Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”, but what he didn’t mention here is that your marks change the quality of your education. Better the marks, better the institution you’ll get into, hence better your education quality. There are numerous methods for assessing a student around the globe; some universities use percentages or marks, while others use grades i.e., Grade Point Average (GPA). In this article we shall see Is Cumulative GPA the same as total GPA
While cumulative GPA is an average of total grades a student receives throughout the semester (cumulative GPA and GPA are the same), total GPA is an average of all cumulative GPA earned throughout the academic term, including all courses and semesters.
What is GPA?
Grade Point Average (GPA) is the average of all grades earned by a student during a semester divided by the total number of credits taken.
But what is credit? In schools and universities, credits are specific points assigned to any course. GPA is the standard base of assessment in many countries, though the number on the point scale keeps changing; for example, while in the United States, GPA is calculated on a four-point scale, Kyrgyzstan deploys a 5-point grading system.
What is a 4.0 GPA scale?
Predominantly used in most US universities, the 4.0 GPA scale is a way to assess the academic performance of a student. Every number on the scale represents an alphabet indicating the grade points of the student. Here is how the graded system works;
| Grade point | Grade |
| 4 | A |
| 3 | B |
| 2 | C |
| 1 | D |
How do Universities calculate GPA?
- Schools and universities assign a certain ‘unit’ and ‘credit’ to all the courses.
- Now that unit is multiplied by the grade point the students get in that particular course
- Now the total accumulated points in all the courses will be divided by the total credit points of those courses, and you get the GPA.
For example, you get the following grades in certain courses;
- Course 1: B grade i.e., 3 points; whose credit point is 2
- Course 2: A grade i.e., 4 points; whose credit point is 3
- Course 3: C grade i.e., 2 points; whose credit point is 4
So, the total grade points in;
- Course A = 3*2 = 6
- Course B = 4*3 = 12
- Course C = 2*4 = 8
Hence, the total grade points acquired by you = 6+12+8= 26
And the total credit points of the all the courses = 2+3+4= 9
Now, GPA= Total Grade Points/ Total credit Points
= 26/9 = 2.8
Cumulative GPA v/s Total GPA
Total GPA and Cumulative GPA may have the last word in common but they are miles apart in their meanings. Cumulative GPA or GPA is an average of the total grade points a student gets in the whole term. Total GPA, on the other hand, is an average of all the cumulative GPAs of the student acquired to date.
Here is the list of differences between the two:
| Cumulative GPA | Total GPA |
| Average of a single term or sessionIt is a score of just the recent institute or course.It is not considered when taking admission to any university.Does indicate complete performance | Average of all the cumulative GPAs of all the terms.It includes all the institutions a student has attended to date.You get universities based on your total GPAIndicates absolute performance |
How to calculate Total GPA
For example, Let’s say, you got,
- 2.5 GPA in term 1
- 3.5 GPA in term 2
- 4 GPA in term 3
Now, the Total GPA= sum of all GPAs/ number of terms
= (2.5+3.5+4)/3 = 10/3 = 3.33
Some of the top universities and their required GPA:
| University | GPA required (4-point scale) |
| University of Oxford, England | 3.7 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge | 3.5 or above |
| Princeton University, New Jersey | 3.9 |
| Yale University, New Haven | 3.95 |
| Harvard University, Cambridge | 3.94 |
| Stanford University, California | 3.96 |
| Boston University, Massachusetts | 3.71 |
Why is a high GPA necessary?
Though your marks don’t define you, they can certainly help you get the best platforms to make a name for yourselves. Marks aren’t everything but they make the journey to success a bit easier. Following are the situations, where you’d wish you had a better GPA;
- While applying for your dream colleges: Almost every elite or prestigious university requires a high GPA.
- While applying for scholarships: To be eligible for most of the scholarships, you will need to have a certain GPA.
- While choosing a particular course: Many universities offer certain courses only if you have the required GPA.
Conclusion
Although cumulative GPA and total GPA differ, a higher total GPA requires higher consecutive cumulative GPAs. So, if you want to attend the best universities in the world, you should start working on your academic performance right away.
FAQs
- Are our elementary school grades included in GPA?
Ans. No, elementary school grades are not included in GPA.
- Is there no way to get into renowned colleges if you have a low GPA score?
Ans. GPA is one of the requirements of good colleges, you can work on your SAT score, an SOP, and personality if you have a low score.
- What is the average GPA score you must have to get into the best universities?
Ans. On a 4.0 grade scale, you must have above 3.5 GPA.
