marks. The boundaries are set by each university, but the conventional values below are followed almost everywhere.
| Classification | Short Form | Typical Percentage Band |
|---|---|---|
| First class honours | 1st | 70% and above |
| Second class honours, upper division | 2:1 | 60–69% |
| Second class honours, lower division | 2:2 | 50–59% |
| Third class honours | 3rd | 40–49% |
| Ordinary degree (pass) | — | Below the honours threshold |
The band directly above second class is covered in the guide to first class percentage, for readers comparing the full ladder. Note that these UK percentages are not directly comparable with marks in other countries: a British 65 percent reflects a marking culture in which 70 percent already counts as excellence, which is why the classification names matter more than the raw numbers when results travel abroad.
What Is an Upper Second (2:1)?
The upper second is the stronger half of second class honours, awarded for a weighted average in the sixties. It is the classification that universities and employers treat as the standard mark of a strong degree. Most postgraduate courses in the UK set a 2:1 as their minimum entry requirement, and funding for research study is normally tied to at least a 2:1 as well. In recent decades the 2:1 has also become the most common classification awarded, which has only strengthened its position as the expected benchmark on application forms. Students sometimes call it by its rhyming nickname, an “Attila,” though the certificate itself sticks to the formal wording. National figures published for recent years underline the point: upper seconds account for just under half of all classified degrees, while lower seconds account for roughly one in six, so both halves of second class honours are everyday outcomes rather than exceptions.
What Is a Lower Second (2:2)?
The lower second covers weighted averages in the fifties. Informally nicknamed a “Desmond,” after Desmond Tutu, it is sometimes described as though it were a weak result, which misreads the system. A 2:2 is a complete honours degree: the graduate met every requirement of the course at a solid standard, in a marking culture where scores above 70 are reserved for outstanding work. Plenty of employers accept applications from 2:2 graduates, and plenty of postgraduate courses do too — although the most competitive programmes ask for a 2:1, a 2:2 combined with a master’s degree at merit level or above is widely treated as an equivalent qualification for further study. The practical difference between a 2:1 and a 2:2 is therefore about which shortlists are automatic, not about whether the degree counts.
How Universities Decide the Class
Classification is rarely a simple average of every mark a student ever earned. Universities typically build the result from a weighted average in which later years count for more than earlier ones, and the first year often carries no weight at all. Two students with the same raw set of marks can therefore land in different classes depending on when the strong marks arrived.
There is also a human element at the border. Most institutions allow a small amount of discretion: a candidate whose weighted average falls just below a boundary may be raised into the higher class if the profile of marks — for example, several pieces of work clearly at the higher standard — supports it. The full official account of these mechanics appears in the reference on British undergraduate degree classification, which also records how the system has operated since 1918. Because every university publishes its own regulations, the borderline rules of the awarding institution are the ones that finally decide a close case.
Second Class Honours in the Wider Grading World
The vocabulary of “classes” travels, but the meanings change at every border. In the Indian division system, results are also grouped into named bands — first, second, and third division — yet the percentages behind them differ from the British ones, as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd division percentage chart shows. One word genuinely shared across systems is “distinction,” though in Britain it belongs mainly to postgraduate and integrated master’s degrees, where it typically marks 70 percent and above; the guide to distinction percentage explains how that label works in the systems that use it most. Anyone presenting a British classification abroad should therefore translate the class, not the percentage, and let the classification name carry the meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage is a 2:1 degree?
An upper second (2:1) is normally awarded for a weighted average of 60 to 69 percent. Universities set their own exact boundaries, and most allow a small amount of discretion for candidates very close to the line, so a student’s own institution’s regulations give the final word.
What percentage is a 2:2 degree?
A lower second (2:2) normally corresponds to a weighted average of 50 to 59 percent. It is a full honours classification, one band below the 2:1 and one above third class honours, which begins at 40 percent.
Is a 2:1 a good degree?
Yes. A 2:1 is the classification most UK postgraduate courses require as a minimum, and it satisfies the degree requirement on the majority of graduate job schemes. It signals strong, consistent performance in a system where 70 percent and above is reserved for first class work.
Is a 2:2 a bad degree?
No. A 2:2 is a genuine honours degree earned at a solid standard. It can narrow the list of postgraduate courses and employers that accept applications automatically, but work experience, further study at master’s level, and strong skills evidence routinely compensate, and many employers set no class requirement at all.
Can a student do a master’s degree with a 2:2?
Often, yes. Many master’s courses accept a 2:2, especially when it is supported by relevant experience or strong references, while the most competitive programmes hold a 2:1 line. Completing a master’s at merit level or above alongside a 2:2 is also widely accepted as equivalent to a 2:1 for later research applications.
The Bottom Line
Second class honours contains two distinct results: the 2:1, the benchmark classification most courses and employers ask for, and the 2:2, a full honours degree with slightly narrower automatic options. Both rest on weighted averages, institutional boundaries, and a marking culture where the class name matters more than the raw percentage. Readers converting between percentages, grade points, and class-style labels can run their own figures through the free Grade GPA Calculator.
