What is GPA? How to Calculate? What is Good GPA Score?

GPA, also known as Grade Point Average, is used to evaluate an individual's academic performance for a single term or semester. Numerous universities across the world uses GPA system, and higher GPA indicate stronger grades. GPA is calculated by taking an average of all the final scores, a candidate has achieved in the overall semester, weighted by the total credit hours. GPA plays a major role in college admission, scholarship eligibility and during placement, as various universities and recruiters candidates on the basis of their GPA. Read the complete article to learn about GPA, how to calculate it, how is GPA different from CGPA, and more.

This Story also Contains

1. What is GPA?
2. Why GPA is important?
3. What is Average GPA?
4. Grading systems and GPA scores
5. How to calculate GPA?
6. Difference between Unweighted and weighted GPA
7. Difference between Cumulative GPA and overall GPA
8. What is a good GPA?
9. How to keep a high GPA?

What is GPA?

GPA full form is Grade Point Average (GPA), it is a numerical measure of a student’s average academic performance across all courses. On a scale of 1.0 to 4.0, the GPA summarizes a student’s progress throughout his/her studies. Higher numbers indicate better achievement of course learning objectives. Universities use the GPA to evaluate whether a student meets the expected academic standards for a particular degree program or not.

Why GPA is important?

The GPA is of utmost importance because it provides a comprehensive measure of a student’s academic performance throughout the course in a college/university. While passing individual courses is mandatory, the GPA provides a bigger picture of a student’s grades across all subjects, thereby quantifying his/her overall excellence as a student.

While pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s program, a candidate will be asked to provide his/her average GPA for various purposes such as applying for a scholarship, participating in any extracurricular activity, or applying for a doctoral programme. The GPA can be considered as a key that opens doors to exciting opportunities during college/university. Organizations, scholarship committees, clubs, and universities prefer high-achieving and ambitious students. Thus, it becomes crucial for students to score high GPA.

What is Average GPA?

The overall grade point average is a score that reflects a candidate’s academic performance and achievement during his/her degree programme. The GPA is the average of the grades that a student has earned in all his/her subjects during a semester, term, or year. This number fluctuates throughout a candidate’s college/university career based on his/her performance. It rises when a student performs well and falls when his/her performance declines.

Grading systems and GPA scores

Grading systems in different parts of the world use a variety of scales, including letters, numbers, and more, to evaluate a student’s academic performance. Some common examples are:

• In countries like Canada, the USA, Saudi Arabia, etc., letters from A-F are used

• In the Netherlands, Colombia, etc., numbers from 1-10 are used

• In Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Austria, etc., numbers from 1-5 are used

• The Percentage method is used in various countries like Belgium, Kuwait, and Poland, to name a few.

Universities also use other common procedures to evaluate and rank students. However, to make these grades comprehensible across countries and universities, they often use an average score system.

European universities often use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) to convert grades. It helps in promoting education transparency and allowing students' academic grades to be recognized in different countries.

How to calculate GPA?

Each letter grade, number grade, or percentage grade that a student receives corresponds to a quality point on a 0-4 scale, where 4 is the highest possible grade and 0 is the lowest. For example, an A, 100%, or 10/10 would equal 4 quality points, while a C, 75%, or 7/10 would equal 2 quality points. This standardized quality point system allows grades across different scales to be equated.

For instance, in the United States, an A is the highest possible grade in a course. The numeric value of an A varies from school to school. It may equal 4 points or a multiple of 4, like 8 or 16. After taking a few classes, the total points earned are added up and divided by the total number of credits to determine the grade point average (GPA).

To add more clarity, let’s exemplify this elaborately. Let’s assume a student has three courses: Biology, Mathematics, and English with 2, 2, and 3 credits for each course. The student’s scored grades are:

• C in Biology, where C is 2.0 on the GPA scale

• B in Mathematics, where B is 3.0 on the GPA scale

• A in English, where A is 4.0 on the GPA scale

To calculate the GPA, the grade has to be multiplied in each course by the number of credits for that course. The student earned 4-grade points for his/her 2 credits of Biology (B), 6 points for his/her 2 credits of Mathematics (B), and 12 points for his/her 3 credits of English (A).

Hence, the total grade points are 22 (4 + 6 + 12). Subsequently, the total grade points (22) have to be divided by the total number of credits (7) to get the GPA. The GPA will be 3.14.

Related Articles:

• CGPA Full Form

• CGPA Calculator

Difference between Unweighted and weighted GPA

To calculate an unweighted GPA, all courses are graded on a scale from 0 to 4.0, regardless of difficulty. For example, an A would equal 4.0 points whether it is earned in an easy or challenging class. The GPA is determined by the average of all course grades, without weighting grades based on course difficulty.

Weighted GPA help in getting a more accurate assessment of a student’s academic efforts, since these consider the difficulty of the courses. Unlike regular GPA which use a 4.0 scale, weighted GPA use a 0 to 5.0 scale. A in an easier class receives 4.0, while an A in a more demanding class receives 5.0. This differentiation acknowledges the additional effort required for more challenging courses.

Difference between Cumulative GPA and overall GPA

A student's cumulative GPA or CGPA and overall GPA both represent their average grades, but there is a key difference between the two. Cumulative GPA covers a shorter period, such as a semester or term, while overall GPA encompasses the student's entire academic history. An overall GPA represents the average of all grades earned by a student across his/her entire academic career, encompassing grades from every term and semester.

Difference Between GPA and CGPA

What is a good GPA?

Before understanding what GPA is good, it is important to note that a good GPA is dependent on the level of education a candidate is undergoing. For instance, maintaining a high-grade point average (GPA) in high school is often easier than in college or university. Therefore, Grade Point Averages should be considered from an educational level perspective.

The GPA one needs to get depends on the college he/she plans to study. Highly competitive colleges may require a 3.5 GPA or higher, while less competitive colleges accept students with lower GPAs, sometimes as low as 2.0. A student’s targeted college/university admission requirements determine if his/her GPA is good enough or not.

While evaluating GPA, many universities and colleges also consider the rigour of the courses taken. A student with a 3.0 weighted GPA comprised of advanced classes may be chosen over a student with an unweighted 3.5 GPA of less challenging courses, since admission processes include analysing GPA in context and factoring in all relevant details.

Many universities and colleges require students to maintain a minimum GPA to qualify for financial aid, scholarships, and other support. Falling below the minimum, normally a 2.0 can result in the loss of financial support.

If one plans to continue his/her education in a Master's or PhD program, the GPA will also be important, as admission requirements vary by university and program. Some may accept applicants with a 2.75 GPA, while others require a minimum of 3.0 or 3.5. The higher the GPA a student scores, the more options he/she will have while applying for competitive graduate programs.

How to keep a high GPA?

Maintaining a high GPA throughout your academic journey requires dedication, effective strategies, and a commitment to learning. Instead of aiming for high scores, students must set smaller and realistic goals for themselves. Students can gradually increase the difficulty to improve their study habits. It is highly important that one should stay motivated by finding a positive study environment and maintaining a positive attitude. Here are some tips that can students to achieve their goal:

• Actively participate in class

• Create a dedicated study schedule

• Review study material regularly

• Utilize different learning method

• Manage your time effectively

• Take help when required

• Maintain a healthy lifestyle by getting enough sleep, having a balanced diet, and exercising regularly