How a GPA is calculated
Every letter grade has a value in grade points, such as 4.0 for an A or 3.0 for a B on a common 4.0 scale. Multiply each course’s grade points by its credit hours to get its quality points, add the quality points of all courses, and divide by the total credit hours. Courses with more credit hours carry more weight. Courses taken pass/fail, withdrawn courses and transfer credits usually do not count towards the GPA, and retaken courses are handled differently from one university to the next, so enter only the courses your university counts.
Cumulative GPA: adding a new semester
Your cumulative GPA covers every graded credit hour so far. You do not need to enter every past course: multiply your GPA so far by the credit hours it covers to get your earlier quality points, add this semester’s quality points and divide by all the credit hours. For example, a GPA of 3.00 over 45 credit hours and a 4.00 semester of 15 credit hours give (135 + 60) ÷ 60 = 3.25. The more credit hours you already have, the less one semester can move the cumulative GPA, which is why the target section shows the average you need, and warns when a target is out of reach.
4.0 and 5.0 scales: your university’s table decides
Grade-point tables are set by each university, not by one national rule, so check your own student handbook or registrar. A common 4.0 layout uses plus and minus letters (A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 and so on), and some universities use a 5.0 scale instead. As one published example, Prince Sultan University in Riyadh lists in its undergraduate rules (opened on 17 October 2026) A+ as 5.00 on its 5-point scale and 4.00 on its 4-point scale, A as 4.75 and 3.75, B+ as 4.50 and 3.50, down to D at 2.00 and 1.00, while F counts as 1.00 on the 5-point scale and 0 on the 4-point scale. The 4.0 (A+) and 5.0 presets use that table; edit any value to match yours.
Percentages, letters and GPA
There is no single formula that turns a percentage into a GPA. Each course turns its percentage into a letter using its own cut-offs, and the letter then gives grade points. The percentage box shows the letter on the table you have chosen: for the A+ scales it uses the bands of the published table (95 and above for A+, 90 to under 95 for A, and so on, with under 60 as F), and for the US-style scale it uses common example cut-offs that you should check against your syllabus. If you need your average for an application, use the conversion the receiving university or employer asks for.
Course grades, weighted averages and other tools
This page works with letter grades you already have. To work out a course grade from assignments, quizzes and exams, or the score you need on a final exam, use the grade calculator. For Saudi admission percentages that combine the high school average with Qudurat and Tahsili, use the weighted percentage calculator.