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Grades · GPA

Cumulative GPA Calculator

Combine your prior GPA with this semester to get your new cumulative GPA.

Cumulative GPA
3.48

Across 75 total credit hours.

To calculate your cumulative GPA, take a credit-weighted average of every term: (prior GPA × prior credits + term GPA × term credits) ÷ (prior + term credits). With a 3.2 GPA over 60 credits and a 3.8 term worth 15 credits, that is (192 + 57) ÷ 75 = 3.32.

How cumulative GPA works

Your cumulative GPA is the credit-weighted average across every term you have completed. The key insight is inertia: the more credits already behind you, the less any single new semester can move the total. Early on, one strong term swings it a lot; by your final year it barely budges.

cumulative = (prior GPA × prior credits + term GPA × term credits) ÷ (prior + term credits)

a weighted average of two GPAs, by their credit hours

Worked example

Prior GPA 3.2 over 60 credits, then a 3.8 semester worth 15 credits.

  1. 1
    Quality points so far. 3.2 × 60 = 192 points from prior terms.
  2. 2
    Add this term’s points. 3.8 × 15 = 57 → 192 + 57 = 249 total quality points.
  3. 3
    Divide by total credits. 249 ÷ (60 + 15) = 249 ÷ 75 = 3.32 cumulative GPA.

Reading the result

“My great semester barely moved it.” That’s the weight of history — with 60 prior credits, a single 15-credit term is only a fifth of the average.

Projecting a goal. Try different term-GPA values to see what you’d need this semester to reach a target cumulative. Work out a single term’s number first with the Semester GPA calculator, then feed it in here. Big jumps get harder the further you are into a degree.

Recovering from a low start. Early low grades are the easiest to dilute — consistent strong terms pull the average up fastest before credits pile up.

Where do I find my prior GPA and credits?
On your transcript or student portal — use your overall (cumulative) GPA and the total credit hours completed so far.
Why does my new semester barely move it?
It’s credit-weighted: the more prior credits you’ve banked, the smaller the share a single term represents, so the average shifts less.
Should I include this term’s credits in “prior”?
No — keep prior and current separate. Prior is everything before this term; the term box is just the new semester.
Does it match my school’s cumulative GPA?
It uses the standard credit-weighted formula. Some schools exclude transfer credits, pass/fail, or retaken courses — check your policy.
How can I raise it fastest?
Earlier is better: low grades are easiest to dilute before you accumulate many credits. After that, sustained high terms matter more than any single one.
What are quality points?
Quality points are GPA × credits for a term — the running total the formula divides by total credits. With a 3.2 over 60 credits that’s 192 points, and a 3.8 term over 15 credits adds 57, giving 249 ÷ 75 = 3.32.