A GPA calculator multiplies each course's grade points by its credits, adds those products, then divides the sum by the credit total; for example, an A in a 3 credit course, a B+ in a 4 credit course and an A- in a 3 credit course give 36.3 / 10 = 3.63. The calculator above does this on the 4.0 scale used by US style colleges.
The same method gives the SGPA and CGPA printed on Indian grade cards, only with grade points out of 10. This guide shows the formula, the letter grade table, semester and cumulative GPA, the Indian 10 point version with a marks example, and the mistakes that most often spoil the result.
At a glance
Formula
GPA = sum of (credits x grade points) / total creditsScale
4.0 (A and A+ = 4.0, F = 0)Inputs
Course name, credits, letter gradeOutput
GPA, quality points, straight 10 point readingIndian version
Same formula with grade points out of 10 (SGPA, CGPA)Official figure
The GPA printed on your transcript or grade card
GPA = (C1 x G1 + C2 x G2 + ... + Cn x Gn) / (C1 + C2 + ... + Cn)
C is the credit value of a course and G is the grade point for the letter you earned. The products C x G are called quality points.
How the GPA calculator works: the formula
GPA is a weighted average. A 4 credit course counts four times as much as a 1 credit lab, so you cannot simply average the letters. Each course contributes credits x grade points, called quality points, and that sum goes over the credits you attempted.
That is all the GPA calculator formula is. It works the same for a single semester, a full year or a whole degree; only the list of courses changes. A failed course counts with 0 points but its credits stay in the total, which is why one F pulls the result down sharply.
- List every course in the term with its credit value.
- Write the letter grade for each course.
- Convert each letter to grade points using the scale.
- Multiply credits by grade points for each course.
- Add the products and divide by the total credits.
Filling in the calculator above
Each row is one course. Type a course name if you like (it is only a label), then the credits, then pick the letter grade from the dropdown. Use Add row for more courses and Clear to start again. A row without credits or a grade is skipped.
The result panel shows your GPA out of 4.0, the total quality points, and a straight reading on a 10 point scale (GPA x 2.5). The working line shows the division so you can check it by hand. Credits are on your transcript or the course catalogue, usually next to each course code.
Letter grades and grade points on the 4.0 scale
The calculator uses this table. Colleges publish their own tables, and a few differ slightly, so match it against your transcript key.
| Letter | Points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 |
| F | 0 |
Pass or fail courses, audits and withdrawals usually carry no grade points and are left out. Check your college's handbook for how it treats them.
Worked example: one college semester
Three courses. English, 3 credits, A: 3 x 4.0 = 12. Calculus, 4 credits, B+: 4 x 3.3 = 13.2. Chemistry, 3 credits, A-: 3 x 3.7 = 11.1.
Quality points: 12 + 13.2 + 11.1 = 36.3. Credits: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10. GPA = 36.3 / 10 = 3.63.
If you averaged the three letters without credits you would get (4.0 + 3.3 + 3.7) / 3 = 3.67, which is wrong because Calculus carries more weight.
Semester GPA and cumulative GPA
A semester GPA covers one term. A cumulative or overall GPA covers every term so far, and it must be weighted by credits, not by counting semesters.
Two semesters. Semester 1: GPA 3.4 on 15 credits gives 51 quality points. Semester 2: GPA 3.8 on 18 credits gives 68.4. Cumulative GPA = (119.4) / 33 = 3.62. A plain average of 3.4 and 3.8 would say 3.6.
Indian students doing the same with SGPAs can use our SGPA to CGPA or overall CGPA calculator.
GPA calculator for India: the 10 point version
Indian universities use the same weighted formula, but grade points run to 10 and the result is called SGPA for a semester and CGPA overall. Marks first become a letter grade from the university's table, then a grade point.
| Marks | Grade | Grade point |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | O | 10 |
| 80 to 89 | A+ | 9 |
| 70 to 79 | A | 8 |
| 60 to 69 | B+ | 7 |
| 55 to 59 | B | 6 |
| 50 to 54 | C | 5 |
| 40 to 49 | P | 4 |
| 0 to 39 | F | 0 |
Marks to GPA out of 10. Maths, 4 credits, 84 marks: A+, 9 points, 36. Physics, 3 credits, 91 marks: O, 10 points, 30. Chemistry, 3 credits, 67 marks: B+, 7 points, 21. Lab, 1 credit, 75 marks: A, 8 points, 8. Total 95 / 11 credits = 8.64.
For a grade card with a 10 point scale, the SGPA calculator has university grade tables built in.
Marks to GPA, and GPA back to marks
Used as a marks to GPA calculator, this tool needs letters, so first turn marks into grades with the table of your institution, as shown above. Any grade calculator for marks works only with the right table. There is no single national table for a 4.0 GPA in India.
No GPA to marks calculator can be exact, and going from GPA back to marks or a percentage is only an estimate unless your university publishes a rule. For a 10 point CGPA, use the matching rule listed in our CGPA to percentage guide. For a 4.0 GPA, the GPA to percentage tool gives a straight scale reading, and percentage to GPA goes the other way.
High school, IB and weighted GPA
What you get here is a credit weighted GPA, which is what colleges and universities use. Used as a high school GPA calculator it gives the unweighted figure. High schools in the US sometimes add extra points for advanced courses, producing a weighted GPA above 4.0. That bonus is set by each school, so use the school's own rule for it.
For IB students there is no single IB to GPA table, so no IB to GPA calculator can promise the figure a university will use. Universities that ask for a GPA decide how they read IB scores, so check the admissions page of each one. The same applies to grades from other boards: the receiving university or a credential evaluator does the conversion.
Mistakes that give a wrong GPA
| Error | Effect | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Averaging letters without credits | Light courses count as much as heavy ones | Multiply by credits first |
| Leaving out a failed course | The GPA looks higher than the transcript | Keep the F with 0 points and its credits |
| Averaging semester GPAs | Ignores different credit loads | Add quality points across terms |
| Reading a 10 point CGPA as a 4.0 GPA | A 4 out of 10 looks like a top score | State the scale or convert it |
Questions students ask
How do I calculate GPA from grades?
Change each letter to grade points, multiply each by its course credits, total those products, then divide by how many credits you took. The tool updates the answer with every entry.
How do I calculate cumulative GPA?
Add the quality points from every semester and split that by every credit taken. Do not average semester GPAs unless every semester had the same credits.
Is a GPA out of 10 the same as CGPA?
In India the cumulative GPA out of 10 is the CGPA, and one semester's figure is the SGPA. Both use the same weighted formula as the 4.0 GPA.
Does a failed course count in GPA?
Usually yes. An F carries 0 grade points but its credits stay in the total, so it lowers the GPA. Some colleges replace it when you repeat the course; check your handbook.
Can I use this GPA calculator for Indian marks?
Yes, if you first turn marks into letters with your university's grade table. For a 10 point SGPA or CGPA, the SGPA calculator on this site is a better fit.
What does the 10 point reading in the result mean?
It is the 4.0 GPA multiplied by 2.5, a straight scale reading. It is not an official conversion, and universities that need a 10 point figure use their own tables.