Cumulative GPA Calculator
Enter your prior GPA and credits, then this term's GPA and credits, to find your new cumulative GPA.
Cumulative GPA blends your past and current grades, weighted by credit hours. Multiply each GPA by its credits to get quality points, add both, and divide by the combined credits. A prior 3.5 GPA over 60 credits plus a 3.8 term over 15 credits gives (210 + 57) ÷ 75 = 3.56.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter four numbers: your prior GPA and the total credits it was based on, then this term's GPA and the credits this term carried. The calculator returns your new cumulative GPA and your total credit count.
Your 'prior' figures are whatever your transcript showed before this term — often labeled cumulative GPA and cumulative credits (or GPA hours). This term's GPA is the average for just the current term; if you do not know it, compute it first with the college GPA calculator, then bring the result here.
How the Calculation Works
A cumulative GPA is a credit-weighted average of all your grades, so combining two periods means weighting each by its credits. Multiply the prior GPA by its credits to recover the prior quality points, do the same for the term, add both sets of quality points, and divide by the combined credits. Because it is weighted, a term with more credits moves your cumulative GPA more, and a small term barely nudges a large prior record.
Worked Example
Say your transcript shows a 3.5 cumulative GPA over 60 credits, and you just finished a term with a 3.8 GPA across 15 credits. Prior quality points = 3.5 × 60 = 210. Term quality points = 3.8 × 15 = 57. Combined = 210 + 57 = 267 over 60 + 15 = 75 credits. Cumulative GPA = 267 ÷ 75 = 3.56. The strong term lifted the cumulative GPA, but only from 3.50 to 3.56, because 60 credits of history outweigh a single 15-credit term.
What the Result Means
The result is your overall GPA after adding the new term. The key lesson is inertia: the more credits already on your record, the harder it is for any one term to move the cumulative number. Early in a program, each term swings the average a lot; late in a program, even an excellent term changes it only slightly. This is why raising a low GPA takes sustained strong terms, and why a single weak term does less damage once you have many credits banked.
Assumptions and Limitations
This assumes both GPAs are on the same scale (the standard 4.0 scale) and that 'credits' means the graded, GPA-bearing credits — not pass/fail or transfer credits, which most schools exclude from the GPA calculation. Repeated courses, grade replacement policies, and academic forgiveness vary by institution and can change how credits and points are counted. Use this as an accurate estimate and confirm against your official transcript for any high-stakes decision.
Who Uses a Cumulative GPA Calculator
College students use this to combine a prior GPA with a new term into an updated cumulative GPA. Run it to see where a strong or weak term leaves your overall average, or to plan toward a target. Enter your prior GPA and credits plus this term's to get the cumulative figure.
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Open calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your prior GPA by its credits and this term's GPA by its credits, add both results, and divide by the total credits. It is a credit-weighted average of all your grades.
What is the difference between cumulative and semester GPA?
Semester (term) GPA covers only one term's courses. Cumulative GPA combines every graded term across your career, weighted by credit hours, into a single overall average.
Why did a great term barely change my GPA?
Because your cumulative GPA is weighted by all prior credits. Once you have many credits, a single term is a small fraction of the total, so it moves the average only slightly.
Which credits should I enter as prior credits?
Use the GPA hours (graded credits) your transcript shows before this term — not total earned credits if those include transfer or pass/fail courses, which usually do not count toward GPA.
Can this calculator combine more than two terms?
Yes, iteratively. Combine your prior record with one term, then use that result as the new 'prior' GPA and credits and add the next term, and so on.
Does retaking a course change my cumulative GPA?
It depends on your school. Some replace the original grade, others average both attempts. Grade-replacement policies vary, so check your institution's rules before relying on an estimate.
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