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Assessment Procedure - Grades and Administrative Codes

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Section 1 - Key Information

Policy Type and Approval Body Academic – Academic Board
Accountable Executive – Policy Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Responsible Manager – Policy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)
Review Date 15 April 2029
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Section 2 - Purpose

(1) This Procedure provides:

  1. the official record of the current grading scheme for subjects used by the University to report on student performance in personal records, academic transcripts, graduate statements, or other official statements of results such as for Tertiary Admissions Centres; and
  2. the methodology for calculating overall indicators of student academic performance such as Weighted Average Mark (WAM).
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Section 3 - Scope

(2) This Procedure applies to all award courses and non-award credentialed courses, regardless of mode or location.

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Section 4 - Key Decisions

Key decision making Role
Extensions to the deadline for applying an assessment grade Dean or Nominee
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Section 5 - Policy Statement

(3) This Procedure forms part of the Assessment Policy which governs its application.

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Section 6 - Procedures

(4) Parts A and B provide the range of grades and Administrative Codes used for results for La Trobe University and La Trobe RTO subjects and the appropriate circumstances for their use.

Part A - Higher Education

Assessment Grades

Coursework Only – Undergraduate or Postgraduate
A (80%-100%)
B (70%-79%)
C (60%-69%)
D (50%-59%)
P		 A Grade Pass
B Grade Pass 
C Grade Pass
D Grade Pass
Ungraded Pass
 
N (0%-49%)
F		 Fail
Ungraded Fail
Honours
H1 (80%-100%)
H2A (70%-79%)
H2B (60%-69%)
H3 (50%-59%)
P		 First Class Honours
Second Class Honours – Division A
Second Class Honours – Division B
Third Class Honours
Ungraded Pass
N (0%-49%)
F		 Fail
Ungraded Fail
Research – Master’s by Research Thesis (Graded)
PG (50%-100%) Graded Thesis Passed
PF (0%-49%) Graded Thesis Fail
Research – Doctoral Thesis/Master’s by Research Thesis (Ungraded)
PASS Thesis Passed
FAIL  Thesis Failed
FDWN Thesis Failed – Downgraded to Masters (applied to doctoral thesis)
Research – Higher Doctorate
PASS Thesis Passed
FAIL Thesis Failed
External Studies – where a student undertakes studies at another institution 
EXTP External Pass
EXTF External Fail

Administrative Codes

Temporary Administrative Codes

(5) Temporary Administrative Codes are awarded by the Subject Coordinator in the circumstances outlined below. This includes circumstances where the outcome of a supplementary assessment is pending following an approved Special Consideration application, a failed hurdle or a failed final subject. The Subject Coordinator will allocate a mark and/or Administrative Code as outlined in the following table.

(6) The Administrative Codes below apply to Coursework and Honours only, except where otherwise indicated.

Code  Name  Application
**  Missing Result Used for Coursework, Honours, Research, External Studies.
Automatically generated at the point of result release if results are not submitted.
PL Placement A temporary code applied while the outcome of a placement subject is pending(under development in 2026).
SAHA Supplementary Assessment Hurdle Alternative (not central examination) In the case of a failed hurdle, where a mark of 50 or above was obtained, SAHA is awarded, with the relevant mark, where the additional assessment is to take the form of a non-centrally managed examination or other assessment (see Assessment Procedure - Adjustments).
SAHE Supplementary Assessment Hurdle Examination (central examination) In the case of a failed hurdle, where a mark of 50 or above was obtained, SAHE is awarded, with the relevant mark, if the additional assessment is to take the form of a centrally managed examination (see Assessment Procedure - Adjustments).
SPA Special Assessment Alternative (not central examination)  SPA is awarded (with no mark), if the additional assessment is to take the form of a non-centrally managed examination or other assessment.
SPE Special Assessment Examination (central examination) SPE is awarded (with no mark), if the additional assessment is to take the form of a centrally conducted examination.
W Withheld For academic misconduct, late results, and where the grading schema for a subject is an ungraded pass or fail.
XC Allowed to Continue This code is used for thesis subjects to indicate that a student is successfully progressing - it should never have a mark applied. XC becomes an X once the entire thesis is complete.

Permanent Administrative Codes

Code Name Application
EX Exemption Used when a student is granted credit towards coursework courses from previous studies or activities (see Admissions Standard - Credit).
KN Withdrawn Late Counted as fail. Applies to Coursework, Honours, Research. 
This is an automatically generated code determined by the timing of the subject withdrawal and cannot be awarded by an academic.
NC Conceded Pass See Assessment Procedure - Adjustments
NRA No Result Available
Used for Coursework, Honours, Research, External Studies.
Used when temporary administrative codes are replaced via the grade conversion process (see Grade Conversion for Missing Results section below). Also used for non-completed attempts of LTU0AIM and ABS0WOM.
NS Nothing Submitted Counted as Fail.
V No result was recorded due to extenuating circumstances This code was introduced during the COVID pandemic and is reserved for similar extenuating circumstances.
WD Withdrawn Without Academic Penalty This is an automatically generated code determined by the timing of the subject withdrawal and cannot be awarded by an academic.
X Continuing Pass This code is used for thesis subjects that have been XC (see Temporary Administrative Codes table above) when the final subject result is passed - it should never have a mark applied.

Alternative Grades

(7) These grades are used in specific circumstances (eg, in courses run in association with particular partners).

HD
DI
CR
P
PX
EX		 High Distinction (80%-100%)
Distinction (70%-79%)
Credit (60%-69%)
Pass (50%-59%)
Graded to Pass Only
Exemption Granted
N
DNS
N*
NRA		 Fail (0%-49%)
Did Not Sit Examination
Fail – Pass all components other than a hurdle requirement
No Result Available
** Missing Result
X Not Yet Competent

Weighted Average Mark(WAM)

(8) The Weighted Average Mark for a Progression Period is calculated as follows:

WAM = the sum of (Numeric Mark for a subject x Credit Points for that subject) of each subject attempted / Total Credit Points

For example:
Numeric Mark Credit Points Calculation
83 15 83 x 15 = 1245
69 15 69 x 15 = 1035
75 30 75 x 30 = 2250
95 15 95 x 15 = 1425
74 15 74 x 15 = 1110
67 30 67 x 30 = 2010
Total 120 9075
The WAM in this example is 9075 (the sum of the Numeric Mark for a subject x Credit Points for that subject) divided by 120 (total credit points for those subjects), which is 75.63.

(9) If an outcome for a subject has no numeric mark, such as in a subject that is based entirely on competency-based assessment, then it cannot be used in the total WAM calculation except for an NS (Nothing Submitted) or KN (Late Withdrawal with Academic Penalty) grade, where the default numeric mark value of zero will be used in the calculation.

(10) A WAM cannot be calculated if a student has one or more incomplete grades (e.g. XC or W) within the Progression Period.

Grade Conversion for Missing Results

(11) Administrative Codes must be replaced by Assessment Grades when the result for the subject is finalised and according to key dates published by Student Administration.

(12) Extensions to the deadline for applying an Assessment Grade may only be granted by the Dean or nominee or, in the case of centrally-managed courses or subjects, an equivalent senior academic staff member.

(13) Administrative Codes still in place after published deadlines without an approved extension will be converted by Student Administration into Assessment Grades in accordance with the following Conversion Chart:

Administrative Code Assessment Grade Numerical Result
SPA, SPE NRA No result
SAHA, SAHE F No result
W NRA No result
** NRA No result

Part B - Vocational Educational and Training (VET) Grades

(La Trobe University Registered Training Organisation 3899)
Grade Code Grade Description Standard Grade
C Competent Pass
CT Credit Transfer Pass
CRPL Competent – RPL Pass
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Section 7 - Definitions

(14)  For the purposes of this Procedure:

  1. Administrative Code: a code applied against a subject on a student’s record and/or academic transcript to indicate the status of a student’s completion of subject requirements rather than to indicate actual academic performance. Temporary Administrative Codes are converted to a grade after the student has met the subject requirements.
  2. RPL: Recognition of Prior Learning – the process by which prior learning is identified and assessed for relevance and value against the requirements of a course to determine the credit that may be granted towards that course.
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Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

(15) This Policy is made under the La Trobe University Act 2009.