The term GPA is almost a universal term for every student on this Academic journey. I remember back in high school and college when many people would ask, “How can one determine GPA?”, or “How to calculate GPA?” GPA is calculated for high school, colleges or any learning institution that operates in similar terms. Here is the process for calculating the GPA to equip you with the tools to examine your performance on a semester-by-semester basis.
GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It’s a numerical value that evaluates your academic performance over a specific period. It shows what you scored in your classes throughout a semester, a term, a whole academic year, or even your entire academic journey. Your average GPA can fluctuate over time at the college and it will change depending on how much you improve your overall point. GPA helps you to track your academic progress and understand how well you're performing!. In the U.S, many schools, colleges, and education institutions often calculate GPA by assigning a point value to each letter grade (for example, A equals 4 points, B equals 3 points, etc.) and then averaging those point values across all your subjects.
In the U. S. education system, there are 2 types of GPA calculation: gpa (grade point average) and sometimes termed as gpa (grade point average). Course grades are unweighted gpas and signified performance without considering the difficulty of the course. A good example is the distinction that weighted GPAs can make because they increase students’ GPA when they enroll in challenging courses.
Unweighted GPA: This is a simple arithmetic mean as each letter grade is converted to a number (often a 4. 0) and the total is divided by the number of cases to yield the average. How about attaining an A which is a 4? X 0 is isomorphic with B 3. 0, and so on. In the case of an unweighted GPA system, the grades assigned to the courses do not depend on the difficulty of the subject and are the same for regular, honors, and advanced placement (AP) courses.
Weighted GPA: This method gives extra weight to grades earned in more challenging courses. For honors, AP, or IB classes, the grades are converted to a 5.0 scale. For example, an A in a regular class is still a 4.0, but an A in an AP class becomes a 5.0. This system gives students who join difficult classes a potential advantage by increasing their overall GPA.
Unweighted GPAs treat all courses equally, while weighted GPAs give more weight to grades earned in advanced or honors subjects.
Unweighted GPAs treat all subjects the same, assigning a numerical value to each letter grade and averaging them. So, whether you take regular English or AP Literature, they contribute equally to your overall GPA.
Formula:
In which:
Example:
Let's calculate the unweighted GPA for a student who took three courses: English (3 credits, B grade), Math (4 credits, A grade), and Science (2 credits, C grade).
Step 1: Assign numerical values to letter grades
Typically, unweighted GPA uses a scale of 4.0, where A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, and F = 0.0.
In this example:
Step 2: Multiply credits by grade points
For each course, multiply the number of credits by the corresponding grade value.
Step 3: Sum the grade points
Add the grade points you obtained in step 2.
Total grade points = 9.0 (English) + 16.0 (Math) + 4.0 (Science) = 29.0 grade points
Step 4: Divide total grade points by total credits
The total number of credits is the sum of the credits taken in each course.
Total credits = 3 credits (English) + 4 credits (Math) + 2 credits (Science) = 9 credits
Unweighted GPA = Total grade points / Total credits = 29.0 grade points / 9 credits = 3.22
Therefore, the student's unweighted GPA is 3.22.
Weighted GPAs reward students who take challenging subjects by giving extra points for grades in honors, AP, or IB classes. This reflects the greater effort required for these classes.
Formula:
In which:
Example:
Let's calculate the unweighted GPA:
Step 1: Assign numerical values to letter grades
In this example, we'll have a 0.5 point bonus for Honors and a 1.0 point bonus for AP classes.
Step 2: Multiply credits by grade points
For each course, multiply the number of credits by the corresponding grade value.
Step 3: Sum the grade points
Add the grade points you obtained in step 2.
Total grade points = 9.0 (English) + 18.0 (Honors Math) + 4.0 (AP Science) = 33.0 grade points
Step 4: Divide total grade points by total credits
Sum of Credits: 3 + 4 + 2 = 9
Weighted GPA: 33.0 / 9 = 3.67
Therefore, the student's weighted GPA is 3.67.
For the bonus points assigned to different course levels (e.g., Honors, AP), see the table below:
Weighted type | Weighted bonus |
Regular | 0 |
Honors | 0,5 |
College | 1 |
AP | 1 |
IB | 1 |
The conversion table shows how to convert your letter grades to percentage grade and GPA (4.0 scale)
Grade (letter) | Grade (percentage) | GPA |
A+ | 97 - above | 4,33 - above |
A | 93 - 96,99 | 4,00 - 4,32 |
A- | 90 - 92,99 | 3,67 - 3,99 |
B+ | 87 - 89,99 | 3,33 - 3,66 |
B | 83 - 87,99 | 3,00 - 3,32 |
B- | 80 - 82,99 | 2,67 - 2,99 |
C+ | 77 - 79,99 | 2,33 - 2,66 |
C | 73 - 76,99 | 2,00 - 2,32 |
C- | 70 - 72,99 | 1,67 - 1,99 |
D+ | 67 - 69,99 | 1,33 - 1,66 |
D | 63 - 66,99 | 1,00 - 1,32 |
D- | 60 - 62,99 | 0,67 - 0,99 |
F | 0 - 59,99 | 0,00 - 0,66 |
GPA is a scoring system that provides a balanced approach to differentiating students from different grades and school systems. A high GPA scores indicates that you are a highly capable learner who can manage difficult classes and greatly increase your chances of getting into desired programs. Scholarships and grants: There are many scholarships and grants which have minimum grade point average (GPA) requirements. For example, there are marks and credits that one needs to have to get a scholarship. A good GPA will help in getting financial aid that will assist the students in offsetting fees and other college expenses. Academic programs: In some specific university programs the minimum GPA admission requirement may be higher. Among the guarantees of getting access to the specific program the GPA is usually very important.
In conclusion, in a system of unweighted GPAs all the courses are rated as equal and the students receive similar points for their grades in any subject. On the other hand, the weighted GPAs make a difference between the grades received in advanced or honors courses and differentiate the points a student can get for them. It is somehow apparent that the calculation process for both types is more or less the same but with some differences. The choice of the use of weighted or unweighted GPAs entirely depends on the grading policy of a school or academic institutions.
