Weighted average mark (WAM)

The Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is a more precise measurement of your academic performance than the Grade Point Average. This is because we base the calculation on your actual marks (eg: 78, 89, 63, 48 and so on) and the year level of each unit. Therefore, the WAM is the average mark you achieve across all completed units in a course, including any failed and repeated units. The WAM is out of 100.

We use the WAM as an entry requirement for some honours and graduate courses.

How to find out your WAM

We will calculate your WAM for your award course if you started on or after semester one, 2008. We don't calculate the WAM for Masters by Research and PhD courses.

  • You can use our online calculator below to estimate your WAM.
  • You can view your latest WAM in your unofficial academic record in the Web Enrolment System (WES) at any time. It will be calculated using the results from all of your completed semesters.
  • You can also see your WAM in the Student Portal (either in the course progress screen or through the GPA/WAM widget).
  • Your WAM will also appear on your academic record (transcript). You’ll receive a free academic record when you graduate.

If you believe your WAM is incorrect, message Monash Connect and we’ll investigate it for you.

WAM calculator

Use the online calculator to estimate your WAM.

Estimate your WAM

Converting your WAM

If you want to know what the GPA equivalent of your WAM is, simply use our Grade point average (GPA) calculator.

Methodology

WAM is weighted according to the:

  • credit point value of each unit
  • year level weighting of each unit.
Year level of unit and its weighting.
Year level of unit Year level weighting
First year (undergraduate) 0.5
All other year levels 1.0

All units designated as first year are weighted 0.5, regardless of the sequence or year in which you take the unit. For example, if you complete a first-year unit in your third year of study, it will be weighted 0.5, not 1.0.

Grades not included in the calculation:

  • SFR (satisfied faculty requirements)
  • NSR (not satisfied faculty requirements)
  • NE (not examinable)
  • NAS (not assessed)
  • WDN (withdrawn)
  • WI (withdrawn incomplete)
  • PGO (pass grade only)
  • NGO (fail grade)
  • DEF (deferred assessment)
  • NS (supplementary assessment)
  • WH (withheld)

Formula

WAM =

Σ (first year unit marks x unit credit points x 0.5) + Σ (later year unit marks x unit credit points × 1.0)
÷
Σ (first year unit credit points x 0.5) + Σ (later year unit credit points x 1.0)

Calculation steps

  1. Multiply the unit mark by unit credit point value and then by the year level weighting
  2. Sum the resulting values (weighted marks)
  3. Multiply the unit credit point value by the year level weighting
  4. Sum the resulting values (weighted credit points)
  5. Divide the sum of the weighted marks by the sum of the weighted credit points
  6. Calculate to three decimal places.

Example

An example of how WAM is calculated for nine units with a range of grades and unit credit points across year levels.
Unit Year
level
Year level
weighting
Unit
mark
Grade Unit
credit
points
Weighted mark Weighted credit points
MON1001 1 0.5 63 C 6 189 3
MON1002 1 0.5 80 HD 12 480 6
MON1003 1 0.5 40 N (fail) 6 120 3
MON1004 1 0.5 85 HD 6 255 3
MON2001 2 1.0 96 HD 24 2304 24
MON2002 2 1.0   WN (withdrawn fail) 6 0 6
MON3001 3 1.0 65 C 6 390 6
MON3002 3 1.0 77 D 6 462 6
MON4001 4 1.0 82 HD 6 492 6
Total4692 63

Final calculation:

WAM = 4692 ÷ 63
WAM = 74.476

Related links

Calculating Honours Weighted Average (HWA) for honours courses that started before Jan 2021:

If you think there’s been a mistake in how your mark or grade was calculated, you can contact the chief examiner about having it corrected.

Just keep in mind, while your work is being marked, you can’t contact staff about an assessment or thesis examination issue – not even to complain informally.

Re-marking

If you fail a major assessment (worth 20% or more of your unit’s total mark) it will be automatically re-marked before your result is finalised – so there’s no need to request one.

Outside of this process, in most cases you’re not entitled to a re-mark, and it’s unlikely that a complaint about a faculty’s refusal to re-mark will be successful.

Keep in mind that the following are not considered marking errors:

  • you feel you didn’t get enough explanation for your mark
  • you disagree with how the marker weighed parts of your assessment
  • the marker doesn’t agree with your summary, data or findings
  • your mark is inconsistent with what you received for similar assessments
  • you expected a higher mark based on your past performance
  • friends or colleagues think you deserved a higher mark.

Correcting a mark or grade

Examples of marking or grading errors may include:

  • your marks having been been summed up incorrectly
  • receiving a late penalty even though you submitted on time.

Format and deadlines

Your request for a correction needs to be in writing, so email the chief examiner. Make sure you do this within this timeframe below:

  • In-semester assessments – within ten working days of your mark’s release.
  • Final assessments:
    • semester one –- within six weeks of the release of your unit results.
    • semester two –- before the end of week one of semester one the next year.

This is your first step in addressing your complaint. If you’re unable to resolve the issue with your chief examiner, see how to raise and resolve a complaint for what to do next.