How To Calculate GPA
GPA stands for Grade Point Average. GPA measures averaged academic performance graded on a numerical scale. A 4.0 scale is the most common, and typically used at the colleges and universities adopted letter grade systems - A,B,C,D, etc.
To calculate GPA, we need the following values for each completed course:
- the letter grade,
- the corresponding grade point value,
- the number of credits (or credit hours) for the course.
Credits or credit hours refer to the number of hours the course is worth, assigned by the university or college.
Grade point value conversions can usually be done by using a grade conversion table defined by the institution. A typical 4.0 scale conversion table used at many colleges is shown below.
Example Grade Point Conversion Table:
| Letter Grade | Grade Point Value |
| A | 4 |
| B | 3 |
| C | 2 |
| D | 1 |
| F | 0 |
The following formula is used to calculate GPA. \[GPA = { \sum {( Points \times Credits )} \over \sum Credits }.\]
Simply put, to calculate GPA, you multiply each grade point value by the number of credits it is worth and add those up, then you divide the result by the total number of credits taken (sum of all credit values).
GPA Calculation Example:
Lets say a student took three courses during a semester - Math, Biology and Psychology. Credit hours and received grades for each course are listed in the table below. The grade point values for each letter grades have been determined according to the table shown above. Then, grade point values are multiplied by the number of credit hours to determine the number of grade points for each course.
| Course | Grade | Grade Point Value | Credit Hours | Grade Points |
| Math | A | 4.0 | 20 | 80 |
| Biology | B | 3.0 | 10 | 30 |
| Psychology | D | 1.0 | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 50 | 130 |
Using the GPA calculation formula described above: \[GPA = { { 4.0 \times 20 + 3.0 \times 10 + 1.0 \times 20} \over { 20 + 10 + 20 } } = \mathbf{2.6}\]
You can view this example in our GPA Calculator.
Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) can be obtained by dividing the sum of credit points in all the semesters by the total number of credits.
The calculation method described above is provided for information purposes only and is not to be used to determine your official GPA. Contact your institution for the official GPA value and the GPA calculation rules.
There are several different types of grade averages calculated and presented in numeric values:
- Cumulative Grade Average (CGA) or Cumulative GPA (CGPA) measures the total grade average achieved thus far in a student's academic career.
- Institutional GPA refers to the GPA achieved at a particular academic institution. In other words, this would not include transfer credits from another school.
- Major Cumulative Grade Average (MCGA) or Major GPA is based only on the courses that are directly related to a student's major field of study.
- Term Grade Average (TGA), Semester Grade Average (SGA) or Semester GPA (SGPA) is calculated for all courses taken in one school term or semester.
It's important to note that the calculation of GPA can vary from school to school, and there may be additional types of GPAs that are specific to certain institutions.
