Calculating Grade Point Average
Millikin University grades on a four-point scale, which includes plus (+) and minus (-) grades. Grade point average, or GPA, is determined by the number of quality points earned and the number of credits attempted. The number of quality points earned per class is determined by multiplying the number of credits the course is worth by the value associated with the grade. Values associated with grades are listed below.
|
Grade |
Grade Value |
|---|---|
|
A |
4.0 |
|
A- |
3.7 |
|
B+ |
3.3 |
|
B |
3.0 |
|
B- |
2.7 |
|
C+ |
2.3 |
|
C |
2 |
|
C- |
1.7 |
|
D+ |
1.3 |
|
D |
1 |
|
D- |
.7 |
|
F |
0 |
|
XF (failure due to academic dishonesty) |
0 |
|
P (pass) |
None |
|
W (withdraw) |
None |
|
I (incomplete) |
None |
Once the quality points earned for each class is determined, these numbers are summed to determine total quality points. The following situations are NOT graded credits and therefore are not included in the GPA calculation:
- Pass/fail credit
- Withdrawals
- Incompletes
To calculate the grade point average, total quality points earned is divided by total graded credits attempted.
GPA = Total quality points earned / Total graded credits attempted
Grade point average example
Suppose a student's fall semester ended like this:
|
Class |
Credits |
Grade |
|---|---|---|
|
Math |
4 |
B |
|
Literature |
3 |
C+ |
|
Biology |
4 |
A |
|
Sociology |
3 |
C- |
|
Music |
3 |
B- |
|
Fitness |
1 |
P (pass) |
|
Total |
18 credits |
Total quality points for the fall semester would be determined like this:
|
Class |
Credits |
Grade |
Grade Value |
Quality Points (credits X grade value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Math |
4 |
B |
3 |
12 |
|
Literature |
3 |
C+ |
2.3 |
6.9 |
|
Biology |
4 |
A |
4 |
16 |
|
Sociology |
3 |
C- |
1.7 |
5.4 |
|
Music |
3 |
B- |
2.7 |
8.1 |
|
Fitness (pass/fail) |
1 |
P (pass) |
0 |
0 |
|
Total: 48.4 |
Dividing total quality points by graded credits attempted, the student's fall semester GPA would be: 48.4 / 17 = 2.85.
Notice that total quality points are divided by 17, not 18. The 1-credit Fitness course is pass/fail, and is not factored in either quality points or credits attempted.
Now suppose the same student's spring semester ended like this:
|
Class |
Credits |
Grade |
|
English |
3 |
A |
|
History |
3 |
W (withdraw) |
|
Chemistry |
4 |
B+ |
|
Psychology |
3 |
D |
|
Communication |
3 |
B |
|
Total |
16 credits |
Total quality points for the spring semester would be determined like this:
|
Class |
Credits |
Grade |
Grade Value |
Quality Points (credits X grade value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
English |
3 |
A |
4 |
12 |
|
History |
3 |
W (withdraw) |
0 |
0 |
|
Chemistry |
4 |
B+ |
3.3 |
13.2 |
|
Psychology |
3 |
D |
1 |
3 |
|
Communication |
3 |
B |
3 |
9 |
|
Total: 37.2 |
Dividing total quality points by graded credits attempted, the student's spring semester GPA would be: 37.2 / 13 = 2.86.
Notice that total quality points are divided by 13, not 16. The History course that the student withdrew from is not factored in either quality points or credits attempted.
To determine this student's overall GPA for the year, the total quality points for both semesters are summed and divided by the total number of graded credits attempted.
Total quality points for the year: 37.2 + 48.4 = 85.6
Total graded credits attempted for the year: 17 + 13 = 30
Overall GPA for the year: 85.6/30 = 2.853