What is a GPA? Why it’s important and how to calculate it | Top Universities
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What is a GPA? Why it’s important and how to calculate it

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Holly Hemmings

Updated Nov 20, 2023
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GPA

Applying to universities and confused by references to GPA within the entry requirements? Read on to learn more about what GPA is and how you can calculate your own GPA score. 

What is a GPA? 

GPA, or grade point average, is a system taking each grade that a student has received throughout the semester, the year or the duration of their studies and producing an overall average grade that gives an idea of their overall academic performance.  

It is a system that is commonly used in the United States and can be considered a standardised system of calculating an average grade for universities all over the world so that they can understand the marking system and performance of an international student. The GPA system uses the numbers 0-4 with 4.0 being the highest GPA score that a person can achieve. 

Why is GPA important? 

GPA can be important for a lot of reasons and can factor into a lot of things. If you are in high school, you will need to know your GPA when applying for universities as many universities will have minimum admission requirements.  

If you are in university, many things may depend on your GPA such as funding and scholarships, internships, your ability to join a club or organisation on campus or an application to a postgraduate course. 

What is a good GPA? 

A ‘good’ GPA will depend on your level of education and your academic goals. It may be easier to achieve a higher GPA in high school than in university. A good GPA to one student might also depend on personal standards or the standards of a potential employer or a university that they hope to attend. It is different for everyone. 

If you are in high school and wanting to apply for university, the top institutions generally ask for a GPA of 3.5 or higher. However, there are plenty of institutions that will accept students with a GPA of 2.5 or sometimes even 2.0. These include: 

Concordia University, Canada – only asks for completed full-time study at a high school level with no minimum entry requirement grades 

Birkbeck University of London, England – requires a minimum GPA of 2.0 

London Metropolitan University, England – requires a minimum GPA of 2.0+ 

Montana State University, United States– requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 

University of Texas at El Paso, United States – requires a minimum GPA of 2.75 

If you are in university, the minimum GPA expectation is usually 2.0 although it varies from institution to institution. The average ‘good’ GPA, in that case, may range from 2.75 to 3.5, again, depending on the university and their expectations of their students. 

How to calculate GPA? 

Many countries around the world use the GPA system, most notably, the United States. However, some countries use other systems such as grade percentages, grading letters, grading numbers or, in the UK, grading classifications. 

Here are some estimations for how different grading systems may equate to GPA: 

GPA 

Letter Grading 

Percentage 

Number Grading (1-10) 

Number Grading (1-5) 

Classification Grading 

4.0 

>70% 

10-8 

1-1.5 

First Class Honours 

3.5 

69% - 60% 

7.5-7 

Upper Second Class Honours 

3.0 

B-C 

59% - 50% 

7-6.5 

2.5-3 

Lower Second Class Honours 

2.5 

C-D 

49% - 45% 

6.5-6 

3.5 

Third Class Honours 

2.0 

44% - 40% 

Third Class Honours 

1.0 

49% - 35% 

5.5 

Degree with no Honours 

0.0 

<35% 

<5 

No degree awarded 

Online GPA calculators 

There are many GPA calculators available online that can quickly and easily help students transfer the marks that they have been awarded in their current grading system to find their GPA. This is one calculator that may be able to help you: 

GPA Calculator 

It is important to note that an online calculator, while useful, does not always give completely accurate results and, as this specific site is not affiliated with QS in any way, we cannot guarantee its effectiveness. If you find yourself needing to calculate your GPA, it is important to reach out to a tutor or teacher for help and to find out what resources your school or university can offer you. 

Cumulative GPA 

Your overall GPA, also known as your cumulative GPA, is what will be considered by universities for applications, funding, and club membership. You may also have a GPA for a specific class or for a specific semester, but it is important to know how these add up to form your cumulative GPA as this is the number that will be the most important to you. 

If you are not sure what your cumulative GPA is, it is usually very easy to calculate yourself. Generally, you can calculate your overall GPA score by adding up each of the GPAs that you have received for a class or semester and dividing that number by the number of classes or number of semesters. This should give you a GPA within the range of 0.0 and 4.0 that is the average of every grade you have received. 

Weighted GPA vs unweighted GPA 

Whether your school uses weighted or unweighted GPAs will affect the way that your cumulative GPA is calculated. 

If your GPA is unweighted, this means that each score that you receive from each class will factor equally into your cumulative GPA. In this case, cumulative GPA is calculated as above by adding each score together and dividing it by the number of scores that you have received to find the average. 

If your GPA is weighted, that means that each GPA is not considered equally when calculating the average, for example because certain classes may require more work.  

Students might be tempted to take easier classes that require less work in order to ensure a higher grade. Some schools recognise that, in this case, the score alone is not necessarily representative of the student’s academic ability and the additional knowledge and skills that they are able to learn in a more advanced class should be reflected in their overall GPA.  

If your school uses a weighted GPA system, classes that are more challenging will boost your overall GPA more than classes that are less challenging. 

Weighted GPAs could be calculated by using a 0.0-5.0 grade instead of the maximum of 4.0 that is generally used. It could also look like adding 0.5 to the GPA of every mid-level class and 1.0 to the GPA of every advanced class when calculating the cumulative GPA. 

It is important to know the way that your school or course calculates GPA. Again, it is a great idea to reach out to a tutor for support and more information. 

How can I improve my GPA? 

Ways to improve your GPA can vary between institutions but the best way is to make an effort to improve your academic performance and make sure you are getting the most out of your studies. 

This might involve looking at your study schedule. Make sure you give yourself enough time to do all your homework regularly and plan ahead when it comes to big projects or studying for exams. Preparation is key to making sure that you are able to take in all the information and produce the best work possible which will earn you a higher GPA. 

If there is a topic or subject area that you are struggling in, be sure to ask for help. Your teachers and tutors want you to do well and so if you need something explained again or more information would help you to understand something better, they are your best resource. 

It may be that you are experiencing personal hardship, and your grades are suffering as a result. Many institutions can offer deadline extensions, time out of studies or the opportunity to retake a project or exam for a student with extenuating circumstances. Be sure to reach out and see what support can be made available to you. 

If your school does weighted GPA programmes, it might be worth taking a more difficult class in the next year or the new semester. These will allow you to be ambitious and really raise your cumulative GPA score. 

Finally, many institutions offer opportunities that can count as extra credit, boosting your GPA in a specific class. These could be additional tests or assignments or extra-curricular activities outside of the classroom. Find out what extra credit projects your school or class offers and make use of them if necessary. 

How important is GPA really? 

While GPA will be something crucial to consider throughout the course of your studies it is important to remember that it's not everything. Universities and, later, employers are looking for skilled and competent candidates that will make positive contributions to their communities. 

Alongside a good GPA, things such as volunteering placements, sporting or artistic talents, and internships would also be highly valued on any application. Commitment, effort, innovative thinking, and passion are the core principles behind a successful student.  

It is very important to achieve a great GPA while studying but it is also important to let your student experience shape you into a well-rounded individual with the confidence to achieve your dreams.