A score of 60 percent is technically passing in most standard US grading scales, but just barely. It typically falls in the D-minus range, which is the lowest grade before an F. Whether that’s good enough depends entirely on the context: your school’s policies, your degree program, and what you need the grade for.
What 60 Percent Means on a Standard Scale
On the most widely used US grading scale, a score of 60 to 62 percent earns a D-minus, while anything below 60 is an F. A “D” is generally considered passing in that you receive credit for the course, but it signals minimal competency. The full breakdown typically looks like this:
- 90–100%: A range
- 80–89%: B range
- 70–79%: C range
- 60–69%: D range
- Below 60%: F (failing)
So 60 percent sits right at the border between passing and failing. A single point lower, and you’d fail the course entirely.
When 60 Percent Won’t Count as Passing
Earning a D doesn’t always mean you can move on. Many schools and programs set their own minimum thresholds that are higher than the bare-minimum D-minus.
In most undergraduate programs, courses in your major require a C (73 percent or higher) to count toward your degree. A 60 percent in an elective might still earn you credit, but a 60 percent in a required course for your major often means you’ll need to retake it.
Graduate programs are stricter. At many universities, a D in a master’s or PhD course cannot count toward degree requirements. Some programs won’t even accept a C-minus in core courses, requiring students to retake anything below that threshold. At the University of Pennsylvania’s engineering graduate school, for example, no grade lower than a C-minus counts for PhD core courses.
Financial aid and scholarships also come into play. Most financial aid requires you to maintain a minimum GPA, often around 2.0. A string of D grades will drag your GPA down quickly and could put your funding at risk, even though each individual course was technically “passed.”
How Curved Grading Changes the Picture
In some courses, especially in subjects like organic chemistry, physics, or upper-level math, a raw score of 60 percent on an exam might actually be a solid grade. When instructors curve exams, they adjust the raw scores so the grades reflect how the class performed overall rather than sticking to fixed cutoffs.
A common approach is for a professor to shift the class average to a target number, say 80 percent, and adjust every other score proportionally. If the class average on a tough exam was 55 percent, a raw score of 60 percent means you performed above average, and after the curve you might end up with a B-minus or even a B. Instructors often apply curves when a particularly difficult exam pulls scores down across the board.
The key point: if your professor curves grades, a 60 percent raw score and a 60 percent final grade are two very different things. Check your syllabus or ask your instructor whether a curve will be applied before assuming your grade is set in stone.
The UK Treats 60 Percent Very Differently
If you’re studying in the United Kingdom or comparing grades internationally, 60 percent carries a completely different meaning. British universities use a classification system where 60 to 69 percent earns an Upper Second-Class Honours degree (known as a 2:1), which is considered a strong result. Most competitive employers and graduate programs in the UK list a 2:1 as their minimum requirement.
The difference exists because UK exams are structured and scored differently. Earning above 70 percent is relatively rare and qualifies for First-Class Honours. A 60 percent in a UK university is roughly comparable to a B or B-plus in the US system, not a D.
Professional Licensing Exams and 60 Percent
Outside the classroom, many professional certification and licensing exams set their passing thresholds right around 60 to 70 percent. The exact cutoff varies by field. Among Florida’s teacher certification exams, for instance, several subtests require only 60 percent correct answers to pass, including the educational leadership exam and certain subject-area tests. Other subtests on the same battery require up to 74 percent.
These exams are designed so that the passing threshold reflects the minimum level of competence needed for the profession. A 60 percent passing score on a licensing exam isn’t a low bar in the way a D-minus in a college course feels like one. The questions are calibrated to that standard, and the difficulty is built into the test design.
What to Do If You’re Sitting at 60 Percent
If you’re checking whether your 60 percent is enough, here’s what to look into. First, check whether your school or program requires a higher grade than a D for the specific course. Required courses for your major, prerequisites for future classes, and any courses tied to scholarship requirements often have a C or higher minimum. Second, check whether the grade will be curved. Your syllabus, the course page, or a quick email to your instructor can clarify this. Third, calculate the GPA impact. A D (1.0 on a 4.0 scale) in a three-credit course can meaningfully lower your cumulative GPA, especially early in your academic career when you have fewer total credits.
If you’re still mid-semester and sitting at 60 percent, you likely have time to raise it. Even a few percentage points can bump you from a D-minus into a solid D or a C-minus, which opens more doors in terms of credit counting toward your degree. If the deadline to withdraw without academic penalty hasn’t passed, that’s also worth considering if a low grade would hurt your GPA more than a withdrawal notation on your transcript.