This NCEA calculator follows the rules NZQA publishes for NCEA and University Entrance, and the grading scales follow the grade tables New Zealand universities publish. Every rule links to the page it comes from, with the date GradeCat opened it. Each tool works right away with no account, and your credits stay in your browser.
Tools
Which tool do I need?
- Have I got enough credits for NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3? Use the NCEA Credit and Endorsement Calculator. Enter your credits at each level by grade, and your literacy and numeracy credits. Each certificate needs 60 credits at its level or above, plus 10 literacy and 10 numeracy credits.
- Will I get a Merit or Excellence endorsement? The same calculator counts your credits at Merit and Excellence. A certificate needs 50 credits at Merit or Excellence for a Merit endorsement, and 50 at Excellence for an Excellence endorsement.
- Do I meet University Entrance? In the same calculator, list your approved subjects with their Level 3 credits, then your literacy and numeracy credits for University Entrance.
- Will a course be endorsed? The calculator checks one course at a time: 14 or more credits in the school year, with at least 3 internal and 3 external, and 14 at Excellence for an Excellence course endorsement.
- What is my rank score for the University of Auckland? Use the University of Auckland Rank Score Calculator. It takes your best 80 Level 3 credits over five subjects, weighted 4 for Excellence, 3 for Merit and 2 for Achieved, and shows the 2027 entry scores it reaches.
- What grade is my mark at university? The grading scale page has Victoria University of Wellington's 9-point table, where 78 is a B+ worth 6 grade points, and the University of Auckland's honours classes.
How NCEA works
Each NCEA standard you achieve gains its credits, at Achieved, Merit or Excellence. The credits count toward certificates at three levels, and credits at a higher level count toward a lower certificate too. NZQA's page on levels and certificates sets what each certificate needs, and NZQA works out endorsements in January, when it releases external results.
Guides
- NCEA endorsement explained: the 50 credits for a Merit or Excellence certificate, which levels count, and the 14-credit course endorsement, with worked examples.
- NCEA credits explained: the 80 credits each certificate needs, which levels count, the literacy and numeracy co-requisite, and University Entrance.
Tools that work at university too
Some GradeCat tools work on marks from any country. The Grade Calculator adds up marks out of their totals, the Weighted Grade Calculator combines assessments with their weights, such as an exam worth 50%, and the Final Grade Calculator shows the mark you need in a final exam. Their letter grades follow US scales, so read the percentage they give, then look up its grade on the grading scale page.
Not covered yet
- Rank scores at AUT, Otago, Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington. Each university sets its own.
- A university GPA calculator. The University of Auckland's grade points are not verified, and the Otago, Canterbury, AUT, Massey and Waikato scales were not checked.
- Cambridge (CIE) and IB results.
- The Merit course endorsement threshold, which NZQA's pages do not state.
A tool goes live here only after its rules are checked against the page that sets them. Each result is an estimate, not an official result. See the privacy policy for what this site stores.