Self-Instruct
CGPA, or cumulative grade point average, is a measure of a student’s overall academic performance, calculated over the course of several semesters or years. Essentially, it is a weighted average of all the grades a student has received during their academic career. In this article, we will explain how to calculate CGPA.
Before we dive in, it’s important to understand the difference between CGPA and GPA. GPA, or grade point average, is a measure of a student’s academic performance over a single semester or year. It’s calculated by dividing the total grade points earned by the total credit hours attempted. CGPA, on the other hand, takes into account all of a student’s academic performance to date.
To calculate CGPA, you will need to follow these steps:
1. Determine the total number of credit hours attempted
The first step to calculating CGPA is to determine the total number of credit hours attempted. This includes all the courses you have taken over the course of your academic career.
For example, let’s say you’ve taken the following courses:
- First semester: 4 courses, each worth 3 credit hours
- Second semester: 5 courses, each worth 3 credit hours
- Third semester: 6 courses, each worth 3 credit hours
To determine the total number of credit hours attempted, you would add up the credit hours for each semester:
- First semester: 4 x 3 = 12 credit hours
- Second semester: 5 x 3 = 15 credit hours
- Third semester: 6 x 3 = 18 credit hours
Total credit hours attempted = 12 + 15 + 18 = 45 credit hours
2. Determine the total grade points earned
The next step is to determine the total grade points earned. You do this by multiplying the grade points for each course by the credit hours for that course. Grade points are typically assigned based on the letter grade you receive in a course.
Most universities and colleges use the following scale for assigning grade points:
- A: 4.0
- B: 3.0
- C: 2.0
- D: 1.0
- F: 0.0
For example, let’s say you received the following grades in your courses:
- First semester:
- English: B (3.0 grade points)
- Math: B+ (3.3 grade points)
- Science: A (4.0 grade points)
- History: C+ (2.3 grade points)
- Second semester:
- English: A- (3.7 grade points)
- Math: B- (2.7 grade points)
- Science: A+ (4.3 grade points)
- History: C (2.0 grade points)
- Art: B+ (3.3 grade points)
- Third semester:
- English: A (4.0 grade points)
- Math: B (3.0 grade points)
- Science: A- (3.7 grade points)
- History: A (4.0 grade points)
- Art: B- (2.7 grade points)
- Music: C (2.0 grade points)
To determine the total grade points earned, you would multiply the grade points for each course by the credit hours for that course, then add up the results:
- English: (3.0 x 3) + (3.7 x 3) + (4.0 x 3) = 33.3 grade points
- Math: (3.3 x 3) + (2.7 x 3) + (3.0 x 3) = 26.1 grade points
- Science: (4.0 x 3) + (4.3 x 3) + (3.7 x 3) = 40.8 grade points
- History: (2.3 x 3) + (2.0 x 3) + (4.0 x 3) = 20.7 grade points
- Art: (3.3 x 3) + (2.7 x 3) + (2.7 x 3) = 23.4 grade points
- Music: (2.0 x 3) = 6.0 grade points
Total grade points earned = 150.3 grade points
3. Calculate CGPA
To calculate CGPA, you simply divide the total grade points earned by the total credit hours attempted:
CGPA = Total grade points earned / Total credit hours attempted
In our example, the total grade points earned were 150.3 and the total credit hours attempted were 45. Therefore, the CGPA would be:
CGPA = 150.3 / 45 = 3.34
So, the student in this example has a CGPA of 3.34.
Final Thoughts
Calculating CGPA is a straightforward process, but it can be a bit tedious if you have a lot of courses to consider. However, it’s important to keep track of your academic performance over time so you can identify areas where you need to improve and see how you are progressing overall. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to calculate your CGPA accurately and easily.