Grade Point Average
Academic achievement during a semester or term is measured by a student’s grade point average (GPA). The measure of academic achievement for all work completed is referred to as the cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
A semester GPA is determined in the following way:
- Allowing 4 points for an A, 3.5 points for a B+, 3 Points for a B, 2.5 points for a C+, 2 points for a C, 1 point for a D, and 0 points for an F, multiply the number of points equivalent to the letter grade received in each course by the number of semester hours for the course, thus arriving at the grade points earned for each course.
- Add the grade points in each course to obtain the sum of grade points for the semester’s work.
- Divide the total grade points by the total number of semester hours attempted to calculate the semester grade point average.
The following example illustrates the GPA of a student with grades in five courses.
| Course | Grade | Semester Hours | Points Equivalents | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | B | 4 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| Math | C | 3 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| English | C+ | 3 | 2.5 | 7.5 |
| Sociology | C | 3 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| Business | B | 3 | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Total | 16 | 40.5 |
40.5 (total grade points) divided by 16 (semester hours attempted) = 2.53 GPA
The CGPA is calculated in the same way as the semester GPA except that all attempted semester hours are taken into account. The student’s CGPA will include only those courses taken at Essex County College.