The highest honor that most universities award is "First Class Honours." The percent of students who achieve this varies greatly depending on the awarding university or difficulty of the degree. A small number of universities, such as Cambridge and York, honor some in this classification with an extra distinction called "Starred First" or "Congratulatory First." A "double first" means that the student earned First Class Honours in two subjects.
The second highest distinction is called "Second Class Honours." Those with greater achievement in this division earn "Upper Second Class Honours" and those with lower achievement earn "Lower Class Honours." Upper Second Class Honours is referred to as 2:1, pronounced "two-one." Lower Second Class Honours is referred to as 2:2, pronounced "two-two."
The lowest Honours degree classification in most universities is called "Third Class Honours," while those who graduate without honors are given an "Ordinary Degree." An ordinary degree means that the student either did not enroll in any Honours degree courses, or did not complete any.
Students who were unable to complete their exams because of an illness are awarded an "Aegrotat degree." This is interpreted by others to mean that the students with this degree would have achieved Honours had they been well enough to complete their exams.
The GPA equivalent to these degree classifications depends on the university or institution considering the applicant. University College London, for instance, equates First-Class Honours with GPA ranging from 3.6 to 4.0, Upper Second-Class Honours with GPAs above 3.3, and Lower Second-Class Honours with GPA above 3.0. In contrast, McGill University equates Upper-Second Class Honours with GPA above 3.0, and Lower Second-Class Honours with GPAs above 2.7.