How to Calculate Cumulative GPA

Your cumulative GPA is the average of every grade point you've earned across every term, weighted by credit hours. Add up all your quality points, divide by total credits attempted, and you're done.

The Formula

Cumulative GPA = total quality points ÷ total credit hours attempted

Quality points = grade value × credit hours for that class.

Most US schools use a 4.0 unweighted scale:

• A = 4.0
• A- = 3.7
• B+ = 3.3
• B = 3.0
• B- = 2.7
• C+ = 2.3
• C = 2.0
• C- = 1.7
• D+ = 1.3
• D = 1.0
• F = 0.0

Some schools skip pluses and minuses. Check your registrar's grading policy before you trust any number.

Step-by-Step

1. List every graded course you've taken. Include the letter grade and credit hours.
2. Convert each letter to its point value.
3. Multiply point value by credit hours. That's quality points for the class.
4. Add up all quality points.
5. Add up all credit hours.
6. Divide step 4 by step 5.

That's it. No magic, no curve.

Worked Example

Say you've finished three semesters with these results:

Fall:

• English 101, B (3.0), 3 credits → 9.0 quality points
• Calculus I, C+ (2.3), 4 credits → 9.2
• History, A- (3.7), 3 credits → 11.1

Spring:

• Calculus II, B- (2.7), 4 credits → 10.8
• Psychology, A (4.0), 3 credits → 12.0
• Spanish, B+ (3.3), 3 credits → 9.9

Fall (year 2):

• Organic Chem, C (2.0), 4 credits → 8.0
• Statistics, B (3.0), 3 credits → 9.0
• Philosophy, A (4.0), 3 credits → 12.0

Total quality points: 9.0 + 9.2 + 11.1 + 10.8 + 12.0 + 9.9 + 8.0 + 9.0 + 12.0 = 91.0

Total credits: 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 3 = 30

Cumulative GPA = 91.0 ÷ 30 = 3.03

A single semester GPA tells you how one term went. Cumulative tells you the whole story.

Cumulative vs Semester GPA

Semester GPA only uses that term's classes. Cumulative uses everything. So one rough semester won't tank your cumulative if you've stacked enough strong credits before it. The flip side: once you've got 60 credits behind you, even a perfect semester barely moves the needle.

Quick math on that. If your cumulative sits at 2.8 over 60 credits and you pull a 4.0 semester worth of 15 credits, your new cumulative is (2.8 × 60 + 4.0 × 15) ÷ 75 = 3.04. One huge term, 0.24 bump.

Weighted vs Unweighted

High school transcripts often use a weighted scale where honors classes count up to 4.5 and AP or IB classes count up to 5.0. Colleges almost always recalculate to unweighted 4.0 when reviewing applications, though policies vary by school. The University of California system, for example, uses its own GPA calculation that weights up to eight semesters of approved honors courses.

If you're in college, you're almost certainly on a straight 4.0 scale. No weighting.

What Counts and What Doesn't

Usually included:

• Letter-graded courses you completed
• Failed classes (F = 0 points, but credits still count in the denominator)
• Repeated courses (rules vary, see below)

Usually excluded:

• Pass/fail or credit/no-credit courses
• Withdrawals (W)
• Incompletes (I) until they're resolved
• Transfer credits at many schools (they show up on your transcript but don't factor into your home-school GPA)

Repeated Classes

Some schools replace the old grade entirely. Some average both attempts. Some keep both on the transcript but only count the higher grade. Your registrar's office has the exact rule, and it matters more than you'd think if you're trying to recover from a bad semester.

Why It Matters

Graduate schools, scholarships, and academic probation thresholds all use cumulative GPA. Most law schools, for instance, report applicants' undergraduate cumulative GPA to the ABA, and the LSAC recalculates it from your raw transcript using its own rules. Your school's number and LSAC's number won't always match.

For undergrad academic standing, a 2.0 cumulative is the typical minimum to stay in good standing. Below that, you're usually on probation.

Run the actual math with your real transcript instead of guessing.

Calculate your cumulative GPA →