Your cumulative GPA is most likely already calculated for you on your academic transcript, whether you’re a current student or a graduate. For current students, the fastest way to find it is by logging into your school’s student portal and pulling up your unofficial transcript. For alumni, you can request an official transcript from your school’s registrar office, usually for a small fee.
Check Your Student Portal First
Almost every college and university lets current students view an unofficial transcript through the school’s online student portal (systems like Banner, MyUW, PeopleSoft, or whatever your school uses). Once you log in, look for a section labeled “Academic Records,” “Student Records,” or “Transcripts.” Your unofficial transcript will list your grades and credits for each semester, along with a running cumulative GPA. On most transcripts, you’ll see it labeled something like “Cum GPA” or “Cumulative GPA” near the bottom of each term’s grade listing, with a final cumulative figure printed at the end of the document.
High school students can usually find their cumulative GPA through a similar student or parent portal, or by asking their guidance counselor for a copy of their transcript.
How to Request Your Transcript as a Graduate
If you’ve already graduated, your school’s registrar office is still the place to go. Most colleges let you order transcripts online, by mail, or in person. You’ll fill out a transcript request form, pay a fee (typically $5 to $25 per copy), and may need to show proof of identification. Many schools use third-party services like Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse to handle digital transcript orders.
One thing to check before you submit a request: your student account needs to be in good financial and academic standing. If you have unpaid tuition, library fines, or other holds on your account, the school may refuse to release your transcript until those are resolved.
If you just need to see your GPA and don’t need a sealed official copy, ask the registrar whether you can access an unofficial transcript. These are often free and available instantly through the school’s website, even for alumni.
Calculate It Yourself
If you can’t access your transcript right away, or you want to double-check the number, you can calculate your cumulative GPA by hand. The formula is straightforward: divide your total grade points earned by your total credit hours attempted.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
- Convert each letter grade to a number. On the standard 4.0 scale, an A equals 4.0, a B equals 3.0, a C equals 2.0, a D equals 1.0, and an F equals 0. Plus and minus grades shift the number slightly (an A-minus is typically 3.7, a B-plus is 3.3, and so on).
- Multiply each grade’s number by the course’s credit hours. A B (3.0) in a 4-credit course gives you 12 grade points. An A (4.0) in a 3-credit course gives you 12 grade points.
- Add up all grade points across every semester. This is your total grade points earned.
- Add up all credit hours you’ve attempted. Include every graded course, even ones where you earned a D or F.
- Divide total grade points by total credit hours. The result is your cumulative GPA.
For example, say you’ve taken 40 credit hours of classes and earned 132 total grade points. Your cumulative GPA would be 132 divided by 40, which equals 3.3.
Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA
If you’re a high school student, you may see two different GPAs on your record. An unweighted GPA uses the standard 4.0 scale for every class, regardless of difficulty. A weighted GPA adds extra points for harder courses, typically 0.5 extra points for Honors classes and 1.0 extra point for AP classes. That’s why some students have GPAs above 4.0: an A in an AP course counts as 5.0 instead of 4.0 on a weighted scale.
Colleges typically recalculate your GPA using their own system during admissions, so don’t worry if your school only reports one version. If you’re unsure which one your school uses, your guidance counselor can clarify.
At the college level, weighted GPAs are less common. Most universities use the standard 4.0 scale across all courses, and the number on your transcript is your cumulative unweighted GPA.
When You Attended Multiple Schools
Your cumulative GPA on a transcript only reflects coursework completed at that particular institution. If you transferred between colleges, each school maintains its own GPA for the courses you took there. Your current school may list transfer credits on your transcript, but those grades typically don’t factor into the GPA it calculates for you.
If an employer or graduate program asks for your overall GPA across all schools, you’ll need to gather transcripts from each institution and calculate a combined GPA yourself using the formula above. Add up all the grade points and all the credit hours from every school, then divide.