As students in the USA near their high school graduation and begin to apply to colleges, an academic metric that assumes great importance is the GPA. Whether a student has a high or “good” GPA or not is a factor that can affect several aspects of their future academic or professional life: from their acceptance to a college to their eligibility for financial aid to the ease with which they land their dream job.
This post explains what this all-important score is, while providing a breakdown of how to calculate it.
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What is GPA?
GPA is an abbreviation that stands for “grade point average.” It is a cumulative score used to gauge a student’s average performance over the years that they have taken to complete a particular level of education. Therefore, one’s GPA in high school, for instance, is a snapshot of their performance across its four years.
GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a cumulative average of all the grade points received by a student in all the classes they have taken.
In most institutions, GPA is begun to be calculated once a student enters high school. Their cumulative GPA (CGPA) at the end of high school is the score first examined by college admissions officers as it gives them an idea of the level of the applicant’s academic performance.
The calculation of GPA begins anew each time a student enrolls in a new institution or for a new level of education. Thus, one’s high school GPA is separate from their college GPA, and the GPA scored in undergraduate school is separate from the one scored in graduate school.
How is GPA Calculated?
The traditional GPA scale usually runs from 0 to 4 and is a numerical representation of average scores. Most often, students are assigned a letter grade on their individual assessments, as well as to score their overall performance in a particular class, from A+ all the way down to an F. A conversion chart is then used to convert these letter grades into grade points from 0 to 4.
Letter grades are calculated based on the percentage grade one earns. Some institutions indicate these percentages rather than the letter grades in report cards. These too can be converted into grade points.
GPA scales – Unweighted and Weighted
Unweighted GPA Scale
An unweighted GPA scale is a more or less standardized scale used in most schools (though there may be some variations in individual institutions). It is as follows:
| Letter Grade | Percent Grade | Grade Points |
| A+ | 97-100 | 4.0 |
| A | 93-96 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83-86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73-76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69 | 1.3 |
| D | 65-66 | 1.0 |
| F | Below 65 | 0.0 |
Weighted GPA Scale
The unweighted scale does not take into account how difficult a class is; it is common for all. However, certain institutions may use a weighted scale to calculate grade points and GPA. This is especially the case when AP and/or Honors classes are offered and attended.
The range of a weighted GPA is different from that of an unweighted one: it runs from 0 to 5, rather than from 0 to 4. The conversion changes when a weighted scale is used and becomes more individualized to each school.
GPAs calculated on the weighted scale indicate to college admissions officers that the student has attended AP and Honors classes. This is a bonus and boosts the student’s chances of getting accepted.
Calculating GPA for One Semester
In order to calculate the GPA for one semester, an average of the grade points of all the classes attended during that semester is considered.
For instance, the following is the score received by a student during one semester:
| Class | Letter Grade | Grade Points |
| Chemistry | B+ | 3.3 |
| Biology | A- | 3.7 |
| Mathematics | A- | 3.7 |
| English Literature | A | 4.0 |
| History | B | 3.0 |
The grade points are added up:
3.3 + 3.7 + 3.7 + 4.0 + 3.0 = 17.7
This total is then divided by 5 (as there are 5 classes) to calculate the GPA for that semester:
17.7/5 = 3.54
Calculating Cumulative GPA
Once the student graduates high school, their cumulative GPA, which takes into account their overall performance during all semesters, is calculated. This is the number that is first looked at by admissions officers; the higher it is, the better are the applicant’s chances.
For example, the following are a student’s GPAs for all seven high school semesters:
| Semester | GPA |
| Semester 1 | 3.8 |
| Semester 2 | 3.7 |
| Semester 3 | 2.9 |
| Semester 4 | 3.1 |
| Semester 5 | 3.5 |
| Semester 6 | 3.6 |
| Semester 7 | 3.9 |
The total GPA is summed up:
3.8 + 3.7 + 2.9 + 3.1 + 3.5 + 3.6 + 3.9 = 24.5
The total is then divided by 7:
24.5/7 = 3.5
Thus, the student’s cumulative GPA is 3.5.
How Percentage Grades are Calculated
The assessment of students’ performance begins with coursework such as tests, homework, and assignments. These are scored, and the scores are then used to calculate the percentage grades. These are the first steps to calculating GPA.
Every class has a maximum number of points that the student can receive. These are divided up amongst the various pieces of coursework; the points are given as they are completed and assessed. At the end of the semester and/or assessment period, the total number of points scored is calculated.
For instance, the maximum number of points that can be scored in a Biology class during one semester is 270. By completing all the coursework, a student has scored 187 points.
In order to calculate the percentage grade, first, the number of points scored is divided by the total number of points available:
187/270 = 0.69
The final percentage grade is calculated by multiplying the result by 100:
0.69 x 100 = 69%
In general, high GPAs are regarded to be optimal for admission into prestigious colleges such as Ivy League schools. However, the levels of the classes used to achieve it and other testing tools, such as the standardized test scores (SAT and ACT), may also be factors considered by admissions committees.
