The first time I received a grade back, it definitely made me pause. It was for my Chinese class, where we were asked to write an essay about our language-learning journey. When I submitted it, I felt confident that I had met the expectations, so seeing a 75% initially surprised me. Wanting to understand how I could improve, I reached out to my professor for a breakdown of the score. She replied explaining that 75% was actually the highest grade in the class. What felt underwhelming by U.S. standards turned out to be an excellent result in the U.K. system — and a valuable lesson in how academic cultures differ. In the U.K., grades are awarded in bands rather than on the percentage-to-letter scale I was used to. Anything above 70 is considered “first class,” the equivalent of an A. Scores between 60 and 70 fall into the second-class range (similar to a B), 50 to 60 is a C and considered average but passing, 40 to 50 is a D and is unsatisfactory, and anything below 40 is a fail.

The structure of higher education also differs in other ways: a bachelor’s degree typically takes three years, and grades from the first year don’t count toward the final classification. This is because U.K. students complete an additional year of high school, which functions much like the first year of college in the U.S. University is also significantly more affordable — many of my roommates pay between £5,000 and £10,000 per year to attend the University of Manchester, including housing. After graduation, student loan repayments are income-based and automatically deducted from wages once earnings pass a certain threshold, making the system feel more gradual and manageable. Adjusting to these differences has helped me better understand not just the grading scale, but the broader philosophy behind higher education in the U.K.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Manchester