How to Read Your VTU Marksheet: Every Field Explained

When your VTU results are published, the result page can feel overwhelming at first glance — a table full of subject codes, numbers, letter grades, and result statuses. This guide decodes every single field on your VTU marksheet, so you know exactly what you are looking at and what each value means for your academic standing.

The Basic Identifying Information

At the top of your VTU result page, you will find:

• USN (University Seat Number): Your unique identifier at VTU. It follows a specific pattern: e.g., 1MH21CS001. Breaking it down — 1 = lateral entry marker (for regular students it is typically absent or represented differently), MH = college code (MSRIT in this example), 21 = year of joining, CS = branch code (Computer Science), 001 = roll number. Your USN is used for all official purposes — exam registration, results, degree certificate.
• Student Name: As registered with VTU. This must match your school certificates exactly. Any discrepancy needs to be corrected through VTU's name correction process before you graduate.
• Semester: Which semester's results are being displayed. Results for different semesters are published separately.
• Scheme: The regulation/scheme under which you are studying (e.g., 2021 Scheme, 2018 Scheme). The scheme determines your syllabus, credit structure, and grade boundaries.

The Subject-Wise Marks Table

The main body of your marksheet is a table. Here is what each column means:

• Subject Code: A unique alphanumeric code identifying the subject. For example, 21CS31 means: 2021 Scheme (21), Computer Science branch (CS), 3rd semester (3), 1st subject (1). Subject codes are used in applications, re-valuation requests, and wherever you need to specify a subject.
• Subject Name: The full name of the course as per the VTU syllabus.
• Credits: The number of credits assigned to this subject. This is what determines how much it weighs in your SGPA calculation.
• CIE (Continuous Internal Evaluation): Your internal assessment marks, out of 50. This is submitted by your college to VTU before the semester-end exam. It includes your internal tests, lab records, assignments, and any other internal assessments.
• SEE (Semester End Examination): Your university exam score, shown here out of 50 (scaled from the actual 100-mark exam). So if you see 38 in the SEE column, you actually scored 76 out of 100 in the university exam.
• Total: CIE + SEE = your combined marks out of 100. This total determines your letter grade.
• Grade: The letter grade corresponding to your total (S, A, B, C, D, E, or F). See our VTU Grading System guide for the full breakdown.
• Grade Points: The numerical grade point value corresponding to your letter grade (10 for S, 9 for A, 8 for B, etc.). This is the value used in the SGPA formula.
• Result: Either P (Pass) or F (Fail) for each subject. You must have P in all subjects to be eligible for the next semester without a backlog.

The Summary Row: SGPA and Overall Result

At the bottom of the subject table, you will find a summary row with:

• SGPA: Your Semester Grade Point Average, calculated using the formula Σ(Ci × Gi) / ΣCi. This is the key academic metric for the semester. For a detailed breakdown of how this is computed, see our SGPA calculation guide.
• CGPA: Your Cumulative Grade Point Average up to and including this semester — a weighted average of all your SGPAs from semester 1 to the current one.
• Overall Result: "PASS" (all subjects cleared, no active backlogs) or "FAIL" (one or more subjects with an F grade). If "FAIL," the number of failed subjects may also be listed.

Special Status Codes and Abbreviations

You may encounter these codes on your marksheet, particularly in the result or grade columns:

• AB (Absent): You did not appear for the SEE of this subject. An AB is treated as a fail for grade purposes and creates a backlog.
• P (Pending): Sometimes seen during partial result publication — the marks for this subject are not yet finalized. Recheck after a few days.
• W (Withheld): Your result for this subject has been withheld, typically due to a malpractice or exam violation inquiry. No grade is assigned until the inquiry is resolved.
• NSAR: Not Satisfied Attendance Requirement — your attendance in this subject was too low to be eligible for the SEE. This is handled at the college level before the exam, but if it appears on your result, it means you were barred from writing that paper.
• EX (Exempted): In some older schemes, students with very high CIE marks could be exempted from re-appearing in the SEE for a subject they had marginally failed. This is rare in newer schemes.

What to Do If You Spot an Error

Errors on VTU marksheets — though uncommon — do occur. If you believe there is a mistake, take these steps immediately:

1. Check your CIE marks: If the CIE marks seem wrong, contact your college's examination cell first. CIE discrepancies must be raised with the college, not directly with VTU.
2. Apply for a photocopy of your SEE answer script: VTU allows students to request a photocopy of their valued answer book. This is the first step before any re-valuation claim. There is a fee per subject and a deadline of usually 2–4 weeks from result publication.
3. Apply for re-valuation: If the photocopy reveals that marks are incorrectly totaled or that valid answers were not credited, you can apply for re-valuation. The re-valued marks (higher or lower) replace the original marks.
4. Contact your college's examination cell: For any discrepancy involving your student details (name spelling, USN errors, missing subjects), the college must initiate the correction through VTU.

Checking Your Results Online

VTU publishes results on results.vtu.ac.in. The page requires your full USN and a captcha code. Our results checker tool on this website simplifies this process — enter your USN and captcha, and get a clean view of your full marksheet with all the fields decoded as described above.