About Grade Point Averages

As students progress in their education, letter grades turn into number grades. You're probably aware of what a B is, but a 2.9 average might confuse you. A grade point average is simply the way a student's overall academic achievement is quantified. Understanding your or your student's grade point average (or GPA) is a rather simple process once you know what the numbers mean.

Types

Grade point averages are really only used for high school and college students. Most high schools consider each class to be worth the same amount of credits. Therefore, a GPA can be found by simply dividing the total points accumulated by the number of courses the student took.
A college GPA is somewhat different since classes are distinguished by "credit hours." College students also have what is known as a "major GPA." This is the grade point average accumulated by the student in classes specific to that student's major.

Features

Schools in the United States use a 4-point system for determining GPA:
3.5 to 4 = A
2.5 to 3.49 = B
1.5 to 2.49 = C
1.0 to 1.49 = D
< 1.0 = F
Assume a high school student took five total classes and accumulated 15.6 grade points. That student's GPA would then be 3.12, or a B.
Since college classes are determined by course hours, a college GPA is found by a slightly different method. GPA in college is found when grade points are divided by course hours. If a student has 56 grade points and 15 course hours, his GPA would be 3.7, or an A.

Significance

Grade point average is how a student is judged by schools and employers. Many larger universities will not accept a student with a high school GP under 3.0. Those same universities will not allow a college student into a major if he has a GPA of under 2.0 after four college semesters. Employers discriminate highly based on GPA, and many will not hire a person who graduated college with under a 3.0 GPA.

Misconceptions

A student with a 3.3 college GPA may not necessarily be smarter or a better student than one with a 2.8 GPA. The student with the higher GPA may have taken easier courses during college. One bad semester can also lower a student's GPA dramatically. To have all of the information about a student's academic achievements, one must look at a transcript. There, you can examine the student's performance class by class and semester by semester.

Expert Insight

There are several ways to give yourself a higher grade point average in college. Students are allowed to drop so many courses during their college careers. Dropping a course in which you're in danger of getting a low grade will keep that grade off of your transcript, thus keeping it from lowering your GPA. Students can also take easy "elective" courses. These are courses outside of your major and can easily up your GPA anywhere between o.5 and 1 total point.

Resources

• Back 2 College: Calculate your GPA