As a college student, you have to deal with the Grade Point Average (GPA). In college, students are often curious about their GPAs. They have questions such as: is the GPA too low to get admission in an excellent educational institute? How can I improve it? Is there enough time?
Most of the times, college students want to calculate their GPA precisely. Not every student knows the formula to calculate GPA. However, it’s not difficult, and the article guides students to calculate their college GPA.
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GPA Formula
The formula for calculating the GPA is not very difficult. GPA includes your overall grades and the number of credits. To calculate your college GPA, you need to multiply your grades with credits and then divide it by the credits; the outcome will be your GPA.
(Grades * credits)/ credits = Grade Point Average (GPA). By using this formula, students can accurately calculate their GPAs. This is the common way of calculating the GPA, but the numeric value of grades may differ in different educational institutes. It is better that you check with the administration of your college for precision.
What Was the Previous Approach of Calculating the GPA?
Things were simpler back in the day. Previously, there was a straightforward method of GPA. Those who scored A, the GPA was 4, for B, it was 3, for C, it was 2, and for D, it was 1. Similarly, 0 GPA implied F. This was the time when everyone was able to calculate their GPAs.
During those days, whenever students told their parents, relatives and friends about their GPA, they quickly understood, what was the grade. So, everyone perceived GPA in the context of grades.
This concept is no longer in place now. There was a time when things were simple, and there was an easy method of calculating things, but things have changed with time. Now, there are almost four different ways of calculating the GPA. Furthermore, the method of calculating the GPA varies from state to state.
There is not a uniform way of calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA). Likewise, the way college management estimates average also varies. You can contact the administration office to get to know the college criteria regarding the Grade Point Average.
Simple GPA and slightly Less Simple GPA
Some time ago, calculations were more straightforward when A implied 4, B implied 3, C implied 2, D=1, and F=0. In this way, all you needed to do was to add all your grades and divide it by the number of subjects. With time, educational institutes made some innovation with the introduction of + and – in the grades such as A+, B+ and others.
For some students, it became a complicated system. For A+, the GPA scale is 4.3 or 4.0; for A, the scale is 4. Subsequently, for A-, the scale is 3.7. B+ refers to 3.3, B=3, and B-=2.7. Employing a simple scale, the perfect or the best GPA is 4.0.
If some schools assume that an A+ is better than obtaining just an A then the scale for A+ is 4.3, It would mean that perfect GPA is 4.3.
Following is the example + and – in the grading system.
| Class | Credits | Grades |
| History | 2 | A (4.0) |
| Pre-Calculus | 2 | B+ (3.3) |
| Chemistry | 4 | A (4.0) |
| Physical Education | 1 | C- (1.7) |
| Spanish | 2 | B (3.0) |
| International Relations | 1 | B-(2.7) |
| Forensic Sciences | 2 | A (4.0) |
| Total | 14 |
If colleges use this scale, then the perfect GPA would be 4.3.
Weighted Grade Point Average
Some colleges opt for prominent things by using the system of weighted GPA. To some people, it may be not easy. The number of credits each course is essential, and these credits make an impact on your GPA.
Many factors about the number of credits in each subject are also important. A class with 4-credit has more value as compared to the class with 2-credit.
To calculate your weighted GPA with respect to credit hours, the following are the essential steps.
- You need to multiply every numeric value of the grade with the number of the credits of the course.
- Add all these numbers.
- In the above example, the total of the multiplication of the numeric value of grades with their course credit is 49. Divide 49 by the total number of credits: 14.
- Your Weighted GPA with respect to credit hours = 3.5
In contrast, in the above example, if you calculate these grades using the simple GPA method, the GPA comes out as 3.24. The total of the numerical values of the grade is 22.7, and the number of classes/subjects are 7. So, 22.7/7 = 3.24
Calculating Your GPA with IB/AP/Honors
For IB, AP or Honors classes, you will require to do perform some more calculation. You must check the policy of your institute to find out the actual rules. According to the requirements, some students need to obtain a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Examination before their institute calculates their GPA.
Importance of Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your GPA plays an essential role in your overall academic record. A good GPA indicates that you are a dedicated student who takes studies seriously in college. To get admission for higher degrees, often you have to face competition as the seats are limited in leading institutes.
Remember, top institutes value the college GPA, and they also take other factors into account when it comes to admission. Therefore, do not take your GPA for granted.
The academic world is getting competitive day by day, and you have to make an impression among so many students. To a more considerable extent, your further career depends upon your GPA. To secure a good GPA, you need to work hard.
A Final Word
The common formula of calculating college GPA is: multiply the numeric value of grade with each course credits and then divide it by the total number of credits. (Grades* course credits)/Total number of credits = GPA. Before calculating the GPA, students should know what the numeric value of each grade is.
