When you browse a list of college and scholarship requirements, you’ll often come across the word cumulative GPA. Some students thought that it’s the grade point average per semester, while others argue that it sums up all the GPA computed per term. In this article, you’re going to learn how to find high school GPA without getting stressed over various terms anchored to it.
What is Cumulative GPA?
High school cumulative grade point average (GPA) refers to the overall GPA over all of your completed High School semesters.
How is it different from core, weighted, unweighted, or semester GPA?
- Your semester GPA is your grade point average for one semester while cumulative GPA is your grade point average for all completed High School semesters.
- Your unweighted & weighted GPA’s is used to define your cumulative GPA.
- Your core high school GPA is your cumulative unweighted GPA not including classes in fine arts or personal skills.
Below, we have provided you with an image for you to better understand what is cumulative GPA.
How to Find High School GPA? (Cumulative)
Now that you already know what cumulative GPA is, it’s about time to teach you how to calculate it.
Since all high school classes are worth the same credits, you take the average GPA of all the classes you have taken so far in High School.
Your commutative GPA can be weighted and unweighted.
- Unweighted Cumulative GPA: GPA based on a 4.0 scale. Where an A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0; no matter if it is honors, AP, college, or regular.
- Weighted Cumulative GPA: GPA based on a 4.0+ scale. Where an A could count as 4.5 points or 5+ points, B = 3.5 or 4, C = 2.5 or 3, etc. for taking honors, AP, or college classes. This depends on what your high school decides.
For example, let’s say you are in fall of your 10th-grade year and you’ve received the following grades thus far:
| 9th-Grade Fall Semester | ||||
| Class | Grade | Unweighted Points | Weighted Points | Core GPA |
| Hon. Geometry | A | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Biology | A | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Hon. English 9 | B | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Spanish 1 | A | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Physical Science | A | 4 | 4 | N/A |
| World History | B | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Points | 22 | 24 | 18 |
| 9th-Grade Spring Semester | ||||
| Class | Grade | Unweighted Points | Weighted Points | Core GPA |
| Hon. Geometry | B | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Biology | A | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Hon. English 9 | B | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Spanish 1 | A | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Physical Science | A | 4 | 4 | N/A |
| World History | B | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Points | 21 | 23 | 17 |
GPA = Total Points / Total Classes
High School Cumulative Unweighted GPA:
- 9th-Grade Fall Semester Total Points = 22
- 9th-Grade Spring Semester Total Points = 21
- Total Classes = 12
- (22+21) / 12 = 3.58 cumulative unweighted GPA
High School Cumulative Weighted GPA:
- 9th-Grade Fall Semester Total Points = 24
- 9th-Grade Spring Semester Total Points = 23
- Total Classes = 12
- (24+23) / 12 = 3.91 cumulative weighted GPA
High School Cumulative Core GPA: (The GPA Colleges Care About!)
- 9th-Grade Fall Semester Total Points = 18
- 9th-Grade Spring Semester Total Points = 17
- Total Classes = 10
- (35+23) / 10 = 3.5 cumulative core GPA
Remember, as shared in how to calculate high school GPA.
Colleges rarely look at your:
- Weighted GPA
- Non-core high school classes.
When calculating your cumulative GPA, we recommend you omit non-core classes and don’t worry about the weighted GPA.
If your high school cumulative core GPA is lower than a 3.7 GPA, check out our resource with 5 free tips to raise or improve your high school GPA!
Do you want actionable advice, student & test prep checklist, and more, based on your current unweighted GPA, weighted GPA, core GPA, SAT/ACT/PSAT test scores, and grade level?
Then please click the button below to be directed to our free High School GPA calculator.