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Weighted Average Mark (WAM)
A weighted average mark (WAM) is the average mark you’ve achieved in your award course over a certain period.
Your WAM is the University’s way of measuring your academic performance and may be used to determine your eligibility for an honours program, prizes and scholarships, or for assessing your progression in your course.
How your WAM is calculated
Your WAM is calculated by multiplying each unit of study mark by its credit point value, then adding these totals together. You then divide this by the sum of all credit points attempted. All units have an equal weighting of one.
$$WAM ={ {\sum(\text{marks} \times \text{credit point value} \times \text{level weight})}\over{\sum (\text{credit point value} \times \text{level weight})}}$$
All units that are allocated a mark contribute to your WAM. If you fail a unit, you’ll need to include both the marks for any failed attempts, as well the mark if you later pass the unit.
See the Coursework Policy and your faculty or school resolutions for information about WAM.
Some faculties or schools have additional WAM calculations, for example the Honours WAM (HWAM) in Engineering, Education and Social Work and Health Sciences. These calculations can also be found in the faculty or school resolutions.
Generally, we don’t provide you with a progressive WAM for all the units you’ve completed so far and it does not appear on your final transcript.
However, if you completed units in Semester 1 2020, your WAM and Converted WAM (CWAM) are included on your academic transcript once you have been awarded. This is to ensure no student was academically disadvantaged as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis.
Annual Average Mark
If your average mark is calculated for a single year, it’s called your Annual Average Mark (AAM).
Semester Average Mark
If your average mark is calculated for a single semester, it's called your Semester Average Mark (SAM).
Cross-Semester Average Mark
Your Cross-Semester Average Mark (CSAM) is the average mark you’ve achieved in the CSAM period. The CSAM period is the block of time it takes you to complete at least 48 credit points. This means it could include more than 48 credit points. For example, if you study 18 credit points each semester, your CSAM period will run over three semesters and include 54 credit points of units.
Once a unit has been counted in a CSAM period, it won’t be counted in the next CSAM period.
Converted WAM
Converted WAM (CWAM) only applies to students who completed units of study in Semester 1 2020. The University’s Academic Board has decided that CWAM will no longer be calculated for all other students, from late 2023 onwards. CWAM was introduced to ensure no student was academically disadvantaged as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, and is an additional way of calculating a student’s academic progress at the end of their degree.
If you completed units in Semester 1 2020, your CWAM is calculated in the same way as your WAM across your whole degree but excluding marks from units undertaken in Semester 1 2020, at the time where the COVID-19 pandemic had the greatest impact.
Your CWAM and WAM will appear on your final academic transcript when you are awarded and will be taken into account when applying for our postgraduate studies and honours programs. However, if you transfer to a different course CWAM will no longer apply to you, even if units you completed in Semester 1 2020 are credited to your new course.
When applying for programs at other institutions, the higher CWAM/WAM mark should be accepted.
Grade Point Average
The University of Sydney does not use a Grade Point Average (GPA). If you are asked for a GPA, you’ll need to contact the institution that is requesting the GPA for more information about its formula and apply it to your own grades.
Last updated: 13 December 2023
