At most UK universities the pass mark for an undergraduate module is 40%. That answers most of the question, but not all of it. Passing a module can depend on three things: the module mark, any minimum mark on a single piece of assessment, and whether a narrow fail can still earn the credits. This guide covers each one, quoting the regulations of five universities.
The 40% rule
The pass mark depends on the level of the module. Undergraduate modules sit at levels 4, 5 and 6 of the framework used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are roughly the first, second and final year of a bachelor’s degree. They pass at 40. Master’s-level modules (level 7) usually pass at 50.
- Leeds: “The pass mark for undergraduate (FHEQ level 4, 5 and 6) modules is 40”, and 50 for postgraduate taught modules (Academic Regulations for Taught Programmes, 7.4.2 and 7.4.3).
- Bristol: a unit pass mark of 40 at levels 4 to 6 and 50 at level 7 (Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes 2026-27).
- Bath: 40% at levels 4, 5 and 6 (Undergraduate Assessment Regulations, paragraph 18). Its level 7 pass mark moves from 40% to 50% from 2026-27.
- Bournemouth: 40% for each unit (Standard Assessment Regulations: Undergraduate Programmes, 6.1).
A pass earns all of a module’s credits and a fail earns none. Leeds “does not award partial credit for a module” (7.4.4), and Bath says the same (paragraph 21). Credits are what let you move into the next year and graduate, which is why a fail matters even in a year that does not count toward your class. Our guide to how university credits work explains the system.
Passing each module at 40 is also a separate test from your degree average. A 40 average is the boundary for a Third, but you could average 55 across the year and still have one failed module to deal with.
Worked example: passing on the module mark
Jane Doe has 52% on coursework worth 40% of a module. The exam is the other 60%. To pass the module she needs 40 overall.
On the module mark alone, 32 on the exam is enough. Whether 32 really passes depends on a second rule.
Component minimums: when the exam has to pass on its own
Some universities judge the module as a whole. Others also set a floor on each piece of assessment, so a weak exam fails the module even when the average is fine.
- Bristol looks at “the unit as a whole, not each component”, unless the unit is designated must-pass. A programme can still require a component to be passed.
- Bournemouth passes a unit when the total is at least 40% and each formally defined element is at least 36.0% (6.1).
- Bath normally needs a unit mark of at least the pass mark, and a unit “may have additional requirements”, set out in its unit description (paragraph 16).
Here is Jane’s module under each kind of rule:
The gap between 32 and 40 is the gap between a comfortable target and a real one. Your module handbook or module descriptor says which rule applies. Look for “must-pass”, “qualifying mark” or a minimum mark per component.
Can you fail an exam and still pass the module?
Often, yes. Take a module that is half coursework and half exam. Jane scores 70 on the coursework and 30 on the exam. Her module mark is (70 × 50 + 30 × 50) ÷ 100 = 50.
- Where the module is judged as a whole, 50 is a pass. The 30 stands and earns her the credits.
- Where each element needs 36, as at Bournemouth, the module is not passed even though its mark is 50.
If a module is failed, reassessment is usually only for the part that failed. Bristol, for example, reassesses only “those assessments in the unit that have been failed”. Our guide to resits and capped marks covers what happens next.
Compensation and condonement: when a narrow fail still earns the credits
Most universities can award the credits for a module failed by a small margin, as long as the rest of your year is strong enough. The names are not used consistently. Bristol and Bournemouth call it compensation, Bath calls it condonement, and King’s College London uses both words for different years. The detail is what matters:
- Bath (condonement): a unit mark of 35 to 39, up to 20 credits in a stage, at least 40 credits passed in the stage, an overall stage average of at least 40 and not a must-pass unit (paragraphs 52 and 63 to 64). It only applies in a continuing stage. There is no condonement in the final stage: a failed unit earns no credit (paragraph 20), though the degree needs only every must-pass unit, 40 final-stage credits passed and an overall average of 38 (paragraph 91).
- Bristol (compensation for progression): one unit of up to 20 credits with a mark of 35 to 39, every other unit passed at the first attempt, a year mark of at least 40 and not a must-pass unit. It is not available on accredited programmes in four of Bristol’s engineering and computer science schools.
- Bournemouth (compensation): a unit mark below 40 but not normally below 38.0, no element below 36.0%, a pass in the remaining credits at that level, at the first attempt, for up to 40 credits at a level, and only once at least 60 credits at that level have been attempted (7.1 and 7.2).
- King’s College London (Academic Manual, chapter 5, for students who started in 2026/27): in year one, up to 30 credits of non-core modules can be compensated if every core module and at least 90 credits are passed (5.10). From year two, a non-core module with a mark of 1 to 39 can be condoned after the first attempt, up to 30 credits across level 5 and above on a three-year degree (5.13 and 5.15). Core modules cannot be condoned (5.11).
- Leeds sets the bar in credits instead. An honours degree needs at least 100 credits passed at each of levels 4, 5 and 6, and the final year project must be passed (10.4.2 and 10.4.3). Programmes that follow Engineering Council rules allow no more than 30 credits of marginal fails, meaning marks of 30 to 39 (10.4.8).
The pattern is the same everywhere: a narrow fail, a small number of credits, no core or must-pass module, and a sound record across the rest of the year. The range that counts as narrow is not. It starts at 35 at Bath and Bristol, at 38 at Bournemouth, at 30 for a marginal fail on a Leeds Engineering Council programme and at 1 at King’s.
A compensated mark still counts as the mark you got
Compensation earns the credits, not a higher mark. Bristol awards “the actual unit mark”, Bath uses the unit mark in the stage average (paragraph 66) and Bournemouth records the pre-compensation mark (7.1). A resit pass is different: it is usually capped at 40, as at Leeds (7.5.2) and Bristol.
Say Jane’s 20-credit module comes out at 37 and is compensated, and her other 100 credits average 62. Her year mark is (62 × 100 + 37 × 20) ÷ 120, which is 6,940 ÷ 120 = 57.8. Had she passed a capped resit at 40 instead, it would be 7,000 ÷ 120 = 58.3. Half a mark apart, and compensation spares her a summer resit. At Bath the choice is not hers anyway: an eligible unit is condoned and no further assessment is allowed (paragraph 67). In a first year that counts 0% toward the class, neither figure changes her degree.
Postgraduate and accredited courses
Master’s-level modules usually pass at 50, as at Leeds and Bristol, and at Bath from 2026-27. Courses accredited by a professional body often tighten the rules: Bristol removes compensation for progression from accredited programmes in its engineering and computer science schools, allowing only a narrow one in the final year (one unit of up to 20 credits marked 35 to 39), and Leeds limits marginal fails on Engineering Council programmes. If your degree leads to a professional qualification, assume the stricter rule until your handbook says otherwise.
How to check your own rules
- Find the regulations. Search your university’s site for “assessment regulations” or “academic regulations”, then search the document for “pass mark”, “compensation” and “condonement”. Check which year’s version applies to you: some universities apply rules by the year you started.
- Read the module descriptor. Component minimums and must-pass parts are usually set there, not in the university-wide rules.
- Check whether the module is core. Core and must-pass modules are normally excluded from compensation and condonement.
- Ask if the wording is unclear. Your programme office or personal tutor can confirm it, and most students’ unions run a free advice service that knows the regulations well.
Work out the number
Once you know the rule, the arithmetic takes a minute. The free exam mark calculator has a Pass target: enter your coursework average and its weight and it shows the exam mark that takes the module to 40. If the exam also has a floor of its own, aim for whichever number is higher. To see what the exam means beyond this module, read how much your exam is worth. If a module does go wrong, what happens if you fail a module covers the next steps.
