To help students understand how to calculate their cumulative GPA, I often guide them through a detailed step-by-step process. It’s essential to be precise and organized to get an accurate GPA.
Step-by-Step Process To Calculate Cumulative GPA For All Semesters
Here’s how I would calculate my cumulative GPA across multiple semesters:
List All Courses for Each Semester
I’ll start by listing all the courses I took each semester, noting the grades I received and the credit hours for each course.
Convert Grades to Grade Points
Next, I’ll convert each grade into grade points using a typical scale:
- A = 4.0
- B = 3.0
- C = 2.0
- D = 1.0
- F = 0.0
If my school uses a different scale, I’ll adjust accordingly.
Calculate the Grade Points for Each Course
For each course, I’ll multiply the grade points by the credit hours for that course to get the total grade points.
Formula:
Grade Points = Grade * Credit Hours
Sum the Grade Points and Credit Hours for Each Semester
- I’ll then sum up all the grade points for each course to get the total grade points for the semester.
- I’ll also add up all the credit hours for the semester.
Calculate Semester GPA
To find the GPA for each semester, I’ll divide the total grade points by the total credit hours.
Formula:
Semester GPA = Total Grade Points / Total Credit Hours
Sum the Total Grade Points and Credit Hours Across All Semesters
- I’ll add up the total grade points from all semesters.
- I’ll also total the credit hours from all semesters.
Calculate the Cumulative GPA
Finally, I’ll calculate my cumulative GPA by dividing the total grade points by the total credit hours across all semesters.
Formula:
Cumulative GPA = Total Grade Points (All Semesters) / Total Credit Hours (All Semesters)
Example Calculation
Let’s consider I’ve completed four semesters with the following courses, grades, and credit hours:
Semester 1:
- Course 1: Grade A, three credit hours
- Course 2: Grade B, 4 credit hours
- Course 3: Grade C, 3 credit hours
Semester 2:
- Course 4: Grade B, 3 credit hours
- Course 5: Grade A, 4 credit hours
- Course 6: Grade B, 3 credit hours
Semester 3:
- Course 7: Grade C, 3 credit hours
- Course 8: Grade B, 4 credit hours
- Course 9: Grade A, 3 credit hours
Semester 4:
- Course 10: Grade A, 3 credit hours
- Course 11: Grade A, 4 credit hours
- Course 12: Grade B, 3 credit hours
Step-by-Step Calculation: How To Calculate Cumulative GPA For All Semesters
Convert Grades to Grade Points
Semester 1:
- Course 1: A = 4.0
- Course 2: B = 3.0
- Course 3: C = 2.0
Semester 2:
- Course 4: B = 3.0
- Course 5: A = 4.0
- Course 6: B = 3.0
Semester 3:
- Course 7: C = 2.0
- Course 8: B = 3.0
- Course 9: A = 4.0
Semester 4:
- Course 10: A = 4.0
- Course 11: A = 4.0
- Course 12: B = 3.0
Calculate Grade Points for Each Course
Semester 1:
- Course 1: 4.0 * 3 = 12.0
- Course 2: 3.0 * 4 = 12.0
- Course 3: 2.0 * 3 = 6.0
- Total Grade Points = 12.0 + 12.0 + 6.0 = 30.0
- Total Credit Hours = 3 + 4 + 3 = 10
Semester 2:
- Course 4: 3.0 * 3 = 9.0
- Course 5: 4.0 * 4 = 16.0
- Course 6: 3.0 * 3 = 9.0
- Total Grade Points = 9.0 + 16.0 + 9.0 = 34.0
- Total Credit Hours = 3 + 4 + 3 = 10
Semester 3:
- Course 7: 2.0 * 3 = 6.0
- Course 8: 3.0 * 4 = 12.0
- Course 9: 4.0 * 3 = 12.0
- Total Grade Points = 6.0 + 12.0 + 12.0 = 30.0
- Total Credit Hours = 3 + 4 + 3 = 10
Semester 4:
- Course 10: 4.0 * 3 = 12.0
- Course 11: 4.0 * 4 = 16.0
- Course 12: 3.0 * 3 = 9.0
- Total Grade Points = 12.0 + 16.0 + 9.0 = 37.0
- Total Credit Hours = 3 + 4 + 3 = 10
Calculate Semester GPAs
- Semester 1 GPA: 30.0 / 10 = 3.0
- Semester 2 GPA: 34.0 / 10 = 3.4
- Semester 3 GPA: 30.0 / 10 = 3.0
- Semester 4 GPA: 37.0 / 10 = 3.7
Sum the Grade Points and Credit Hours Across All Semesters
Total Grade Points (All Semesters) = 30.0 + 34.0 + 30.0 + 37.0 = 131.0
Total Credit Hours (All Semesters) = 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40
Calculate the Cumulative GPA
Cumulative GPA = 131.0 / 40 = 3.275
My cumulative GPA after four semesters would be 3.275.
