A college GPA is not usually a simple average of four letter grades. A four-credit laboratory course affects the result more than a one-credit seminar because the grade points are multiplied by credit hours.
Calculate it course by course
- Find the institution's grade-point table.
- Multiply each course's grade points by its GPA credit hours.
- Add the quality points and GPA hours.
- Divide total quality points by total GPA hours.
Worked semester example
| Course | Grade | Points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | A- | 3.67 | 3 | 11.01 |
| Calculus | B+ | 3.33 | 4 | 13.32 |
| Psychology | A | 4.00 | 3 | 12.00 |
| History | B+ | 3.33 | 3 | 9.99 |
| Total | 13 | 46.32 |
Credits that may not enter GPA
Attempted credits, earned credits, and GPA hours can differ. Pass grades, withdrawals, audits, and transfer work may award or show credits without adding grade points. The University of Illinois, Indiana University, and UC Berkeley publish different details for their own records, which is why the registrar rule must control.
Add a semester to a cumulative GPA
Convert both records back to quality points before combining them. Do not average the old cumulative GPA and the new semester GPA unless both represent the same number of GPA hours.
Application services can recalculate
Law and medical application services may use their own inclusion and conversion rules. A campus GPA calculator does not estimate an LSAC or AMCAS GPA unless those rules are applied separately.