Cumulative GPA calculator
This cumulative GPA calculator adds a new semester to your overall GPA. Enter your current GPA and credits, then each course’s grade and credits, and it shows your new cumulative GPA, your semester GPA and the math.
- 4.0 scale with plus and minus grades
- Semester GPA and cumulative GPA together
- Pass and withdrawn courses left out, as most schools do
Last updated
How to use the cumulative gpa calculator
- Enter your current cumulative GPA and the credits behind it. Both are on your transcript or student portal. New student? Leave the credits at 0.
- For each course this semester, pick the letter grade and enter its credits. Use “Add a course” for more rows.
- Pick “Pass / withdrawn” for courses that do not count toward GPA at your school.
- Read your new cumulative GPA, your semester GPA and the arithmetic under the answer.
How cumulative GPA is calculated
GPA is an average weighted by credits. Each grade is turned into grade points (also called quality points), and the total points are divided by the total credits.
cumulative GPA = (current GPA × credits so far + new grade points) ÷ (credits so far + new credits)
New grade points are each course’s grade value times its credits, added up. An A (4.0) in a 3-credit course is 12 grade points. Your current GPA times your credits gives back the grade points you already have, so the calculator never needs your old courses one by one.
Worked example
You have a 3.20 GPA over 45 credits. This semester you earn an A in a 4-credit course and a B+, a B and an A− in three 3-credit courses.
- Grade points you already have: 3.20 × 45 = 144.
- This semester’s grade points: 4.0 × 4 + 3.3 × 3 + 3.0 × 3 + 3.7 × 3 = 16 + 9.9 + 9 + 11.1 = 46 points over 13 credits.
- Semester GPA: 46 ÷ 13 = 3.54.
- Cumulative GPA: (144 + 46) ÷ (45 + 13) = 190 ÷ 58 = 3.28.
A strong 3.54 semester lifts the overall GPA from 3.20 to 3.28. The more credits you already have, the less one semester moves it.
Grade points on the 4.0 scale
This is the plus/minus scale the calculator uses. It matches the University of Pennsylvania’s published scale and is common at US colleges, but schools differ: some give an A+ 4.3, some use D−, and some have no plus or minus grades at all.
| Grade | Points | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ or A | 4.0 | C+ | 2.3 |
| A− | 3.7 | C | 2.0 |
| B+ | 3.3 | C− | 1.7 |
| B | 3.0 | D+ | 1.3 |
| B− | 2.7 | D | 1.0 |
| F | 0.0 | P, W, I | not counted |
Why you cannot just average semester GPAs
A semester with more credits carries more weight. Say you earned a 4.0 over 12 credits and then a 2.0 over 3 credits (a summer course). The plain average of the two GPAs is 3.0, but the real cumulative GPA is (4.0 × 12 + 2.0 × 3) ÷ 15 = 54 ÷ 15 = 3.60.
To combine every semester, add up the grade points from each term and divide by all the credits. If you only have each term’s GPA and credits, multiply them to get each term’s points first. You can enter your first semesters as the “current GPA” and add later courses as rows.
Weighted and unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA uses the plain 4.0 scale above, so an A is 4.0 in any class. A weighted GPA adds extra points for honors, AP, IB or dual-enrollment classes, so it can go above 4.0. How many extra points, and for which classes, is set by each high school.
This calculator gives an unweighted GPA. Your transcript or student portal shows which kind your school reports.
Common questions
How do you calculate cumulative GPA?
Multiply each course’s grade points by its credits, add those up across every semester, and divide by the total credits. With a 3.20 over 45 credits and 46 new points over 13 credits: (144 + 46) ÷ 58 = 3.28.
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA for all semesters?
Multiply each semester’s GPA by its credits, add the results, and divide by the total credits. A 3.5 over 15 credits and a 3.0 over 12 credits give (52.5 + 36) ÷ 27 = 3.28.
Is cumulative GPA weighted or unweighted?
Either, depending on the school: a weighted GPA adds extra points for honors or AP classes, an unweighted one does not. This calculator gives the unweighted figure on the 4.0 scale, where an A is 4.0 in every class.
What GPA do I need next semester to raise my cumulative GPA?
Needed semester GPA = (goal × total credits after the term − current points) ÷ new credits. To go from 3.00 over 60 credits to 3.10 with 15 new credits: (3.10 × 75 − 180) ÷ 15 = 3.50.
How do retaken courses affect cumulative GPA?
It depends on your school’s repeat policy. Many replace the old grade, so remove the old course’s points and credits from your current totals and add the new grade as a row. Others average both attempts.
Do pass/fail and withdrawn courses count in GPA?
Usually not. Many colleges, such as the University of Tennessee, leave pass, withdrawal and incomplete grades out of the GPA. Choose “Pass / withdrawn” for those rows.
Sources
- University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences: Grade point average. Letter grade values on the 4.0 scale (A+ and A = 4.0, A− = 3.7 … D = 1.0, F = 0) and the credit-weighted method
- University of Tennessee One Stop: Grades, GPA and levels of distinction. GPA as quality points divided by credit hours attempted; W, P, I and similar grades excluded
- College Board BigFuture: How to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale. A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0, and the note that scales vary by school
See the methodology page for how Studyfigure builds and checks its calculators.