Your grade point average (GPA) is one of the most important aspects of your college applications. While colleges and universities consider other factors when accepting students, your GPA is an indicator of your academic performance and potential for success with a rigorous college curriculum.
However, there are different types of GPAs, including the cumulative GPA. Let’s take a look at what the cumulative GPA is, what it means, how you can calculate it, and how it differs from your “normal” GPA.
What Is a GPA?
Your GPA is a figure that expresses your academic strength in a numerical value. It’s used in high schools and colleges in the U.S. to measure performance, which is calculated by converting grades or percentages for assignments – such as A, B, C – to a corresponding point on a GPA scale.
The GPA is on a scale of 0-4. The highest GPA is 4.0, which is an A grade, and 0.0 is the lowest with an F grade. Each assignment, quiz, or exam has a grade or percentage, which is then converted to the corresponding GPA points. These values are added together, and the sum is divided by the number of units or credits in each class to determine the average for the semester.
Your GPA reflects your performance throughout a semester. Cumulative GPA is an average of all the grades you’ve received in your courses throughout high school, which gives a college or university an idea of how you perform over time.
Each course has a certain number of credits, and those with a higher number of credits have more weight than a lower number of credits.
To calculate your unweighted GPA, you must:
- Multiply the credits for each course by the numerical grade point of the grade you earned. Here’s a sample chart:[1]
| Letter Grade | Percentage Grade | Grade Point |
| A/A+ | 93-100% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89% | 3.3 |
| B | 83-86% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-82% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79% | 2.3 |
| C | 73-76% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69% | 1.3 |
| D | 65-66% | 1.0 |
| F | Below 65% | 0.0 |
- Add the total grade points together.
- Add the total number of credits you’ve earned.
- Divide the grade point total by the total number of credits, rounding to the nearest hundredth.
Some institutions have GPA scales that are higher than 4 to evaluate performance in more difficult courses, such as honors courses. This is a weighted scale, and it can change your cumulative GPA.
What Is a Weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA is the grade point average that uses a different scale to account for the difficulty of more advanced courses. The weighted GPA reflects your work in these courses, which can set you apart from a student with a GPA of 4.0.
The weighted GPA scale is 0-5. To calculate your weighted GPA, you can follow the same process as the cumulative GPA, but you need to add the following values to each grade point:
- 0.0 for regular courses.
- 0.5 for honors, International Baccalaureate (IB) SL, and dual enrollment courses.
- 1.0 for advanced placement (AP), post-AP, IB HL, and college-level courses.
Here’s an example of an unweighted vs. weighted GPA to understand the difference in calculations:
Unweighted Cumulative GPA: Fall Semester
| Course | Letter Grade | Grade Point | Number of Credits | Raw Value (Grade point x number of credits) |
| American History | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| Biology | B+ | 3.3 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Chemistry | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Honors English Composition | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| College Algebra | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| Health | A | 4.0 | 2 | 8 |
| Total | 17 | 65 |
The raw value divided by the number of credits (65/17) is 3.82, which is the unweighted GPA for the fall semester.
Unweighted Cumulative GPA: Spring Semester
| Course | Letter Grade | Grade Point | Number of Credits | Raw Value (Grade point x number of credits) |
| World History | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 12 |
| Spanish I | A | 4.0 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Physics | B- | 3.3 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Honors English Literature | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| College Algebra II | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| Art | A | 4.0 | 2 | 8 |
| Total | 17 | 65 |
Like the previous semester, the GPA for the spring semester is 3.82.
The cumulative GPA is the sum of the raw values divided by the sum of the credits: (65+65)/(17+17) = 130/34 = 3.82
If you want to determine your cumulative GPA for all semesters, you can follow the same formula to add the raw values for all of your courses and divide them by the total number of credits rather than doing the calculations semester by semester.
Weighted Cumulative GPA: Fall Semester
Some courses will have extra point values. Here’s an example with honors courses.
| Course | Letter Grade | Grade Point | Number of Credits | Course Type | Raw Value ((Grade point + course type) x number of credits) |
| American History | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Biology | B+ | 3.3 | 3 | 0 | 9.9 |
| Chemistry | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 0 | 11.1 |
| Honors English Composition | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0.5 | 13.5 |
| College Algebra | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0.5 | 13.5 |
| Health | A | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 17 | 68 |
Again, take the raw value and divide it by the number of credits to get your semester-weighted GPA: (68/17 = 4.0)
Weighted Cumulative GPA: Spring Semester
| Course | Letter Grade | Grade Point | Number of Credits | Course Type | Raw Value ((Grade point + course type) x number of credits) |
| World History | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Spanish I | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 11.1 |
| Physics | B- | 3.3 | 3 | 0 | 9.9 |
| Honors English Literature | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0.5 | 13.5 |
| College Algebra II | A | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Art | A | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 17 | 66.5 |
Using the same calculation, this is the weighted GPA for the spring semester: (66.5/17 = 3.91)
The cumulative GPA for these two semesters would then be: (68+66.5)/(17+17) = 134.5/34 = 3.95.
Why Is Cumulative GPA Important?
Cumulative GPA is a critical metric for college admissions because it demonstrates your academic performance over your high school career, not just in one semester. This can also help balance out any less-than-perfect grades compared to looking at one semester by itself.
Universities and colleges use cumulative GPA to narrow down large applicant pools, along with standardized test scores like SAT or ACT and other criteria. Each institution has different standards for their minimum GPA, but it’s part of the “whole picture” of who you are as a student. A strong cumulative GPA reflects consistent academic performance and possible academic honors, which shows the college that you’re likely to be able to handle the rigors of the college curriculum.
In addition, your cumulative GPA can affect what scholarships and financial aid you’re eligible for. Many scholarships have a minimum GPA requirement for eligibility, and one of the stipulations for federal financial aid (and some private loan providers) is satisfactory academic progress – which includes a minimum GPA you must maintain or exceed throughout your college career to receive aid.[1]
Is Weighted or Unweighted GPA Better?
Neither GPA is inherently “better” than the other because schools use different systems. The goal of a weighted GPA is to give college admissions a more standardized comparison to evaluate GPAs and account for course difficulty.
However, if you have a strong weighted cumulative GPA, it’s a good indicator that you can succeed with a rigorous course load, which is a good sign to admissions. That said, you shouldn’t worry if you have a strong unweighted cumulative GPA, which still shows consistent effort and success. Plus, colleges and universities consider more than just your GPA, including your standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, character, and more.
What’s a Good Cumulative GPA for College Admissions?
While GPAs on a 4-point scale are standardized, their value varies by school. For example, one school may be known to have a more rigorous curriculum than another, so a 4.0 at that school may hold more value. It’s better to consider your GPA as it compares to other applicants at your target school, including whether the GPA is weighted or unweighted, the average GPA for your class, and the average GPA for students accepted to that school in previous years.
For example, Ivy League schools like Yale and Harvard have no “official” GPA requirements, but they tend to accept students with nearly 4.0 GPAs.[2] But other great schools leave more leeway with a GPA, such as 3.5 or 3.6, and may weigh other aspects of the application. Many colleges and universities understand that sustaining a 4.0 for a semester, let alone four years of high school, can be difficult.
Prepare for College Applications with InGenius Prep
If you’re planning to apply to top-tier schools, it’s never too early to focus on your academic performance. At InGenius Prep, we offer subject tutoring, test prep, and more to ensure that your college applications are as competitive as possible. Schedule your free consultation today to see how we can help!