How to calculate college GPA
Colleges weight each grade by credit hours. Quality points for a course = grade points × credit hours. GPA = total quality points / total GPA credit hours. Pass/fail and withdrawn courses usually do not count toward GPA; repeated-course rules vary by college.
Semester example
| Course | Credits | Grade | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus I | 4 | B (3.0) | 12.0 |
| Composition | 3 | A (4.0) | 12.0 |
| Chemistry | 4 | C+ (2.3) | 9.2 |
| Psychology | 3 | A- (3.7) | 11.1 |
Total: 44.3 quality points / 14 credits = 3.16.
Cumulative GPA
Cumulative GPA = (old GPA × old credits + new quality points) / (old credits + new credits). Example: 3.40 over 30 credits plus the semester above gives (102.0 + 44.3) / 44 = 3.33. Do not average semester GPAs directly unless every semester has the same credits.