College GPA Calculator
Enter this term's courses. Blank rows are ignored.
| Letter grade | Credit hours |
|---|
From your transcript. Leave both boxes empty for a semester-only result.
Graded credits only — pass/fail credit usually sits outside GPA.
How the math works
The semester number is the plain credit-weighted average: quality points (grade points × credits) divided by credits. The cumulative number reconstructs your history as one big pile of quality points — prior GPA × prior credits — adds this term's pile, and divides by all credits together:
cumulative = (priorGPA × priorCredits + termQP) ÷ (priorCredits + termCredits)
Worked example: a 3.40 over 60 banked credits, then a term of A (3 cr), B (3 cr), B+ (4 cr), C+ (3 cr). The term earns 12 + 9 + 13.2 + 6.9 = 41.1 quality points over 13 credits — a 3.16 semester. Cumulative: (3.40 × 60 + 41.1) ÷ 73 = 245.1 ÷ 73 = 3.36. The below-average term pulled the 3.40 down, but only by four hundredths — dilution cushions in both directions, which is the honest lesson of cumulative math.
Questions
How is the semester GPA computed?
Each course's grade points are multiplied by its credit hours, the products are summed into quality points, and the total is divided by total credits. An A in 3 credits, a B in 3, a B+ in 4, and a C+ in 3 give 41.1 quality points over 13 credits, which is 3.16.
How does the cumulative mode work?
Your prior quality points are reconstructed as prior GPA times prior credits, this term's quality points are added, and the sum is divided by the combined credits. With a 3.40 over 60 credits and a 3.16 term over 13, the cumulative lands at 3.36.
Why does one semester barely move my cumulative GPA?
Dilution. Your term is a minority of your total credits, so its effect shrinks as prior credits grow. A 13-credit term against 60 banked credits carries 13 of 73 shares of the final average - under 18 percent of the weight.
Which grading ladder does this tool use?
The standard 4.0 plus-minus ladder, with A+ counted at 4.0. This tool's ladder is fixed; if your school publishes different points, use the plain GPA calculator on this site, which has a fully editable letter-to-points table.
Is the cumulative result exact?
It is exact when your prior GPA is exact. Transcripts usually show a rounded GPA, so reconstructing prior quality points from it can be off by a fraction of a point. Enter more decimals if your registrar shows them; the official cumulative belongs to the registrar.