Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is a numerical representation of your academic performance. Most universities and high schools in the United States use a 4.0 scale. Understanding how this number is derived is crucial for tracking your academic progress and meeting graduation or scholarship requirements.
The GPA Calculation Formula
The standard formula for calculating GPA is:
GPA = Total Quality Points / Total Credit Hours
Step-by-Step Instructions
Assign Points to Letter Grades: Convert your letter grades into their numerical equivalents (e.g., A = 4.0, B = 3.0).
Calculate Quality Points: For each class, multiply the grade point value by the number of credits the class is worth. For example, an 'A' in a 3-credit course equals 12 quality points (4.0 × 3).
Total the Points: Add up all the quality points from all your courses.
Total the Credits: Add up the total number of credit hours you attempted.
Divide: Divide the total quality points by the total credit hours.
function addCourseRow() {
var container = document.getElementById('course-list');
var newRow = document.createElement('div');
newRow.className = 'course-row course-item';
newRow.innerHTML = `
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
F
`;
container.appendChild(newRow);
}
function removeRow(btn) {
var rows = document.getElementsByClassName('course-item');
if (rows.length > 1) {
btn.parentNode.remove();
} else {
alert("You need at least one course to calculate GPA.");
}
}
function calculateFinalGPA() {
var gradeSelects = document.getElementsByClassName('grade-value');
var creditInputs = document.getElementsByClassName('credit-hours');
var totalQualityPoints = 0;
var totalCredits = 0;
for (var i = 0; i 0) {
totalQualityPoints += (gradePoint * creditHour);
totalCredits += creditHour;
}
}
var resultArea = document.getElementById('gpa-result-area');
var displayScore = document.getElementById('display-gpa');
var summary = document.getElementById('gpa-summary');
if (totalCredits > 0) {
var finalGPA = totalQualityPoints / totalCredits;
displayScore.innerText = finalGPA.toFixed(2);
resultArea.style.display = 'block';
var feedback = "";
if (finalGPA >= 3.5) { feedback = "Excellent! You are likely on the Dean's List."; }
else if (finalGPA >= 3.0) { feedback = "Good job! You have a solid academic standing."; }
else if (finalGPA >= 2.0) { feedback = "You are maintaining satisfactory progress."; }
else { feedback = "Your GPA is currently below 2.0. You may need to seek academic advising."; }
summary.innerHTML = "Based on " + totalCredits + " total credits, your cumulative GPA is " + finalGPA.toFixed(2) + ". " + feedback;
// Scroll to result
resultArea.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
} else {
alert("Please enter valid credit hours for at least one course.");
}
}