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What is Grade Point Average and How is it Calculated?

Nikita Parmar

Updated on 03rd March, 2023 , 3 min read

What is GPA? 

The GPA or Grade Point Average scale is a standardised way to assess a student's academic progress. Many nations outside of India, including the USA, employ various grading schemes in their schools and universities, which is similar to how marks are assigned there. GPA was developed in an effort to provide some kind of consistency and align student test scores with those recognised by colleges. Each letter or grade, assuming an A to F grading scale, is connected to a certain number of grade points.

GPA determines a student's average performance, or overall performance, and assigns them a grade, such as A, B, C, D, E, or F. Using this, colleges may assess your level of academic rigour and determine if you have the necessary credentials to successfully finish a certain academic programme being offered by a specific institution overseas.

How to Calculate GPA?

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According to the 10-point GPA scale used in the Indian grading system, you must divide the percentage of marks by 9.5 in order to calculate your GPA.

GPA (Indian Scale) = (Percentage/95) X 10

Simply divide your percentage by 100, then multiply it by 4, to convert it to the US GPA 4.0 scale.

GPA (US Scale) = (Percentage/100) X 4

What is CGPA?

A student's entire academic achievement is often evaluated using their cumulative grade point average, or CGPA. The mean grade point average (GPA) a student obtains each semester is multiplied by the total number of credits to yield the cumulative grade point average (CGPA). The CGPA system assigns particular grades to ranges of scores, for example, Grade Point 9 for 90-95 points.

What is SGPA?

Semester Grade Point Average, often known as SGPA, is a grade that students get at the conclusion of each academic session, such as a school term or a college year, depending on how well they performed in their course work. The weighted average of the total marks a student receives in a semester, across all disciplines, is used to compute their SGPA. 

Read more about SGPA. Click Here.

What is the Difference between CGPA and SGPA?

The semester grade point average, most commonly abbreviated as SGPA, is the cumulative grade point average during a college semester. Contrarily, the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is the metric used to determine the average of a student's total academic achievement throughout high school and college.

GPA/ Grade Point Average

CGPA/ Cumulative Grade Point Average

SGPA/ Semester Grade Point Average

CGPA is the overall grade point of a candidate.

SGPA is the grade point received in a particular semester.

Read more about SGPA to CGPA.

What is Importance of GPA?

Because different grading systems are accepted in various nations and colleges, GPA is significant. Universities overseas translate the grades or percentages into a uniform and standardised metric known as the GPA in order to reduce misunderstanding and simplify the admissions process for international students. For instance, your percentage or grades in your native country will be adjusted to a scale of 0 to 4.0 if you want to get admitted to one of the colleges in the United States. 

  1. GPA is required to finish the application process at foreign colleges, but it also streamlines the whole admissions process for both the universities and the prospective international students.
  2. It is used to evaluate the academic achievement of pupils in order to make admission decisions.
  3. A strong GPA is also one of the criteria that universities examine when deciding who gets scholarships, financial aid, or other forms of support.
  4. Additionally, it will make it easier for you to get involved in extracurricular activities, join a group, and pursue higher education.

University Grading System in India

Universities are major contributors to higher education in India. The grading system of Indian universities is likely to vary across states. Private and public Indian universities also follow different grading patterns for evaluation. Here are some of the prominent institutes and their process of grading:

Traditional Grading System

India's education grading system is continually being modified to meet the current demands and expectations of the students . In India, grades are given as percentages.The following criteria are defined according to the percentage attained:

Percentage

Academic Division

75% and above

Distinction

60% to 74%

1st Division

50% to 59%

2nd Division

40% to 49%

3rd Division

Also read more about the Difference Between Fraction and Rational Number.

UGC Grade scale

According to the UGC Act 1956, the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India established the University Grants Commission of India as a statutory organisation with the responsibility of coordinating, establishing, and maintaining the standards of higher education. The process of grading used by UGC is as follows:

Percentage Marks

Grade Point

Grade

97.0-100

10

O

87.0-96.9

9.0-9.9

A+

77.0-86.9

8.0-8.9

A

67.0-76.9

7.0-7.9

B+

57.0-66.9

6.0-6.9

B

47.0-56.9

5.0-5.9

C

37.0-46.9

4.0-4.9

P

Below 37.0

0

F

Absent

0

Ab

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GPA full form?

Ans. The GPA or Grade Point Average scale is a standardized way to assess a student’s academic progress. Many nations outside of India, including the USA, employ various grading schemes in their schools and universities

Are SGPA and CGPA the same?

Ans. No, SGPA and CGPA are not the same. SGPA reflects on your performance for the entire academic program, while CGPA discusses your performance in one semester.

Why is GPA important?

Ans. Organizations, scholarship committees, clubs, and universities want high-achieving, hard-working students; so, they want someone with a high GPA.

How to Convert an Indian Grade into a US-GPA?

Ans. With a few exceptions, most schools and institutions in India use a percentage method to evaluate students instead of a 10-point scale or a percentile. To calculate the latter, divide the proportion by 10. Another classification of marks is based on the percentile or percentage earned- Distinction or First Division, Second Division and Pass or third division.

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