How to calculate your GPA

To calculate your GPA, turn each grade into grade points, multiply by the course credits, add the results, then divide by the total credits. On the US 4.0 scale an A is 4.0. On the Australian 7-point scale a High Distinction is 7. The UK and most of Europe do not use a GPA at all.

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What is a GPA in one line?

A GPA, or grade point average, is the credit-weighted average of your grades. It is used in the United States, Canada and Australia. The UK uses degree classifications and most of Europe uses national scales, so if you study there you may not have a GPA. The full comparison is in our guide to university grading systems.

How do you calculate a GPA step by step?

Convert each grade into grade points on your scale.
Multiply each course’s grade points by its credit value.
Add the results. This total is your quality points.
Add up the credits.
Divide quality points by total credits. That is your GPA.

The step people miss is the credit weighting. A four-credit course moves your average more than a two-credit one, so you cannot just average the grades.

Worked example on the US 4.0 scale

On the standard US 4.0 scale, an A is 4.0, a B is 3.0 and a C is 2.0, and a D (1.0) is the lowest passing grade (apporto.com). Say you took four courses.

Course	Grade	Grade points	Credits	Quality points
Essay writing	A	4.0	3	12.0
Statistics	B+	3.3	4	13.2
History	B	3.0	3	9.0
Lab methods	A-	3.7	2	7.4

Quality points add to 41.6. Credits add to 12. Divide: 41.6 divided by 12 is 3.47. Your GPA for the term is 3.47.

How do you calculate a GPA on the Australian 7-point scale?

Most Australian universities use a 7-point scale where High Distinction is 7, Distinction 6, Credit 5, Pass 4 and Fail 0 (openeducat.org). The method is the same, you just use 7-point values.

Course	Grade	Grade points	Credits	Quality points
Essay writing	HD	7	3	21
Statistics	D	6	4	24
History	C	5	3	15
Lab methods	D	6	2	12

That is 72 quality points over 12 credits, a GPA of 6.0. Australian universities often report a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) too, a credit-weighted average of your raw percentages rather than grade points, and it is what most honours programmes use.

How do you work out a cumulative GPA?

Your cumulative GPA covers every term. Add the quality points from all terms, add all the credits, then divide. Do not average your term GPAs unless each term carried the same credits, because that ignores credit weighting.

Term one: GPA 3.47 across 12 credits, which is 41.6 quality points.
Term two: GPA 3.10 across 15 credits, which is 46.5 quality points.
Cumulative: 88.1 divided by 27 credits, which is 3.26.

What if you study in the UK, Canada or Europe?

The UK does not use a GPA. It uses classifications: First, Upper Second (2:1), Lower Second (2:2) and Third (prospects.ac.uk). Canada has no single standard, with 4.0, 4.3 and percentage systems in use (idp.com). Most of Europe keeps national scales and uses ECTS only to transfer grades between countries. The side by side is in our university grading systems guide, and the definition is in what is a GPA.

How can you check a grade before you submit?

Knowing your GPA tells you where you stand after grades are in. The harder question is what a draft will score before you hand it in. Grade Predictor answers that: upload your draft, the brief and the rubric, and it shows the likely grade. The first two predictions are free with no card, and your upload is deleted after the prediction. If you want the draft checked for similarity first, Plag Check returns a Turnitin similarity and AI report in about fifteen minutes, and your draft is never stored. Our guide to a good Turnitin similarity score explains what the report should show.