How to Calculate GPA? | Methods to Find GPA & GPA Chart

Here is the commonly followed GPA chart and using this table you can easily get to know about the GPA score during the academic session. You can observe that each letter in the table is assigned a numerical value.

GPA is the average score that you attained during your academic period based on the letter grades in the class. These letter grades are linked with the percentages which vary according to the schools. You can also calculate the cumulative GPA which includes several years of schooling.

There is no such standard method to calculate the GPA. But you have referred to the various ways to find the GPA. Each country has a unique way of calculating GPA. The main concept is that you must know the grading scale used by the institution corresponding to the numerical value and you can calculate your GPA in seconds.

There are number of methods used to calculate the GPA. Here, you can check the four most commonly used methods to calculate the GPA.

1. Simple GPA Calculation

This is one of the most simple and commonly used methods to calculate the GPA. This method is also known as the unweighted method of calculating GPA. You can follow the steps for the calculation of your GPA.

• First you are required to find your grading scale which most schools use as a 4.0-grade scale. Like there are schools that use the 4.0, 5.0, or plus-minus grading scales. You must ask your teacher about the grading scale.
• Collect the grades that have been recently given to you. You can either refer to your report card or ask your teacher.
• Now write down your grades and refer to the 4.0 or any table which is referred to by the institution. Write the obtained grades and points referred to simultaneously along with subject names.
• Add all the values you have written in the table.
• Now, divide the total value obtained by the number of classes.

2. GPA with Weighted Credit Hours

In this method the weights have been assigned to the classes and accordingly you need to find the GPA. You can refer to the below steps for further details.

• Calculate the credit hours which are assigned to the respective subjects. Some schools offer 3 credit hours and some colleagues offer 4 credit hours to the course.
• Using the 4.0 scale find the exact value of the grades.
• Now, find the average weighted scores. This can be calculated by multiplying the credit hours and scale value.
• Add all the credit hours and the weighted scores which you have just found out.
• Now, Divide the total of grade points by the total credit hours.
• Thus, you will get your weighted GPA.

3. Using Excel

This is one of the easiest ways to calculate the GPA. It just requires you to know the basic usage of excel and you can find the GPA easily.

• Set up two columns for the subjects and letter grades.
• In another column inserts the numerical value with the help of the desired scale.
• Now, in the 4th column, you need to put the equal sign and use the formula =SUM to find the sum of all grade values.
• Now, to sum up, all the grades use the basic format of addition in excel. You can either use the formula SUM (cell number of the first grade in the column: cell number of the last grade in a column) / total number of courses.
• After clicking on the enter button you will get the single digit in the 4th column which is your required answer.

4. Evaluating Percentage-Based GPA

There are few institutions that use the percentage-based method rather than using the 4.0 Scale or any other. Let’s discuss how you can use the percentage-based method to calculate the GPA.

• First it is important to know the class which you have studied. As some classes weigh higher than others and vice versa.
• Now, multiply your obtained grades with the weights according to the subject as instructed.
• You are required to find the mean of the value of the grade. You may use this formula (g+g+g…)/ total no. classes; g = grade. This means you need to add all the grades value and divide the total number of grades by no of classes.

There are commonly two Types of GPA Scales, Let’s understand both of these scales in detail.

1. Unweighted GPA Scale

The unweighted GPA scale is the most commonly used one. These are measured on a scale of 0.1 to 4.0 scale. It is very straightforward and helps in easy determination. As in this scale suppose you have studied an honors course and you secured a B grade then you will also have the same GPA just someone who has secured the lower level course. On this scale, 4.0 means A+, 3.7 A-, and so on.

=> Unweighted GPA = Total Grade Points Earned (scale of 4.0) / A Total Number of Subjects

2. Weighted GPA Scale

The weighted GPA Scale measures your accomplishments by considering the load of your course. This kind of scale used the 4.5 scales or 5.0 scale, which completely depends on the school's structure. In this kind of scale, you will have the benefit to get +1.0 if you have a difficult class. These kinds of scale measurements lead to a high occurrence in the class. You can understand this concept with an example such as an X in an easier class will be graded as a 4.0, while a Y in a more demanding course will be marked as a 5.0.

=> Weighted GPA = Grade Points earned (Scale of 5.0) / a Total Number of Subjects

Example 1:

Calculate the GPA using the given table.

Solution 1:

We know that,

=> GPA = total grade points / sum of credit hours

=> GPA = 12.33375 / 4.25

=> GPA = 2.9020588 or 2.90

Example 2:

Calculate weighted GPA using the following table

Solution 2:

Let’s first find the numerical value to the letter grades.

=> GPA Unweighted = 4.0+3.3+2.3+3.7/4

=> GPA = 13.3/4

=> GPA = 3.325 or 3.33

Now, when the class has credit points, we get.

=> GPA = ∑(grade value × credits) / ∑ credits

=> GPA = 4.0×0.5+3.3×1+2.3×0.5+3.7×1 / 0.5+1+0.5+1

=> GPA = 10.15 / 3

=> GPA = 3.38333…

=> GPA = 3.38

1. What is a good GPA?

A good GPA is 3.0 - 3.5 which is considered decent by most universities. However, you are still eligible to get admission to the top institutions with lower GPAs, but institutions might not consider you for the scholarship part.

2. Which are the most demanded courses that affect the GPA?

The AP Courses (Advanced Placement Courses), IB Courses (International Baccalaureate Courses), College Prep Classes, and Honors Courses are the most demanded which gives more weightage to your GPA.

3. What are the overall and cumulative GPA?

These are two ways using which GPAs are calculated.

• Overall GPA is the average of the semesters which you have studied throughout the academic year. It can be calculated using the formula; Overall GPA = Sum of Cumulative GPA / Number of Cumulative GPA (total).
• Cumulative GPA is the average of a specific academic period. It can be calculated using the formula; Cumulative GPA = Grade Point (total) / Credit Hour (total).

To know more about the GPA Calculation and its related terms you can refer to our official website @LCMGCF. Also, feel free to ask your doubts in the comment section below.