In this guide
A cumulative GPA covers all included courses, not just the latest term. The most common error is to average two semester GPAs as though the semesters carried the same number of credits.
Stanford describes GPA as the sum of grade points multiplied by course units, divided by the units included in the calculation. Your own school may use a different grade-point table or exclude particular course types.
Stanford University Student ServicesStart with quality points
Convert each course grade to the points used by your institution, multiply by that course’s credit hours, then add the results. Divide by total graded credit hours for the semester. A four-credit class influences GPA twice as much as a two-credit class with the same grade.
Do not assume every school treats A+, pass/fail courses, repeats or withdrawals the same way. Stanford, for example, documents a 4.3 value for A+ in its own grading system; the Pexlii 4.0 mode uses a 4.0 cap. Use your transcript for official numbers.
Stanford University Student Services- Course quality points = grade points × credit hours.
- Semester GPA = total quality points ÷ graded credit hours.
- Check which courses your school includes.
Combine your previous record with this term
Multiply your previous cumulative GPA by the previous graded credits to recover previous quality points. Add this term’s quality points, then divide by the sum of previous and new credits.
Example: 3.20 across 30 previous credits gives 96 quality points. A new 15-credit semester at 3.80 gives 57 points. The new cumulative GPA is (96 + 57) ÷ (30 + 15) = 3.40. A simple average of 3.20 and 3.80 would incorrectly give 3.50.
Use the correct scale for your school
High-school weighted GPA often gives extra points to Honors or AP/IB courses, but the bonus varies. Pexlii’s 5.0 example adds 0.5 or 1.0 to passing letter grades. Its 10-point mode asks for numeric grade points directly; it does not convert CGPA to a percentage.
Open the GPA calculator, select College, High School or Cumulative mode, then enter credits and grades. Compare the output with your school’s rules before using it on an application.
Key takeaways
- Weight courses by credits, not by the number of semesters.
- Combine quality points before dividing by total credits.
- Use the grading scale published by your school.
Sources
References for factual claims and further reading.
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Stanford University Student Services
How Do I Calculate My Grade Point Average (GPA)?
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