How to Calculate a GPA

Wondering how to calculate GPA? Here’s step-by-step guide to help you calculate semester, cumulative, weighted and unweight GPA.

How to Calculate a GPA

Your GPA (Grade Point Average) is a number that represents all of your letter grades from high school and college.

Condensing your transcript grades into a single number provides colleges and businesses with a quick overview of your academic success and helps you stay on track with your educational goals.

Thankfully, our GPA calculator does the math for you, but the results aren’t magical. Continue reading to learn how a GPA is calculated and the distinction between high school (weighted or unweight) and college GPAs.

Your GPA (Grade Point Average) is a number that represents all of your letter grades from high school and college.

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General Information on GPA

Only courses graded on an A-F basis are used in calculating G.P.A. Courses taken as Pass/No Pass (P/NP), credit-by-exam, correspondence, and audit are not included.

The G.P.A. calculation never includes transfer work from other colleges.

Separate G.P.A.s are printed on transcripts for undergraduate courses and for graduate courses.

Portland State University Grading Scale

Letter GradeGrade Point ValueUndergraduateGraduate
A4.00ExcellentExcellent
A-3.67  
B+3.33  
B3.00GoodSatisfactory
B-2.67  
C+2.33  
C2.00SatisfactoryBelow Standard
C-1.67  
D+1.33  
D1.00InferiorFailure
D-0.67 Failure
F0.00FailureFailure

Steps to Calculate GPA

Here are the steps toward a successful GPA calculation:

To Calculate GPA for One Term

Multiply the point value of the letter grade by the number of credit hours. The result is the quality points earned.

Total the credit hours for the term.

Total the quality points for the term.

Divide the total quality points by the total credit hours.

The result is the G.P.A. for the term.

Example of GPA Calculation

Term 1:

3 credits – B-
3 credits – C
2 credits – A
3 credits – C-
4 credits – D+

Term 1 Calculation

B- = 2.67 x 3 credit hours = 8.01 quality points
C = 2.00 x 3 credit hours = 6.00 quality points
A = 4.00 x 2 credit hours = 8.00 quality points
C- = 1.67 x 3 credit hours = 5.01 quality points
D+ = 1.33 x 4 credit hours = 5.32 quality points

Add the number of quality points for term 1:
8.01 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 5.01 + 5.32 = 32.34 quality points

Add the number of credit hours for term 1:
3 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 15 credit hours

Divide the total quality points by the total credit hours:
32.34 / 15 = 2.15 G.P.A.

Term 2

4 credits – C+
5 credits – A-
3 credits – B-
4 credits – B

Term 2 Calculation

C+ = 2.33 x 4 credit hours = 9.32 quality points
A- = 3.67 x 5 credit hours = 18.35 quality points
B- = 2.67 x 3 credit hours = 8.01 quality points
B = 3.00 x 4 credit hours = 12 quality points

Add the number of quality points for term 2:
9.32 + 18.35 + 8.01 + 12 = 47.68 quality points.

Add the number of credit hours for term 2:
4 + 5 + 3 + 4 = 16 credit hours.

Divide the total quality points by the total credit hours
47.68 / 16 = 2.98 G.P.A.

To Calculate Cumulative GPA

Calculate G.P.A. for each term.

Total the credit hours from all terms.

Total the quality points from all terms.

Divide the total quality points for all terms by the total credit hours for all terms.

The result is the cumulative G.P.A.


Cumulative GPA  Calculation

Add the quality points for all terms:
32.34 (term 1) + 47.68 (term 2) = 80.02 quality points.

Add the credit hours for all terms:
15 (term 1) + 16 (term 2) = 31 credit hours.

Divide the total quality points for all terms by the total credit hours for all terms:
80.02 / 31 = 2.58 G.P.A.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the frequently asked questions on how to calculate a GPA:

How do I Calculate my GPA Manually?

Multiply each numeric grade value by the number of credits the course was worth · Add these numbers together.·

How Do you Calculate GPA on a 4.0 Scale?

In its most basic form, an A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0. You assign the appropriate letter grade to each class, add all of your grades together, and divide by the number of classes you have taken.

How Do you Calculate GPA from Marks?

Multiply the numeric grade by the number of credit hours. The result is the honor points earned.

Total the credit hours for the term; total the honor points for the term.

Divide the total honor points by the total credit hours. The result is the GPA for the term.

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Conclusion and Call-to-Action

Your GPA reflects not only your work ethic, but also your commitment to learning.

Of course, this does not imply that you must have a 4.0 to attend college; admissions considers a variety of factors, but it does matter.

After all, if you aren’t serious about your education, why should anyone else?

We believe the above piece of information was useful. Please, kindly share this content on all the available social media platforms.

CSN Team.

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