How to Calculate GPA
Reviewed By : Phani Ponnapalli
Last Updated at : Mar 29,2023
Most schools, and colleges use a grading system to know the student's academic achievement. That grading we can call GPA. This GPA is the average of grades that was attained in the course. And this grade point average will be useful to determine the student's class loads, to get eligibility for universities and colleges, for certain programs. Keep reading this article to know, more about GPA like what is GPA, GPA Scales, high school GPAs, college GPAs, and many more.
What is GPA? & How To Calculate GPA?
GPA is nothing but the grade point average. It means that the number that represents the grades that you earned in high school or college. Seeing those grades on your report card will give an idea of your academics for colleges or businesses. In GPA we have many types like unweighted GPA, weighted GPA, College GPA, and cumulative GPA.
Formula for GPA
GPA (Grade Point Average) =Total points / No.of classes,
GPA Scales
GPA calculation will be started by changing the marks into grades and the grades into a number.
|
Letter Grade |
Percentile |
4.0 scale |
Honors GPA |
+4.0 scale |
|
A+ |
97-100 |
4 |
4.5 |
4.3 |
|
A |
93-96 |
4 |
4.5 |
4 |
|
A- |
90-92 |
3.7 |
4.2 |
3.7 |
|
B+ |
87-89 |
3.3 |
3.8 |
3.3 |
|
B |
83-86 |
3 |
3.5 |
3 |
|
B- |
80-82 |
2.7 |
3.2 |
2.7 |
|
C+ |
77-79 |
2.3 |
2.8 |
2.3 |
|
C |
73-76 |
2 |
2.5 |
2 |
|
C- |
70-72 |
1.7 |
2.2 |
1.7 |
|
D+ |
67-69 |
1.3 |
1.8 |
1.3 |
|
D |
65-66 |
1 |
1.5 |
1 |
|
F |
Below 65 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
In US, they do not use E and this GPA scale which we are seeing is not common for all in US. It varies among schools, colleges, and universities. Even in some schools, they use “+” and “-” signs instead of grades.
How To Calculate High School GPA?
In some schools, they will calculate the weighted and unweighted GPA for more difficult classes. This system will add 1 if it is an AP or IB class and adds 0.5 for an honors class.
Look into the weighted and unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA
This unweighted GPA is nothing but the total grade points that were divided by the total number of classes.
GPA = Total Grade Points ÷ Total Number of Classes
You can calculate this unweighted GPA by looking into the GPA scale.
Weighted GPA
Weighted GPA is nothing but the total number of weighted grade values by multiplying the credits divided by the total number of credits.
Weighted High School GPA = Σ (weighted grade value x credits)/ Σ credits
How To Calculate The College GPA?
College GPA can be calculated by the total grade points divided by the total credit hours. This means that first, you need to multiply each course grade by its credit hours. Then we sum up all the resulting grade point totals into a single figure.
College GPA = (Total Grade Points) ÷ (Total Credit Hours)
How To Calculate Cumulative GPA?
Cumulative GPA takes all the grade points that were earned across all semesters and find the average grade point totally. Cumulative GPA is calculated by the total grade points that were divided by the total credits.
Cumulative GPA = Total Grade points / Total credits.
Solved Examples on GPA
Question: Find the GPA for the below courses and grades.
|
Course |
Letter Grade |
Grade Points |
|
English 101 |
A |
4.0 |
|
Algebra 101 |
B |
3.0 |
Solution: Given,
|
Course |
Letter Grade |
Grade Points |
|
English 101 |
A |
4.0 |
|
Algebra 101 |
B |
3.0 |
Formula for GPA
GPA (Grade Point Average) = Total points / No.of classes
= [ (4.0+ 3.0)/ 2]
= 3.5
Therefor the GPA is 3.5.
FAQs on How To Calculate GPA
1. How do you calculate GPA?
GPA can be calculated by using the formula, GPA (Grade Point Average) = [grades * credits] / credits.
2. Is 3.0 a good GPA?
Yes, generally, 3.0 is considered a “Good ” GPA.
3. What is the lowest GPA that we can get?
The lowest GPA is usually equal to 0.0 with an F grade on any scale.
