WAM Calculator
Work out your Weighted Average Mark the way Australian universities do — weighted by credit points, with failed units counted. Convert it to a 7-point GPA, check your indicative honours class, and see what you need to average to reach a target.
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Enter a mark and credit points for at least one unit to see your WAM.
What do I need to hit a target WAM?
This is an estimate, not an official result. Every Australian university sets its own WAM rule — which units are excluded, how cross-institutional credit is handled, and whether year-level weighting applies. Always check your own course rules or handbook, or your student portal, for the figure that counts.
How to calculate your WAM
Your Weighted Average Mark is the average of your unit marks, weighted so that units worth more credit points count for more. It is a distinctly Australian measure — there is no direct UK equivalent, which is why converting between a WAM and a UK degree classification is never exact.
The formula is:
WAM = sum of (mark × credit points) ÷ sum of (credit points)
So a student with 78 in a 12-credit-point unit and 64 in a 6-credit-point unit has a WAM of ((78 × 12) + (64 × 6)) ÷ 18 = 73.3 — not 71, which is what a plain average of the two marks would give. That gap is the whole point of the weighting, and it is why eyeballing your marks tends to mislead.
Where universities differ
Three things vary between institutions, and all three are options in the calculator above. First, grade boundaries: most universities put High Distinction at 80, but UNSW, Sydney, UTS and Macquarie start it at 85, which changes the band your WAM falls into without changing the number itself. Second, year-level weighting: Macquarie, UTS and Sydney multiply each unit’s weight by its year level, so a third-year unit shifts your WAM three times as much as a first-year one, while Monash, Deakin and many others weight by credit points alone. Third, exclusions: rules on repeated units, cross-institutional credit and units graded on a pass/fail basis are set locally.
The one rule that is close to universal is the one students most often get wrong: failed units generally do count. A single fail early in a degree can hold a WAM down for several semesters, because the zero-to-49 mark stays in the numerator while its credit points stay in the denominator.
WAM, GPA and honours
A GPA collapses each unit into a grade point before averaging, so a 71 and a 79 both become a 6 on the 7-point scale. A WAM keeps the detail. This is why Australian honours admission, scholarship rankings and postgraduate selection usually quote a WAM threshold rather than a GPA one — and why a strong GPA can sit alongside a WAM that falls just short of the cut-off you are aiming at.
WAM questions students ask
How is WAM calculated?
WAM is the average of your unit marks weighted by each unit’s credit points: multiply every mark by that unit’s credit points, add the results together, then divide by the total credit points. A 12-credit-point unit therefore moves your WAM twice as much as a 6-credit-point one. Some universities add a year-level weighting on top, so later-year units count for more.
Does WAM include failed units?
Usually yes. Most Australian universities include failed attempts in your WAM, which is why a calculated WAM often comes out lower than students expect. Withdrawn units are normally excluded, and rules on repeated units vary — check your own course rules, because this is the detail institutions differ on most.
What is the difference between WAM and GPA?
WAM is your actual average percentage mark, so 74.6 and 79.4 are different numbers. GPA converts each unit to a grade point first — usually on a 7-point scale in Australia — so both of those marks become the same grade point. WAM is the more precise measure, which is why Australian honours admission and scholarship decisions generally use it rather than GPA.
What WAM do I need for honours?
A common Australian scheme awards First Class (H1) at 80 and above, Second Class Division A (H2A) at 75–79, Division B (H2B) at 70–74 and Third Class (H3) at 65–69. Thresholds are not universal — some institutions set H1 at 85, and some weight a thesis mark separately from coursework — so treat any calculator result as indicative and confirm with your faculty.
Is a WAM of 70 good?
A WAM of 70 sits in the Distinction band at universities using the 80/70/60/50 scale, and in the Credit band where Distinction starts at 75. It is comfortably above the pass and credit range and is competitive for many postgraduate coursework programs, though the most selective honours and research pathways typically look for 75 or higher.
Trying to lift your WAM next semester?
A calculator tells you where you stand; it cannot tell you what cost you the marks. That is usually structure, argument or referencing rather than effort. Our tutors work through your marked feedback with you, and our editors work inside your own draft using tracked changes so you can see exactly what changed and why.