Put in the GPA and credits from your transcript, add this term’s classes, and see where your cumulative GPA lands. The table under your result shows what a better or worse term would do, so you can look at it before finals.
Enter your GPA so far and this term’s classes
The cumulative GPA on your transcript. Leave this empty and the credits box empty if this is your first term.
The credits behind that GPA. Your transcript may call it GPA hours or credits attempted.
This term’s classes
Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your cumulative GPA
Your result shows up here once you add a class with a grade and credit hours.
Why one term moves your GPA less than you’d expect
Three students each have a 3.00 GPA. Each finishes a 15 credit term with straight A- grades, which is a 3.70 term. The only difference is how many credits were already on their record.
| Credits so far | This term is | New cumulative GPA | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 33.3% of total | 3.23 | +0.23 |
| 60 | 20% of total | 3.14 | +0.14 |
| 90 | 14.3% of total | 3.10 | +0.10 |
Same grades, same term. The student with 30 credits gains 0.23, and the student with 90 credits gains 0.10. The more credits already on your record, the less any one term can move it. The target GPA calculator shows how many credits it takes to reach a goal.
A worked example
Your transcript shows a 3.12 GPA over 48 credits. This term you take four classes. Each grade becomes points, the points get multiplied by the credit hours, and the new quality points join the ones you already have.
| Class | Grade | Points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | B+ | 3.3 | 4 | 13.2 |
| Statistics | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| History | B | 3.0 | 3 | 9 |
| Spanish | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| This term | 13 | 45.3 |
Quality points before this term: 3.12 × 48 = 149.76.
(149.76 + 45.3) ÷ (48 + 13) = 3.198
Your cumulative GPA is 3.20. This term’s GPA on its own was 3.48, but it only makes up 21.3% of your 61 credits, so the cumulative number moves from 3.12 to 3.20, a change of 0.08.
How cumulative GPA is calculated
- Take the GPA from your transcript and multiply it by the credits behind it. That gives you the quality points you have so far.
- Work out this term’s quality points the usual way: grade points times credit hours for each class, added up.
- Add the two sets of quality points together, and add the two sets of credits together.
- Divide total quality points by total credits. That is your new cumulative GPA.
It is not the average of your semester GPAs
Say you had a 3.00 over 10 credits, then a 4.00 over 30 credits. Averaging the two GPAs gives 3.50. The real cumulative GPA is 3.75, because the second term was three times as big. The two agree when every term has the same credits.
Why your number might not match your transcript
- Your GPA so far is rounded on your transcript. A 3.12 could really be anywhere from 3.115 to 3.125, so the last digit of your result can be off by a little. If you can see your quality points or a three-decimal GPA, use that.
- Use the credits your school counts toward GPA. Your transcript may call them GPA hours or credits attempted. Credits earned is a different number if you have transfer credit, pass/fail classes or credit from exams.
- Classes marked Pass, Withdrawn or Incomplete are left out of this term. Most schools do the same, but check yours.
- If a retake replaces the old grade at your school, take the old class out of your GPA so far first. New GPA so far = (GPA so far × credits so far − old grade points × old credits) ÷ (credits so far − old credits). Then enter the retake as a class this term. Or ask your registrar for your GPA after the replacement.
- Weighted GPA, with extra points for AP or honors classes, is not included here.
Mistakes that throw your cumulative GPA off
Averaging your semester GPAs
If your terms had different credits, a plain average of their GPAs gives the wrong answer. With the two terms above it gives 3.50, and the real cumulative GPA is 3.75. Trust the credit-weighted number.
Using credits earned instead of credits attempted
If you transferred credits or took classes pass/fail, the credits on your degree audit can be higher than the credits behind your GPA. Use the number your school uses for GPA, because the wrong one changes how much weight this term gets.
Entering classes that are still in progress as if the grade is final
A class you’re halfway through isn’t a grade yet. Use the what-if table to see a range of results instead of guessing one.
Counting pass, withdrawn or incomplete classes
A P or a W normally has no grade points, so entering it as a 0.0 pulls your GPA down for nothing. Leave those classes out, or use the P, W and I options, which do it for you.
Expecting one great term to erase a low GPA
Each term only gets the share of your total that its credits make up. The table near the top of this page shows how a strong term helps a lot less once you have plenty of credits behind you. The target GPA calculator shows how many credits it takes to reach a goal.
Questions students ask
How do I work out my cumulative GPA from my semester GPAs?
You can’t average the GPAs unless every semester had the same credits. Multiply each semester’s GPA by its credits, add those up, then divide by all the credits. Or just enter your GPA so far and your credits so far above, then add the new classes.
Where do I find my GPA and credits so far?
Look at your transcript or student portal for the cumulative GPA and a credits figure, which may be called GPA hours or credits attempted. Use the credits that count toward your GPA, not total credits earned.
Why did my GPA barely move after a great term?
Because your cumulative GPA is weighted by credits. If you already have 90 credits behind you, a 15 credit term is about one seventh of the total. The more credits you have, the slower the number changes. The target GPA calculator shows how many credits you’d need to reach a goal.
Does my cumulative GPA include transfer credits?
At many schools transfer credits count toward your degree but not toward your GPA. Some schools do count them. Your school’s policy decides, so check before you enter transferred credits as part of your GPA so far.
How does a retake change my cumulative GPA?
It depends on your school. Some replace the old grade, some average both attempts. If yours replaces it, remove the old class from your GPA so far first using the formula in the assumptions above, then enter the retake as a new class.
