How to Calculate QPA Credential
MICHELLE BRUNET
COLLEGE
As a university student, it is important to keep track of your Quality Point Average or QPA. The QPA, used interchangeably with Grade Point Average or GPA, is your average score for a semester based on marks and number of credit hours for each course. A cumulative QPA takes into account all of the semesters you have completed. Some academic programs require a minimum QPA before you are able to declare a major or even graduate. For example, at Carnegie Mellon, after their first year, students in the Mechanical Engineering program must have a cumulative QPA of 2.0 to remain in the program. Additionally, if you are planning on going on to graduate school you will need to meet a specified QPA requirement to even be considered.
- List of all semester courses, grades and credit hours
- Quality point chart
- Calculator
- Paper and pencil
1 List
List all of the courses you completed this semester. Beside each course name, record your letter grade (A to F) and the number of credit hours you earned or attempted for that class. Even if you failed a course, still write down the number of credit hours.
2 Locate the quality point chart
Locate the quality point chart that is applicable to your university. For example, at Shippensburg University, an A is worth 4.0 quality points, an A minus is 3.7 points, a B plus is 3.3 points and so on. An F is worth 0.0 quality points.
3 Use the quality point chart
Use the quality point chart to write down the point value that corresponds with each letter grade. For example, if you scored an A minus at Shippensburg University in English Literature, you would write down 3.7 points.
4 Multiply the number
Multiply the number of quality points assigned to each letter grade by the number of credit hours for each course. For example, if that English Literature class was three credit hours, you earned a total of 11.1 quality points for that class (3.3 multiplied by 3).
5 Add all
Add all of the quality points per class together. This value is the total number of quality points you earned this semester.
6 Add up all
Add up all of the course credit hours that you completed and/or attempted. Remember even if you failed a class, you still count those credit hours.
7 Divide the quality point total by the credit hour total
Divide the quality point total by the credit hour total. This will yield your QPA.
- To calculate your cumulative QPA, divide the total number of quality points from all semesters by the total number of attempted credit hours for all semesters.
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