How to Calculate GPA
A comprehensive step-by-step guide to calculating your Grade Point Average
Understanding GPA
GPA (Grade Point Average) is a standardized way of measuring academic achievement. It converts your letter grades or percentages into a numerical value, then calculates the weighted average based on credit hours.
There are two main GPA scales: the 4.0 scale (common in the US) and the 10.0 scale (common in India and other countries).
Step-by-Step Calculation
Step 1: List Your Courses
Write down all your courses for the semester along with their credit hours and the grade you received.
Example:
- • Mathematics (3 credits) - A
- • Physics (4 credits) - B+
- • English (3 credits) - A-
- • Chemistry (4 credits) - B
Step 2: Convert Grades to Points
Convert each letter grade to its corresponding grade point value using your institution's grading scale.
Standard 4.0 Scale:
- • A = 4.0 points
- • B+ = 3.3 points
- • A- = 3.7 points
- • B = 3.0 points
Step 3: Multiply by Credit Hours
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get the quality points.
Calculation:
- • Mathematics: 4.0 × 3 = 12.0
- • Physics: 3.3 × 4 = 13.2
- • English: 3.7 × 3 = 11.1
- • Chemistry: 3.0 × 4 = 12.0
Step 4: Calculate Total Quality Points
Add up all the quality points from step 3.
Total Quality Points:
12.0 + 13.2 + 11.1 + 12.0 = 48.3
Step 5: Calculate Total Credits
Add up all the credit hours.
Total Credits:
3 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 14 credits
Step 6: Divide to Get GPA
Divide total quality points by total credits to get your GPA.
Final GPA:
48.3 ÷ 14 = 3.45
Your semester GPA is 3.45 on a 4.0 scale
The GPA Formula
Where Σ (sigma) means "sum of" - you add up all the (grade points × credits) and divide by the total credits.
Calculating Cumulative GPA (CGPA)
Your cumulative GPA is calculated the same way, but includes all semesters. You can either:
Method 1: From All Courses
List every course you've ever taken with credits and grades, then use the same formula above.
Method 2: From Semester GPAs
If you know your semester GPAs and credits:
Tip: Use our Cumulative GPA Calculator to calculate your CGPA automatically!
Calculating GPA on 10.0 Scale
The process is identical for the 10.0 scale, but the grade point values are different:
| Letter Grade | Grade Points (10.0 scale) |
|---|---|
| O | 10.0 |
| A+ | 9.0 |
| A | 8.0 |
| B+ | 7.0 |
| B | 6.0 |
| C | 5.0 |
Quick Tips
✅ Do
- • Double-check your credit hours
- • Use your institution's grading scale
- • Include all courses, even electives
- • Keep track semester by semester
❌ Don't
- • Forget to weight by credits
- • Mix different grading scales
- • Round too early in calculations
- • Exclude failed courses