How to calculate grade point average (GPA)

GPA, or grade point average, is an important number for your student to know. Basically, it’s a representation of the grades they got in the courses they took in one numerical score.

GPA is important because many colleges will look at a student’s GPA when deciding whether to admit them, and some colleges have a minimum requirement. If a student has a good high school GPA, they will be more likely to succeed in college. Your student’s GPA is important while they are in college, too. They’ll want to keep it up, especially because some scholarships and other financial aid require your student to stay above a certain GPA.

What is CGPA?

CGPA stands for “cumulative grade point average.” While their GPA can show how well your student did in a given semester, a CGPA takes into account all their semesters combined for a total — or cumulative — grade point average.

Weighted vs. unweighted

You might hear the terms “weighted” and “unweighted” GPA. An unweighted GPA means that the difficulty of the class is not taken into account — all classes are scored the same. A weighted GPA takes into account course difficulty. Most high school GPAs are unweighted.

How to convert letter grades to a GPA

To figure out how to translate your student’s letter grades to a GPA, see the chart below (courtesy of Big Future.

Using this chart, you would multiply your student’s number on the 4.00 scale by the number of units (e.g., the course’s credit hours). For example, if they earned a B in a three-credit course you would multiply 3.00 (on the 4.00 scale) by 3 (units) for a total score of 9. Once you do this for all your student’s classes, divide the total score of all their classes by the number of total units and that will give you their cumulative GPA. If that all sounds a little tricky, you can Google search “GPA calculator” to find a bunch of calculators online that will figure it out for you.

What is considered a good GPA?

No one number acts as a dividing line between a good GPA and a bad one. There are multiple considerations your student should take into account to decide what they consider a “good” GPA. One consideration is the admission requirements of the college they want to get into. It might have a certain GPA threshold for admission. Another consideration is financial aid. If your student is receiving a scholarship, one of the requirements to maintain it may be to hold a certain GPA.

How your student can increase their GPA

If your student wants to bring their GPA up once they begin college (or their high school GPA now), there are a few things they should do.

Attend classes

This may sound like a no-brainer, but the more classes they miss, the more course material they miss. And even though they might be able to make up for the coursework they miss, that’s still no substitute for being in class, listening to the instructor and being able to ask questions.

Focus on time management

Making sure they have enough time to do homework, study for exams and meet with a study group is important. If they’re struggling with time management, they should start by mapping out their week and figuring out where their time is spent. Then, start trimming unnecessary commitments to make room for the academic ones.

Study, study, study

The more time we spend doing something, the better we get at it. This goes for academics, too. The more time your student studies and reviews course material, the more they will retain and the better their grades will be on homework assignments and exams.