Cumulative GPA Calculator

This calculator combines your terms into one overall GPA. Add a target if you have one, and it also works out the GPA you need next term to reach it.

How it’s calculated

Each term’s quality points are its GPA times its credits. Your cumulative GPA is all your quality points divided by all your credits:

This is the method James Madison University and New York University describe: total quality points divided by total credit hours.

To find the GPA you need next term, work the formula backwards. Multiply your target by all the credits you’ll have, then subtract the quality points you already hold:

Worked example

You have a 3.5 GPA over 30 credits, and you’ve just earned a 3.8 over 15 more:

1. Find the quality points for each: 3.5 × 30 = 105; 3.8 × 15 = 57.
2. Add them: 105 + 57 = 162.
3. Divide by the total credits: 162 ÷ 45 = 3.6.

Cumulative GPA = 3.60.

Reaching a target

Now say you want a 3.70 after 15 more credits, which would bring you to 60:

1. Find the quality points that target takes: 3.7 × 60 = 222.
2. Subtract what you already have: 222 − 162 = 60.
3. Divide by next term’s credits: 60 ÷ 15 = 4.0.

You need a 4.00 next term. There’s no room to spare, so a two-term plan may be more realistic.

How far one term can move your GPA

Our guide to raising your GPA goes further, with how long a target takes and what a retake does.

The more credits you’ve earned, the less a single term changes your GPA. This table shows a student with a 3.0 GPA and a 15-credit term at 4.0.

Common questions