Semester GPA Calculator
One semester, one number. Add the courses you are taking this term, the grade you have — or the grade you are aiming for — and how many credits each course is worth. This semester GPA calculator turns them into your semester GPA on the standard 4.0 scale, and shows your total credits and quality points along the way. It is the fastest way to answer the end-of-term question: how did this semester actually go, and what does it do to the bigger picture?
Solid work — comfortably above average.
What does this semester do to your cumulative GPA?
A semester GPA only covers one term. To see how it moves the cumulative GPA on your transcript, blend it with the GPA and credits you already have — the cumulative calculator does that blend for you.
Open the Cumulative GPA CalculatorHow to calculate your semester GPA
- Convert each grade to points. A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B− = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C− = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D− = 0.7, F = 0.0.
- Multiply by the course's credits. The result is that course's quality points — a grade in a 4-credit course counts four times as much as the same grade in a 1-credit course.
- Add and divide. Total quality points ÷ total credits = your semester GPA.
Example: English A (3 credits), Calculus B+ (4 credits), Psychology A− (3 credits), History C+ (3 credits) and Art B (2 credits) give quality points of 12 + 13.2 + 11.1 + 6.9 + 6.0 = 49.2 over 15 credits, so the semester GPA is 49.2 ÷ 15 = 3.28. The full method, including how terms combine, is in our guide on how to calculate GPA.
Semester, term, cumulative: three different numbers
Your semester GPA covers one term. Your cumulative GPA averages every term so far, weighting each course by its credits — which is why a single semester can feel huge yet move the cumulative number only a little. The GPA calculator handles both views in one tool, and the college GPA calculator shows quality points course by course the way a transcript does.
Use it before the semester ends
You do not need final grades to use this tool. Enter the grades you expect, then test the swing courses: what happens if Calculus lands at B− instead of B+? Pair that with the final grade calculator for the exact score each course needs, and keep an eye on your running class grades with the grade calculator. Still in high school? Semesters work the same there, but weighting changes the answer — use the high school GPA calculator instead.
Frequently asked questions
How is semester GPA calculated?
Convert each course's letter grade to points (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, and so on), multiply by the course's credits, add all of those quality points together, and divide by the semester's total credits. Five courses worth 49.2 quality points over 15 credits give 49.2 ÷ 15 = 3.28.
Is semester GPA the same as term GPA?
Yes, at most schools they are the same number — “term” is simply the generic word, because some colleges run on quarters or trimesters instead of semesters. A quarter GPA covers a shorter term with fewer credits, but the calculation is identical.
What is a good semester GPA?
On the 4.0 scale, 3.5 and above is a strong semester, 3.0–3.4 is solid, and below 2.0 usually triggers academic warnings. One semester at 3.5 does not make your cumulative GPA 3.5, though — see how the two numbers interact in our guide to what is a good GPA.
How does my semester GPA affect my cumulative GPA?
Your cumulative GPA is the credit-weighted average of every semester, so a new term pulls it toward that term's GPA — strongly early in your degree, gently later on. Enter your current cumulative GPA and credits in the cumulative GPA calculator to see exactly where a semester like this one would land you.
Do summer courses count toward my semester GPA?
Summer is normally its own short term, so summer courses get their own term GPA rather than joining spring or fall. They still count in full toward your cumulative GPA, and because a summer term has few credits, each grade moves that term's GPA a lot.
My school grades in percentages. How do I use this calculator?
Convert each percentage to a letter first — 93%+ is an A, 90–92% an A-, 87–89% a B+, 83–86% a B — using the grading scale chart, or run class averages through the grade calculator, then enter the letters here.