Grade Conversion and Transcripts

The following information is only relevant to students who are studying abroad.

If you are studying abroad your time abroad will normally either be assessed on a pass/fail basis or the marks and credits will count directly towards your degree from The University of Manchester. Your Placement Co-ordinator/Academic Exchange Adviser will be able to confirm how your period abroad is being assessed.  In all cases it is crucial that the University of Manchester receives a formal academic transcript from your host university.

If the marks count towards your degree

Students studying abroad on credit-bearing study abroad programmes should understand these principles of credit transfer and grade conversion:

A course unit must:

  • be at the appropriate level for the student’s year of study;
  • not have substantial academic overlap with course units undertaken in the student’s prior semesters;
  • not have substantial academic overlap with course units to be undertaken following the period abroad;
  • meet pre-requisites for course units to be undertaken following the period abroad;
  • not be audited, unless both the partner university and the Academic Exchange Adviser (AEA) give approval, and only then in exceptional circumstances

Conversion conventions may be different within Subject Areas and are not necessarily comparable. Information about relevant Subject Area-specific conventions will be available from the AEA.

Converting grades involves the conversion of an overseas grade into a grade on the UoM grade scale. The conversion of grades will be achieved with reference to:

  • contextual information relating to the partner university’s credit and grading system;
  • Course Unit information, including the mean and/or median grade for the course unit and the student’s position within the class (provided on the Grade Conversion Supplement Form);
  • the level and ambition of the course unit;
  • the AEA may take into account disabilities not recognised in the host country/by the partner university and thus requiring consideration in the grade conversion process.

The following additional information may be referenced (usually in the case of fail grades):

  • syllabus information and course description re. level of difficulty and contents;
  • portfolio of coursework and examination scripts (where available)
  • Undertaking a period of study abroad is challenging. UoM’s underlying principle of grade conversion recognises this challenge.
  • Student responsibilities with regard to Credit Transfer and Grade Conversion.

Grade Conversion Supplement Form

In addition to your transcript you will also need to arrange for a Grade Conversion Supplement Form to be completed for each of the Course Units you have taken abroad.  If your host university/professor will not complete this form for any reason please ask them to put this in writing to you. Please note these should not be completed by students studying at the National University of Singapore or the University of Melbourne.

Once each of your overseas lecturers have completed a form, you will need to return it to your Academic Exchange Adviser in your school in Manchester, ideally emailing scanned copies. If you are not able to get these completed before you leave, please ask your overseas lecturers to email the completed form to your AEA, you will need to provide the relevant email address. It is advisable to ask the lecturers to copy you into the email so that you know when it has been sent.

On receipt of your academic transcript and the relevant Grade Conversion Supplement Forms, your marks will be converted based on the principles of the University’s Framework for Grade Conversion

Please note that because of the timelines for release of transcripts from host universities and differing semester dates and assessment timelines your converted marks may not be available until September/October of the next academic year.

If you are on a Pass/Fail year

You will need to arrange and find out how your transcript will be sent to the University of Manchester before you leave.  You do not need to have grade conversion forms completed.

 

Transcripts

All students undertaking an exchange period are expected to return a transcript of results to Manchester at the end of their exchange period.

What is a transcript?

A transcript is an official document provided by your host university at the end of your study period there. Your transcript should clearly indicate:

  • all courses you completed
  • grades and marks obtained
  • credit awarded

It is your responsibility to make sure your transcript is transferred from your host university to the University of  Manchester at the end of your exchange. If we do not receive this before the start of the academic year, you will not receive credit for your year abroad before you resume your studies here - should there be any shortfall in the credit obtained at your host university, this may affect your ability to continue your studies at Manchester.

How do I obtain my transcript?

You must ensure that you know how to obtain this from your host university before you leave - do not simply assume that it will be sent to Manchester as a matter of course. Some institutions will send it to Manchester automatically whilst others may send it directly to you or require you to collect it before your departure. At some institutions, you may need to collate and submit individual certificates to a particular office or member of staff at your host university, whilst at others you may need to specifically request a transcript in order for it to be generated. NOTE: if you have left ANY debts at the partner university they will not release your transcript and this will jeopardise your progression on return to The University of Manchester.

Transcripts for returning exchange students will be received by The University of Manchesters International Programess Office and forwarded to the relevant Academic Exchange Advisers for review.