Cumulative GPA Calculator
The cumulative GPA calculator combines your current GPA and credits with this term's grades, weighted by credit hours. The example starts from a 3.10 over 60 credits: a 3.52 term lifts it to 3.18, and reaching a 3.25 takes a 3.60 over the next 15 credits.
Term GPA
- Working
- (4.0 x 3 + 3.3 x 4 + 3.7 x 3 + 3.0 x 3 + 4.0 x 1) / 14 = 49.3 / 14 = 3.521
- Cumulative GPA 74 credits in total, 235.3 quality points. Moved +0.080 from 3.10.
- 3.180
- Why one term moves it so little
- this term is 19% of your record
- Term GPA needed for a 3.25 cumulative (3.25 × 89 credits - 235.3 quality points) ÷ 15 credits.
- 3.60 over the next 15 credits
- Credits of straight As to reach 3.25 (3.25 × 74 - 235.3) ÷ (4.0 - 3.25), rounded up to the half credit. The fastest any record can get there.
- 7 credits
- Heaviest course Worth 29% of the term.
- Course 2 at 4 credits
- One 3-credit course a third of a grade better Moving a B to a B+ in a three-credit course.
- +0.064 on the term GPA
| Grade | Standard | Honors | AP or IB |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B- | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C- | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| D- | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
How the GPA Calculator works
Your cumulative GPA is every quality point you have earned divided by every credit you have attempted for a grade. A current GPA and its credits stand in for all the earlier courses: a 3.10 over 60 credits is 3.10 × 60 = 186 quality points. Add the new term's quality points and credits, divide again, and that is the new cumulative.
In the example the new term is five courses worth 14 credits: an A in a 3-credit course, a B+ in a 4-credit one, an A-, a B and a 1-credit A. That is 49.3 quality points, a term GPA of 3.52. The record becomes 186 + 49.3 = 235.3 quality points over 74 credits, and 235.3 ÷ 74 = 3.18. A strong term moved the cumulative by 0.08, because those 14 credits are 19% of the record.
Averaging the two GPAs would be wrong. (3.10 + 3.52) ÷ 2 = 3.31 treats 14 credits as if they weighed as much as 60. The same goes for averaging term GPAs across semesters: each term counts in proportion to its credits, so a 12-credit term and an 18-credit term are not equal halves.
A cumulative GPA calculator also works backward. To reach a target T over the next C credits, the term GPA needed is (T × (credits so far + C) - quality points so far) ÷ C. From 235.3 quality points over 74 credits, a 3.25 cumulative after 15 more credits needs (3.25 × 89 - 235.3) ÷ 15 = 3.60. A 3.80 would need 6.86 over those 15 credits, which no grades can give: a perfect 4.0 term reaches 3.318. Straight As would have to continue for 229.5 credits to pull the record up to 3.80, longer than most degrees.
The same formula answers the other common question, how low a term can go without dropping below a threshold. Starting from a 3.75 cumulative over 74 credits, a 3.50 floor holds after 15 more credits as long as the term GPA stays at 2.27 or above. Scholarship and honors cutoffs are usually stated as a cumulative GPA, which is why this is the number to plan around.
The scale is the unweighted US 4.0 scale with pluses and minuses, A and A+ both 4.0. Pass/fail courses, withdrawals and transfer credits usually do not enter the GPA at all, and repeated courses are handled differently from one school to the next, so check how your registrar counts them before trusting the second decimal place.
GPA Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your current GPA by your credits to get quality points, add the new term's quality points and credits, and divide the total quality points by the total credits. 3.10 over 60 credits plus 49.3 quality points over 14 credits is 235.3 ÷ 74 = 3.18.
What is cumulative GPA?
Your grade point average across every term so far, weighted by credit hours. A term GPA covers one term; the cumulative GPA covers the whole record, which is why it moves less each term.
What GPA do I need next semester to raise my cumulative GPA?
(Target × (current credits + next credits) - current quality points) ÷ next credits. From 235.3 quality points over 74 credits, reaching 3.25 after 15 more credits needs a 3.60 term.
Can I average my semester GPAs to get my cumulative GPA?
Only if every semester had the same number of credits. Otherwise weight each term by its credits. A 3.10 over 60 credits and a 3.52 over 14 average to 3.31 but combine to 3.18.