When is Scottish exam results day 2026 and what time will results come out?

Scotland's new exams body has released details of how more than 148,000 people will receive their results this year - and the support which will be available to learners.

The results for Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers and Skills for Work Awards will be issued from 08:00 on Tuesday 4 August.

The system is now run by Qualifications Scotland, which took over from the SQA after a number of controversies in previous years.

Advice lines offering support and guidance will be open from 08:00.

Here is everything you need to know.

The results for Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers - as well as the more vocational National Progression Awards, Skills for Work Awards, and National Certificates - will be issued on Tuesday 4 August.

More than 131,000 learners sat exams in more than 460 schools, colleges and training centres this year, while 17,000 will receive their results for vocational courses.

The results are sent out by first-class post but many students have opted to receive their grades digitally.

Text messages and emails are due to be sent to the 67,000 candidates who have an activated MySQA account from 08:00 onwards.

Every learner will also receive their results by post, but it will depend on when your mail normally arrives.

Courses at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher are graded A-D.

National 2, National 3, and National 4 courses are not graded - the units that make up these courses are assessed as pass or fail.

Grade boundaries vary from year to year and the exact percentages for 2026 won't be published until results day.

However, the SQA sets initial grade boundaries for their assessments at 50% for a C, 70% for an A, and 85% for an Upper A.

This is the starting point for deciding the final grade boundaries, which are set at meetings in June and July after marking has been completed.

A grade D is a pass.

If you receive a grade D result this usually means you scored between 40 and 49% in the course assessment.

Candidates who score less than 40% are not awarded a national course and will receive a no award result.

The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher increased last year.

The National 5 qualifications figure rose from 77.2% in 2024 to 78.4% in 2025.

The rate for Higher increased from 74.9% to 75.9%, and the rate for Advanced Higher rose from 75.3% to 76.7%.

Figures released earlier this year showed that the attainment gap between Scotland's richest and poorest school pupils remains wider than it was before the pandemic.

There is lots of support available if you don't get the results you are hoping for.

Qualifications Scotland's learner support hub can be reached on 0345 279 1000.

It will open at 08:00 on results day and will stay open until 18:00. It will then be available from 08:30 until 17:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Guidance staff at your school will also be on hand to provide help.

If you have a conditional offer for university or college that you don't meet, you can apply to Ucas' clearing process which is used by universities and colleges to fill empty places.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the agency which supports training and skills for work, will also operate an advice line on 0808 100 8000.

It will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 09:00 to 17:00 on Thursday and Friday.

Advisers will be able to offer guidance on vacancies at colleges and universities; the clearing system for universities; apprenticeships; jobs; volunteering; or staying on at school.

Yes, and every year thousands of pupils do.

Before anyone sits an exam their school, college or training centre submits estimated grades for every candidate to the SQA.

If you don't think your grade is correct, you should first talk to your school or college.

It can contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed. You can also submit your own appeal.

Appeals will be subject to a marking review - a check that marks have been added up and submitted correctly and a check that the marking meets the national standard.

An appeal can be prioritised if you have a conditional place at university or college, or are in training or employment that depends on your grade.

The deadline for individuals to submit a priority appeal is 11 August, or 25 August for other appeals. If the appeal is being lodged by your school or college, the deadlines are 20 August for priority cases and 28 August for others.