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Calculating a cumulative Grade Point Average
If your transcripts show totals for credit hours and quality points, click here. If not, follow the instructions below.
There are numerous GPA calculators available online. Each is usually associated with a specific school and, therefore, tends to be customized to how that institution handles grades, credits, and GPA. Some schools give different grade points for “+” and “-” grades (e.g., a B+ gets more grade points than a B, which gets more grade points than a B-); some schools do not (e.g., a B+, a B, and a B- all receive the same grade point value).
The calculators usually don’t compensate for the difference between semester credits and quarter credits, so students must convert those themselves prior to using the calculator (see section below for converting credit hours).
Below is information that will allow you to calculate your GPA, convert your hours if necessary, and an example. Most transcripts from the past 20 years will have already calculated the GPA and provided the point value and credits earned. If so, that information needs only to be combined with information from other transcripts after compensating for the differences in semester vs. quarter credits.
Calculating your cumulative GPA:
You may use the OSAC GPA calculator after performing steps 1, 2, 4, and 5 below.
The OSAC GPA calculator can be found here.
- Determine the point value for each grade earned (e.g., A=4.0, B=3.0)
- Multiply the point value by the number of credits attempted for each grade earned. This will give you your quality points.
- If you have a mixture of semester and quarter credits, convert one set of credit hours and grade points before adding the totals. See the section below for converting your credit hours.
- Add the total number of credits attempted.
- Add the total quality points.
- Divide the total quality points by the total number of credits attempted to get your GPA.
Converting your credit hours:
Converting semester credits to quarter credits:
- Multiply the total number of semester credit hours by 1.5
- Multiply the total number of semester quality points by 1.5
Converting quarter credits to semester credits:
- Multiply the total number of quarter credit hours by .667
- Multiply the total number of quarter quality points by .667
Example:
Joe attended Smith State University (a semester school) for one year, where he earned 30 semester credits. He also attended Jones University, where he earned 42 quarter credits. His grades, credits, and point values look like this for each school:
| Smith State University (semester school) |
| Class | Credits | Grade | Points for Grade | Point Value for Class |
| 1 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 (3 credits x 3.0 points = 9.0 point value for class) |
| 2 | 3 | C | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| 3 | 1 | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| 4 | 5 | B | 3.0 | 15.0 |
| 5 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 6 | 1 | F | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 7 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 8 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 9 | 5 | A | 4.0 | 20.0 |
| 10 | 3 | C | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| Totals: | 30 | | 96.0 |
| GPA: | 3.20 (96.0 divided by 30) |
| Jones University (quarter school) |
| Class | Credits | Grade | Points for Grade | Point Value for Class (quality points) |
| 1 | 1 | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| 2 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 3 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| 4 | 4 | C | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| 5 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| 6 | 1 | B | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| 7 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| 8 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 9 | 4 | A | 4.0 | 16.0 |
| 10 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| 11 | 1 | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| 12 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 13 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 14 | 4 | B | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| 15 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| Totals: | 42 | | 144.0 |
| GPA: | 3.43 (144.0 divided by 42) |
Joe must now add his credits and quality points to get totals, then divide his quality points by his credits attempted. However, before he does that, he must convert one set of credits and quality points because he has a mixture of semester and quarter credits. It doesn’t matter which set he converts because the GPA will be the same either way.
If he converts his semester information, it will look like this:
30 x 1.5 = 45 quarter credits for Smith
96 x 1.5 = 144 quarter quality points for Smith
| 45 | (Smith quarter credits) |
| + 42 | (Jones quarter credits) |
| = 87 | total credits |
| |
| 144.0 | (Smith quality points) |
| + 144.0 | (Jones quality points) |
| = 288.0 | total quality points |
Cumulative GPA = 3.31 (288.0 divided by 87)
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