“Harvard Is Basically Unisa ”: American Student Getting Master's in SA Shocked By Grading System
- An American student studying her Master's in Cape Town shared a video explaining the key difference between US and South African grading systems
- Caroline revealed that in the US students start at 100% and lose marks, while in SA students begin at 0% and earn every point
- South Africans flooded the comments with jokes and debate about whether American universities can really compare to local ones
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Source: TikTok
An American postgraduate student living in Cape Town left thousands of people talking after she shared her honest take on studying in South Africa. Caroline, who is completing her Master's degree in Cape Town, posted a casual talking-head video comparing the grading systems of the United States and South Africa.
User Caroline's core observation was simple but eye-opening. In the US, students receive 100% at the start of an assignment, and marks are deducted for errors. In South Africa, students begin at zero and earn every single point. Caroline said the shift took serious adjustment. When she and fellow international students were scoring 65% or 70%, they panicked, only to be told those were respectable results.
"I remember getting like a 78 or an 80 on a paper, and it was a big deal, like, that was an amazing grade. When back in the states, a 78 would be a bad grade. Interesting how different it is."
SA vs US: who really has the harder system?
The video landed hard with South African viewers, many of whom said it confirmed what they had long suspected about the rigour of local universities. Some joked about packing their bags for American campuses, while others defended the South African standard with pride.
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Watch the TikTok video below:
Mzansi reacts to Caroline's video
South Africans in the comments section were in their element:
Alfonso wrote:
"The more I find out about the US education system, I think Harvard is small waters."
eyeshah Ngu said:
"Harvard is basically Unisa mos?"
Anna Dawn shared:
"We earn the grade from scratch. We don't start off thinking we're winners and hope we don't mess up badly enough to lose a win that was prematurely given. Starting at 100 is crazy!"
Sizamkele Sopazi noted:
"75% upwards is distinction in South Africa; if in all your modules you pass by 75% and above, you get a Cumlaude."
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Itumeleng Serobe said:
"I am starting to think our Universities are actually the real Harvards and them."
Palesa The Photographer joked:
"Mos nkaba doctor ko America. (Loosely translated: I could easily become a doctor in America.)"
Big B laughed:
"80% and up is pretty good? I was happy to get 51% in Uni."
3 Other Briefly News stories about culture shocks
- A Nigerian man living in Cape Town shared a TikTok video outlining five culture shocks from his time in South Africa.
- Gabriel Thomas said South Africans often hire domestic workers who live in separate houses on the property.
- A German woman in an interracial relationship with a South African man shared her thoughts on why South Africans see driving a BMW as the ultimate success.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
