Cumulative GPA Calculator
Combine your cumulative GPA with this term's GPA, weighted by credits, and see what it would take to reach a goal GPA on a 4.0, 4.3 or 5.0 scale.
What is a cumulative GPA calculator?
Your cumulative GPA is the average of every graded course on your record, with each course weighted by its credits. This cumulative GPA calculator updates it after a new term. Enter the cumulative GPA on your transcript and the credits it is based on, then this term's GPA and credits, and it returns your New cumulative GPA, the Change this term, and the Total credits and Total grade points behind the result.
Add a goal and it also works backward. GPA needed next term (same credits) to reach your goal shows the term GPA you would need over another term with as many credits as this one, and Credits of top grades needed to reach your goal shows how many credits of perfect grades it would take. Choose the grading scale first (4.0, 4.3 with A+ = 4.3, or 5.0 weighted), because the top of the scale decides what counts as a perfect grade and which goals are possible.
GPA rules are not the same everywhere. Schools differ on whether an A+ is worth more than an A, how repeated courses count, how pass/fail and withdrawn courses are treated, whether honors and AP courses are weighted, and whether the result is rounded or truncated. The calculator does the standard credit-weighted math; your registrar's figure is the official one.
Formula
Every GPA calculation runs on grade points, also called quality points: a course's grade value multiplied by its credits. A GPA is total grade points divided by total credits, so multiplying a GPA by its credits gives the grade points back.
- Total grade points P = current GPA × credits earned so far + term GPA × term credits
- Total credits C = credits earned so far + term credits
- New cumulative GPA = P ÷ C
- Change this term = new cumulative GPA − previous cumulative GPA
The goal results
For a goal G, with c the number of credits you took this term and S the top of your scale (4.0, 4.3 or 5.0):
- GPA needed next term (same credits) = (G × (C + c) − P) ÷ c. If the answer is above S, the calculator reports that the goal is not possible in one more term of that size and shows the GPA it would take.
- Credits of top grades needed = (G × C − P) ÷ (S − G), rounded up to a whole credit. Each credit at the top grade adds S grade points, and the formula finds how many such credits pull the average up to G. The estimate in terms divides by 15 credits per term and rounds up.
If your new cumulative GPA is already at or above the goal, both results say so. A goal at or above the top of the scale is reported as not reachable: unless every grade on your record is already at the top, the average can get closer to the top but never reach it.
What the scale setting changes
The scale does not convert grades from one scale to another, and it does not change the new cumulative GPA. It sets the highest GPA the calculator accepts (a GPA above the top of the chosen scale gives no result), the cutoff for "not possible", and the value of a perfect grade in the credits calculation.
Worked example
Example 1: a 3.80 term on top of 60 credits
Current cumulative GPA 3.50 on 60 credits; this term 3.80 on 15 credits; goal 3.75; 4.0 scale.
- Grade points so far: 3.50 × 60 = 210.
- Grade points this term: 3.80 × 15 = 57.
- Totals: 210 + 57 = 267 grade points over 60 + 15 = 75 credits.
- New cumulative GPA: 267 ÷ 75 = 3.560, shown as "+0.060 vs your previous 3.50".
For the 3.75 goal, another 15-credit term would need (3.75 × 90 − 267) ÷ 15 = 70.5 ÷ 15 = 4.70. That is above 4.0, so the result reads "Not possible in one more term of 15 credits (would need 4.70 on a 4.0 scale)". Straight A's would take (3.75 × 75 − 267) ÷ (4.0 − 3.75) = 14.25 ÷ 0.25 = 57 credits, shown as "57 credits at a perfect 4.0 (about 4 terms of 15 credits)". Check: (267 + 57 × 4) ÷ (75 + 57) = 495 ÷ 132 = 3.75.
Example 2: climbing back to a 3.2
Current cumulative GPA 2.80 on 30 credits; this term 3.40 on 15 credits; goal 3.20; 4.0 scale.
- Grade points: 2.80 × 30 = 84 and 3.40 × 15 = 51, so 135 over 45 credits.
- New cumulative GPA: 135 ÷ 45 = 3.000, a change of +0.200.
- Next term: (3.20 × 60 − 135) ÷ 15 = 57 ÷ 15 = 3.80 over the next 15 credits.
- Top grades: (3.20 × 45 − 135) ÷ (4.0 − 3.20) = 9 ÷ 0.8 = 11.25, rounded up to 12 credits at a perfect 4.0.
Rounding up matters: 11 credits of A's give 179 ÷ 56 ≈ 3.196, just short, while 12 give 183 ÷ 57 ≈ 3.211.
Example 3: the same record on two scales
Current cumulative GPA 3.60 on 45 credits; this term 4.00 on 15 credits; goal 3.80. The new cumulative GPA is 222 ÷ 60 = 3.700 on either scale, but the goal results differ:
- 4.3 scale: the next 15 credits need (3.80 × 75 − 222) ÷ 15 = 63 ÷ 15 = 4.20, which is possible when an A+ counts 4.3. Top grades: (3.80 × 60 − 222) ÷ (4.3 − 3.80) = 6 ÷ 0.5 = 12 credits at a perfect 4.3.
- 4.0 scale: the same 4.20 is above the top, so the result is "Not possible in one more term of 15 credits (would need 4.20 on a 4.0 scale)", and top grades become 6 ÷ (4.0 − 3.80) = 30 credits, about 2 terms of 15 credits.
Picking 4.3 at a school where an A+ counts the same as an A makes a goal look easier than it is.
How to use this calculator
- Choose the Grading scale: 4.0 scale, 4.3 scale (A+ = 4.3) or 5.0 scale (weighted).
- Enter your Current cumulative GPA and the Credits earned so far that it is based on, from your transcript or degree audit. Use only credits that count in the GPA; at Duke, for example, courses taken pass/fail are left out of the GPA calculation.
- Enter This term's GPA and This term's credits. If you only have letter grades for the term, work out the term GPA first.
- Optionally enter a Goal cumulative GPA.
- Read your New cumulative GPA and the Change this term, then the two goal results.
Which goal result to use
- GPA needed next term (same credits) to reach your goal answers "what do I need next term?" It assumes the next term has the same number of credits as this one.
- Credits of top grades needed to reach your goal answers "how fast could I get there at best?" It assumes every future credit earns the top grade on your scale, so treat it as a minimum. The estimate in terms assumes 15 credits per term.
Common mistakes
- Averaging two GPAs without weighting by credits. See the first question below.
- Counting credits that are not in the GPA, such as pass/fail courses at schools that exclude them.
- Mixing scales. A weighted GPA above 4.0 gives no result on the 4.0 setting; switch to the 5.0 scale.
- Forgetting a repeated course. If your school replaces the earlier grade, the old attempt's credits and grade points must come out of your prior totals first.
Learn more in how to calculate cumulative GPA and how to calculate GPA. To get a term GPA from letter grades, use the GPA calculator; to plan a single course, use the final grade calculator.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I just average my old GPA and this term's GPA?
Because the two GPAs rest on different numbers of credits. In Example 1, (3.50 + 3.80) ÷ 2 = 3.65, but the correct cumulative GPA is 3.560: the 3.50 covers 60 credits and the 3.80 only 15, so the older grades carry four times the weight.
Why does a great term barely move my GPA?
The more credits you already have, the less one term can change the average. A 4.0 term of 15 credits lifts a 3.20 on 90 credits to 3.314 (+0.114), but lifts a 3.20 on 15 credits to 3.600 (+0.400). Early terms move a cumulative GPA the most; later terms move it slowly.
Which grading scale should I choose?
The one your school uses for the GPA you are entering. Some colleges count an A+ the same as an A (Duke's undergraduate scale lists both at 4.0), while others give it more: Arizona State lists an A+ at 4.33 but caps the cumulative GPA at 4.00. Choose 4.3 only if an A+ really can lift your GPA above 4.0, and note that this calculator uses 4.3, not 4.33, as the top of that scale. Choose 5.0 for a weighted scale on which honors or AP courses can earn up to 5 points.
How do repeated courses affect my cumulative GPA?
That depends on your school's repeat policy, which this calculator cannot see. At Arizona State, for example, undergraduates can repeat a course graded D or E once, and for students admitted in fall 2008 or later only the higher grade counts in the cumulative GPA, for up to 12 credit hours of repeats. If your school replaces the earlier grade, subtract the old attempt's grade points and credits from your prior totals, enter the adjusted GPA and credits, and include the new grade in this term.
Can I use it for a weighted high school GPA?
Yes, with the 5.0 scale, as long as you know your weighted GPA and how many credits it covers. If every course carries the same credit, you can enter the number of courses instead. Check how your own school weights courses, and remember that colleges may recalculate your GPA their own way: the University of California, for example, uses only approved college-preparatory courses taken from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th grade, and adds an extra point for UC-approved honors-level courses, up to a cap.
Will the result match my transcript exactly?
Not always. The calculator shows the new GPA to three decimal places, but registrars set their own rules: Duke, for example, truncates all GPAs to three decimal places instead of rounding them. What counts can differ too. Duke leaves pass/fail courses out of the GPA, and Arizona State excludes grades such as W. When the numbers disagree, your registrar's figure is the one that counts.
What if this is my first term?
Enter 0 for the credits earned so far; the current cumulative GPA can be 0 or left empty. The new cumulative GPA is then simply this term's GPA, and Change this term reads "First term — no earlier GPA to compare". The goal results still work: after a 3.25 first term on 16 credits, a goal of 3.50 needs a 3.75 over the next 16 credits, or 8 credits at a perfect 4.0.
What does "Not reachable: the goal is at or above the top of the scale" mean?
You entered a goal at or above the top of your scale, such as 4.0 on the 4.0 scale. Unless every grade on your record is already at the top, perfect grades bring the average ever closer to that number without reaching it.