A first class honours degree opens doors that other classifications do not: competitive graduate schemes, top postgraduate programmes, and higher earnings. In the UK university system, it is the highest academic achievement you can leave with, and for students targeting the best job prospects and institutions, it increasingly matters.
But what actually determines whether a student gets one? Hard work and commitment play a role, of course. Yet a growing body of research suggests the picture is considerably more complicated than that, and some of the factors that matter most are ones that most applicants have never considered.
This guide explains what first class honours means, how the UK classification system works, and drawing on a nine-year study of nearly 9,000 students at a Russell Group university, what the evidence actually says about who gets a first and why. Whether you are a prospective UK applicant, an international student navigating an unfamiliar system, or a parent trying to make sense of it all, the answers may surprise you.
This guide explains what first class honours means, how the UK classification system works, and drawing on a nine-year study of nearly 9,000 students at a Russell Group university, what the evidence actually says about who gets a first and why. Whether you are a prospective UK applicant, an international student navigating an unfamiliar system, or a parent trying to make sense of it all, the answers may surprise you.
No time to read the whole article? Read a summary of its key points below:
A first requires 70% or above
The highest undergraduate classification in the UK system, but 70% here means something very different to 70% elsewhere.
Around 1 in 3 graduates now achieves a first
Up from just 16% in 2010/11, but rates vary enormously by subject and institution.
Your A-level grades are the strongest predictor
More so than school type, family background or any other factor tested in a nine-year Russell Group study of nearly 9,000 students.
4-year degree students are 3x more likely to get a first
Even after accounting for entry grades, one of the most surprising and actionable findings in recent UK higher education research.
Private school attendance makes no difference
Once entry grades are controlled for, school type has no independent effect on degree outcomes whatsoever.
Where you get your first matters as much as getting one
Grade inflation means employers and postgraduate institutions increasingly contextualise degree classifications by institution.
What Is A First Class Honours Degree?
If you have grown up outside the UK, or simply never had reason to look into how British universities work, the classification system can feel opaque. If you are new to the UK university system entirely, our guide to how UK universities work is a good place to start.
First Class With Honours Definition
A first class honours degree, commonly referred to as a “first” or abbreviated to “1st”, is the highest classification awarded upon completion of an undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom. It indicates that a student has demonstrated exceptional academic performance throughout their degree, typically by achieving an overall grade average of 70% or above.
University grades are not percentage scores in the conventional sense. A mark of 70% in the UK system represents outstanding work, not a near-failing grade as it might in some other countries. The marking culture is deliberately rigorous, and grades in the 60s are still considered strong, respectable results.
UK University Degree Classification Explained
The UK undergraduate degree system classifies graduates into four bands based on their overall academic performance:
- First Class Honours (1st): 70%+
- Upper Second Class Honours (2:1): 60-69%
- Lower Second Class Honours (2:2): 50-59%
- Third Class Honours (3rd): 40-49%
UK undergraduate degree classification system
Based on final overall grade average
First class honours
Exceptional academic performance
70% and above
Upper second class honours
Minimum for most graduate employers
60–69%
Lower second class honours
Broadly acceptable for many roles
50–59%
Third class honours
Rare at selective universities
40–49%
Thresholds are standard across UK universities. Individual institutions may apply borderline policies.
The majority of students graduate with either a first or a 2:1. A 2:2 is broadly considered the minimum acceptable result for most graduate employers, while a third is relatively rare among students at selective universities. Some degrees also award an ordinary degree without honours for students who pass but do not meet honours classification thresholds, though this is uncommon at Russell Group institutions.
For international students accustomed to GPA systems, letter grades, or percentage-based marking with different thresholds, this classification framework can be counterintuitive at first. The key thing to understand is that classification bands, not raw percentages, are what matter to UK employers and postgraduate admissions teams.
What Does First Class Honours Mean in Practice?
In practical terms, a first class honours degree is a significant competitive advantage. Most leading graduate employers set a minimum entry requirement of a 2:1, meaning a first immediately places graduates above the baseline threshold.
At the most competitive firms and institutions, including Magic Circle law firms, bulge bracket investment banks, top management consultancies and elite postgraduate programmes, a first is increasingly expected rather than merely preferred.
The financial return is also measurable. Research commissioned by the Department for Education and conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that graduates with a first class honours degree tend to earn more within five years of graduating than those with a 2:1 — and this gap often grows over time. In real terms, this translates to an uplift of roughly 8–14%, or around £2,000–£4,000 more per year depending on the individual. Even the step from a 2:2 to a 2:1 brings a meaningful increase in earnings, reinforcing a simple but important point: small differences in degree classification can lead to significant differences in long-term financial outcomes.
For students with ambitions of postgraduate study at Oxford, Cambridge or other leading research universities, a first is typically a prerequisite for competitive entry, particularly for research degrees. Understanding what predicts degree classification is therefore not an abstract academic question. It has direct, long-term consequences for the opportunities available after graduation.
Is a First Class Honours the Same Across Universities?
Technically, the grade threshold is consistent. A score of 70% or above is the standard definition of a first at virtually all UK universities, so in that sense the classification system is uniform.
In practice, a first class honours degree is not perceived equally across institutions. A first from Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL or the London School of Economics carries considerably more weight with elite employers and postgraduate admissions committees than a first from a less selective institution. This reflects several factors: the selectivity of entry, the rigour of assessment, and the established reputations of these institutions with recruiters who have decades of data on graduate performance.
There is also meaningful variation in how generously firsts are awarded across institutions. Sector-wide data from the Office for Students shows significant differences in first-class degree rates between universities, a point we return to in the grade inflation section below. A first from an institution that awards firsts to 20% of its students is a different signal than one from an institution where 50% of graduates achieve the same classification.
For students targeting the most competitive outcomes in careers or postgraduate study, institution and course choice matter alongside the classification itself.
If you’re aiming for the highest academic outcomes, the foundation is built before you arrive at university.
UniAdmissions’ Oxbridge Programmes are designed to give applicants the preparation they need to secure a place and succeed at the UK’s most demanding institutions.
How Hard Is It to Get a First Class Degree?
What Percentage of Students Get a First Class Degree?
The honest answer is that getting a first has become significantly more common over the past fifteen years, but it remains far from guaranteed and the numbers require careful interpretation.
According to the Office for Students, approximately 16% of graduating students in England received a first class degree in 2010/11. By 2021/22, that figure had risen to around 32%, a near-doubling in just over a decade. Institution-level data from a nine-year study of nearly 9,000 STEM students at a Russell Group university tells a similar story: first-class rates at that institution rose from 27.4% in 2013/14 to a peak of 41.5% in 2020/21, before partially correcting to 35.9% in 2021/22.
These numbers carry important context. First-class rates vary enormously by subject. At the Russell Group institution studied, Physics and Computer Science awarded firsts to around 50% of students, while Psychology awarded firsts to just 21.5%. Rates also vary by institution, by year, and as we explore in the next section, by a range of academic and demographic factors that have nothing to do with effort alone.
Roughly one in three UK graduates now receives a first, but that average conceals significant variation. Whether a first is genuinely difficult to achieve depends heavily on what you study, where you study it, and factors that are partly within and partly outside your control.
What Is the Average Degree Classification in the UK?
Based on the most recent data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency covering the 2024/25 academic year, approximately 29-30% of graduates achieved a first class degree, around 47% achieved a 2:1, roughly 14% achieved a 2:2, and the remaining students graduated with a third or ordinary degree.
Nearly 80% of UK graduates therefore leave university with either a first or a 2:1, the two classifications that matter most to employers and postgraduate institutions.
This distribution has shifted substantially upward over the past decade, a trend we examine in more detail in the grade inflation section below.
UK degree classification distribution 2024/25
Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Note: figures are approximate. Third and ordinary degree combined as remaining percentage.
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What Actually Predicts Whether You Get a First? A 9-Year Study Has Answers
Most guidance on getting a first focuses on study habits and revision techniques. But what does the actual data say? Researchers at the University of Liverpool tracked nearly 9,000 STEM students at a Russell Group university over nine years, looking at everything from A-level grades to family background, and ran the numbers to find out which factors genuinely make a difference. Here is what they found.
Prior Academic Performance
The single biggest predictor of getting a first is how well you did before university. Students who arrived with stronger A-level grades were consistently more likely to graduate with a first, and this pattern held every single year across the entire nine-year study.
What makes this finding particularly important is that it applied regardless of background, school type, gender or any other factor. Strong prior attainment was the one variable that consistently mattered above everything else, and unlike many other factors in the study, it is something students can directly influence. Every grade genuinely counts, not just for getting an offer, but for what happens after you arrive. Our guide 3 Approaches To Achieving A*s At A-level
explores how to build this foundation for students targeting the most selective universities.
Degree Duration — The 4-Year Advantage
This is arguably the most surprising finding in the entire study, and one that has real implications for anyone currently choosing a course.
Students on 4-year integrated master’s programmes, such as MPhys, MEng, MChem or MSci, were three times more likely to achieve a first compared to students on standard 3-year degrees. Even after accounting for the fact that 4-year students tended to arrive with slightly higher grades, there was still a 24 percentage point gap in first-class rates between the two groups.
Nobody fully understands why yet. The researchers suggest it may have something to do with greater motivation, a stronger sense of purpose, or simply the extra time to develop academically. But the data is clear: if you are choosing between a 3-year BSc and a 4-year integrated master’s in the same subject, the longer route is associated with significantly better degree outcomes.
Combined with the fact that you also graduate with a higher level qualification, the case for the 4-year route is worth taking seriously. It is also worth knowing that several of the subjects most associated with 4-year programmes, including Physics and Engineering, rank among the most academically demanding degrees in the UK — our guide to the hardest degrees in the UK explores this if you want to understand what you are signing up for.
Does Which School You Attended Matter?
Here is a finding that will surprise many families: it does not, at least not independently.
In the raw numbers, private school students actually had lower first-class rates than state school students, and lower average entry grades too. And when the researchers ran their full statistical model, school type made no significant difference to degree outcomes at all. It was dropped from the final model entirely, alongside parental education level.
The takeaway is straightforward. What matters is not where you went to school, but the grades you achieved there. Private schooling may help some students achieve stronger grades, but it does not appear to give any additional advantage once those students are at university.
The Gender Division Picture
The gender findings are a good example of why headline statistics can be misleading.
On the surface, male students receive more firsts in STEM than female students. But when the researchers dug deeper and accounted for the subjects students chose and the length of their degree, the picture flipped completely. Under comparable conditions, female students were actually 40% more likely to achieve a first than male students.
The reason the raw numbers look different comes down to subject choice. Subjects like Computer Science and Physics award firsts to around 50% of students and are heavily male-dominated. Psychology, which is predominantly female, awards firsts to only 21.5% of students. Once you account for that, female students outperform male students.
It is worth noting that this female advantage has been getting smaller over time and was not statistically significant in the most recent years of data. The researchers flag this as something that needs further investigation.
Background and Socioeconomic Factors
The study also found persistent gaps in degree outcomes linked to ethnicity, socioeconomic background, disability and age. These gaps existed even after accounting for entry grades, which means they cannot simply be explained by differences in prior preparation.
Black students had a 16% lower average probability of achieving a first compared to White students. Asian students had a 9% lower probability. Students from lower income backgrounds had a 3% lower probability, and students with a declared disability had a 4% lower probability. The study refers to these as “awarding gaps” rather than “attainment gaps” because they reflect structural issues within higher education, not differences in individual ability or effort.
On a more positive note, mature students aged 25 and over were actually 10% more likely to achieve a first than younger students, despite arriving with lower average entry grades. The researchers suggest this may reflect the greater motivation and resilience that older students often bring to their studies.
The data is clear: the strongest predictor of degree success is the academic foundation built before university.
UniAdmissions’ Oxbridge Programmes are designed to develop exactly that foundation, giving students the skills, knowledge and preparation to not just gain a place at a top UK university, but to excel once they’re there.
Has Getting a First Become Easier Over Time?
If you have ever heard someone say that degrees are getting easier, the data suggests they have a point — though the full picture is more nuanced than that.
According to the Office for Students, around 16% of students in England graduated with a first in 2010/11. By 2021/22 that figure had risen to approximately 32%, a near-doubling in just over a decade. The most recent HESA data for 2024/25 shows a partial correction to around 29-30%, but that is still nearly double the 2010/11 baseline.
First class degrees awarded in England (%)
Academic years 2010/11 to 2024/25 — Sources: Office for Students, HESA
Note: 2020/21 spike reflects COVID-19 emergency assessment changes. 2024/25 figure is approximate based on latest HESA data.
The pandemic made things sharper. In 2020/21, universities moved away from traditional exams toward continuous assessment, extended deadlines and more flexible grading. First-class rates spiked accordingly. By 2021/22 they had started to come back down, but remained well above pre-pandemic levels.
The Russell Group study puts some striking institution-level numbers behind this trend. At the university studied, first-class rates rose from 27.4% in 2013/14 to a peak of 41.5% in 2020/21, even as the average entry grades of incoming students were falling over the same period. In other words, students were arriving less well-prepared on paper but leaving with better degrees. The researchers describe this as consistent with “widespread unexplained grade inflation” identified by the Office for Students across the sector.
What does this mean for you as an applicant? Two things. First, a first class degree is more common than it used to be, which means it is a less powerful differentiator on its own than it was ten or fifteen years ago. Second, and perhaps more importantly, where you get your first increasingly matters. Employers and postgraduate admissions teams are well aware of grade inflation and they contextualise degree classifications accordingly. A first from a university known for rigorous assessment and selective entry carries more weight than one from an institution with historically high award rates. This is one of several reasons why institution choice is one of the most consequential decisions in the entire application process.
What This Means If You're Applying to University Now
The research covered in this guide has real implications for decisions you are making right now.
Choosing a course, picking a university, deciding how seriously to take your A-levels — all of these choices have a measurable bearing on your degree outcomes, and the data gives you a clearer basis for making them than most applicants ever have access to.
Here is what the evidence suggests you should take away.
How To Get First Class Honours
Work on your A-level grades above everything else
The evidence is unambiguous: prior academic attainment is the strongest predictor of getting a first, more than school background, more than family income, more than any other variable tested. Every grade improvement matters, not just for securing your offer but for setting the right academic trajectory from day one.
Think carefully about degree duration
The finding that 4-year integrated master’s students are three times more likely to achieve a first, even after accounting for entry grades, is one of the most actionable insights in recent UK higher education research. If you are deciding between a BSc and an MPhys, MEng or MChem in the same subject, the data makes a strong case for the longer route.
Choose your subject with full information
First-class rates vary enormously depending on what you study. Physics and Computer Science awarded firsts to around 50% of students at the institution studied, while Psychology awarded firsts to just 21.5%. This does not mean you should choose a subject that doesn’t align with your interests, but understanding the landscape you are entering is part of making a genuinely informed decision in this context
Do not assume school background gives you an edge
The data shows clearly that private school attendance has no independent effect on degree outcomes once entry grades are accounted for. What your school spent on you matters far less at university level than what you actually achieved there. Does the same apply when it comes to Oxbridge admissions? Our dedicated guide ‘Is Private School Worth It For Oxbridge Applicants?‘ has the answer, so be sure to read it to find out.
Start your preparation early
The connection between pre-university preparation and degree outcomes is one of the most consistent findings in this area of research. Students who arrive at university with strong academic foundations, well-developed subject knowledge and genuine intellectual confidence are better placed to perform at the level a first requires. That preparation is built during the application period, not after you arrive.
UniAdmissions’ Full-Blue Programmes are built around exactly this principle. Whether you are targeting Oxford, Cambridge or another leading G5/ Russell Group university, the programme gives you the subject expertise, critical thinking skills and academic confidence that top universities reward both at the point of admission and throughout the degree itself. For students who are serious about achieving a first, the groundwork starts now.
A first class honours degree from a top UK university starts with the right application.
UniAdmissions’ Oxbridge Programmes give students the expert preparation, personalised guidance and academic development they need to succeed at the UK’s most demanding universities, from application to graduation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is a first class honours degree the same everywhere in the UK? / Or: H3: H3: Is 69.5% ever rounded up to a First?
It depends on the university. There is no single rule that applies everywhere. Many universities have a formal borderline policy that allows marks in a defined range, often 67–69.9%, to be considered for rounding up to a first, subject to additional criteria such as strong performance in final year modules or the dissertation. Some universities apply no rounding at all.
The only reliable way to know is to check the specific degree regulations of the institution you are attending, which are published in student handbooks or on institutional websites. Do not assume a borderline mark will automatically be rounded up.
Do employers care about First Class Honours?
For most graduate roles, a 2:1 is the stated minimum and a first is a competitive advantage rather than a strict requirement.
At the most selective employers, including top law firms, investment banks and management consultancies, a first is increasingly expected, particularly from candidates at less well-known universities.
It is also worth knowing that a research found the earnings premium for a first varies significantly by subject: for law and economics graduates, degree class has a major impact on early career earnings, while for subjects like English or Education, the difference is much smaller.
Can you recover from a bad first year and still get a First?
In most cases, yes. At the majority of UK universities, the first year does not count toward your final degree classification, meaning a difficult start can be fully recovered from. In second and third year, final year performance typically carries the most weight, so sustained improvement is both possible and recognised. Some universities also have specific provisions that give greater weight to strong recent performance. Check your institution’s degree regulations early so you understand exactly how your classification will be calculated.
Can international students achieve a first class honours degree at a UK university?
Yes, and I can confirm that myself as an international student who studied in the UK and achieved a first. Degree classification at UK universities is based purely on academic performance and the same grade thresholds apply to all students regardless of where they are from.
The practical challenges for international students, including adapting to UK academic writing conventions, essay-based assessment and a marking culture that can differ significantly from other countries, are real but manageable with the right preparation. Getting familiar with how UK universities assess work before you arrive is one of the most effective things you can do to set yourself up for strong performance.
Does your university's ranking affect how your degree classification is perceived?
Yes, and this is more significant than many students realise. A first class honours degree carries the same formal definition everywhere, but employer and postgraduate admissions perceptions are heavily shaped by institutional prestige. In a context where roughly one in three graduates now receives a first, the institution behind the classification increasingly matters as a signal of genuine academic achievement. Research consistently shows that graduates from highly selective universities command stronger graduate outcomes, and that context is always considered alongside the classification itself.
Is a first class honours degree equivalent to a GPA of 4.0?
Broadly yes. A first class honours degree is generally considered the UK equivalent of a 4.0 GPA, as both represent the highest level of undergraduate achievement in their respective systems.
The comparison is imperfect though: UK degree classification is based on an overall percentage average with varying year weightings, while GPA is a continuous cumulative average across individual course grades.
If you are applying to US postgraduate programmes with a UK degree, it is worth checking whether the institution uses a specific conversion formula, as these vary and some institutions make contextual judgements rather than applying a fixed scale.
