What this calculator needs from you
Your cumulative GPA is the average of every graded credit you’ve taken at a school; a term GPA covers one semester. Most transcripts print both, so the term GPA and the credits for each semester are all you need here. For the full definition, and how it differs from a major GPA, see what cumulative GPA means.
This calculator works at the term level. If you still need the GPA for a single semester from its letter grades, get it from the GPA calculator first, then bring the result here.
The formula this calculator uses
You don’t need every class grade. Your term GPAs and the credits behind each one are enough:
- Multiply each term’s GPA by that term’s credits. That gives the term’s quality points.
- Add the quality points from every term.
- Add the credits from every term.
- Divide the total quality points by the total credits.
Use the credits that count toward GPA, not the credits you earned. Transcripts often label them “GPA hours” or “quality hours.” A pass/fail class earns credit but carries no grade points, so counting it would drag your average down for no reason.
Worked example: three terms
Here’s a first year of college with a full fall, a heavier spring, and one summer class:
| Term | Term GPA | Credits | Quality points | Cumulative after term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman fall | 3.50 | 15 | 52.5 | 3.50 |
| Freshman spring | 3.00 | 16 | 48.0 | 3.24 |
| Summer session | 4.00 | 3 | 12.0 | 3.31 |
| Total | 34 | 112.5 | 3.31 |
112.5 quality points divided by 34 credits is 3.3088, which rounds to 3.31. Look at the last column. The spring term dropped the cumulative by 0.26, and a perfect summer only won back 0.07. That’s the same pattern the bars in the calculator show row by row.
Why the plain average of your terms is off
The tempting shortcut is to add the three term GPAs and divide by three: (3.50 + 3.00 + 4.00) ÷ 3 = 3.50. That’s 0.19 too high.
The shortcut treats a three-credit summer class as if it counted as much as a sixteen-credit spring. It doesn’t. Spring holds almost half of this student’s credits (16 of 34), so its 3.00 should pull the average down hard, and in the real calculation it does. The summer A is real, but it’s three credits of evidence, not a third of the record.
A plain average only gives the right answer when every term has the same credits. One light semester, a dropped class, or a summer session is enough to break it. When the two numbers differ, the calculator tells you how far off the plain average would be. The cumulative GPA guide walks through more cases, including retakes and transfer credits.
A planned term is a projection
Use “Add a planned term” for a semester you haven’t finished. It gets a Projected tag and a striped bar, and it’s left out of your actual cumulative GPA. The result shows a second number with it included. In the example, a 3.60 over 15 credits next fall would move the cumulative from 3.31 to 3.40.
Want to work backward from a goal instead? The raise GPA calculator solves for the term GPA you’d need to hit a target.
How a cumulative GPA lags behind your trend
Because every credit counts once, a strong recent year moves the cumulative slowly. Here’s a student who improves every year, with 30 credits per year:
| Year | Year GPA | Credits so far | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 2.80 | 30 | 2.80 |
| Sophomore | 3.20 | 60 | 3.00 |
| Junior | 3.50 | 90 | 3.17 |
| Senior | 3.90 | 120 | 3.35 |
A 3.90 senior year and the cumulative still finishes at 3.35. That’s why it helps to show the term-by-term column when you talk to an advisor or write an application essay: the trend tells a story the single number hides.
Where schools count it differently
- Repeated classes. Many colleges replace the old grade when you retake a class, so only the new one counts. Others, such as Georgia Tech, average both attempts. Medical school applications through AMCAS and law school reports from LSAC include every attempt, so a replaced grade can come back.
- Transfer credits. Credits from another college usually count toward your degree but not toward your GPA at the new school. Keep each school’s terms in a separate calculation.
- Quarter credits. One quarter credit equals two-thirds of a semester credit, so 15 quarter credits are 10 semester credits. Within one school it doesn’t matter. Convert before you combine records from both systems.
- High school terms. A semester class is often worth 0.5 credit, and the cumulative may be weighted. Keep every term on the same scale. The weighted vs. unweighted GPA guide explains the difference.
- Colleges that recalculate. The University of California, for example, doesn’t take your high school’s cumulative GPA as printed. It computes its own from approved a-g courses taken in 10th and 11th grade, with extra points for a capped number of honors semesters.
Your registrar has the official rules. For the full walk-through from letter grades to a cumulative figure, read how to calculate GPA.