The terms sound interchangeable, but they represent different steps. Understanding them makes a transcript and a GPA calculator much easier to check.
Three related terms
- Grade points: the numeric value assigned to a letter grade, such as B+ = 3.33.
- GPA credits or hours: the course weight included in the GPA.
- Quality points: grade points multiplied by GPA credits.
Worked example
| Course | Grade points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 3.33 | 3 | 9.99 |
| Statistics | 4.00 | 4 | 16.00 |
| Seminar | 3.67 | 1 | 3.67 |
| Total | 8 | 29.66 |
Why transcript hours differ
A transcript can display attempted hours, earned hours, and GPA hours. A passing pass/fail course may increase earned hours while adding no quality points and no GPA hours. A failed graded course may add GPA hours without adding earned hours.
Avoid early rounding
Use the official grade-point precision, calculate all quality points, and round only the final result. The University of Illinois notes that its official transcript GPA is truncated to two decimals rather than rounded, so even the display rule can vary.
Reconcile a transcript total
To check a cumulative record, sum course quality points for the term and compare them with the term total printed by the registrar. Then add earlier quality points only when the transcript uses the same GPA scope. Transfer, institutional, undergraduate, and graduate totals can be maintained separately.
A one-cent difference in a course product can accumulate across many courses, so use the institution's exact plus and minus values instead of a rounded table copied from another school.
Calculator input label
If a calculator asks for "credits," enter the credits that the school includes in GPA, not automatically every earned or attempted credit shown.