A grade point average (GPA) is a cumulative average of all grades for all courses completed up to a certain academic level. Often, if a student is transferring from one school to another, he will need to calculate a GPA for the classes on his transcript. A GPA is calculated using a mathematical formula, and the cumulative GPA will fall in a range between 0.0 and 4.0.
Assign a 4 to every "A" grade that appears on a transcript.
Assign a 3 to every "B" that appears on a transcript.
Assign a 2 to every "C" that appears on a transcript.
Assign a 1 to every "D" that appears on a transcript.
Assign a 0 to every "F" that appears on a transcript.
Multiply each numeric letter grade from Steps 1 to 4 by the number of credit hours received for the course. For example, if you received a C in a 4-credit-hour course, you would multiply 2 x 4 to get 8. This figure represents the grade point for the particular course.
Calculate the grade points for any transfer coursework that does not appear on your transcript.
Add the grade points from all course work listed on the transcript and all transfer coursework.
Add the total credit hours for all coursework listed on the transcript and all transfer coursework.
Divide the total grade points from Step 8 by the total hours of coursework from Step 9. This figure represents your overall GPA.
Tip
Pass/no pass courses, incompletes and withdrawals are not considered when calculating a GPA.