How does Populi calculate GPAs?

First, the disclaimer: there exists no single grading system in the United States or Canada, let alone a unified way to calculate a grade-point average. Over the years, however, higher-education institutions have informally adopted a method for calculating GPA's; for the most part, the same calculation is in use at most colleges, universities, etc. that you might stroll into in the U.S. and Canada.

That calculation is what Populi uses to generate GPAs. Here is a simplified version of it:

Here's another way to write that out:

GPA = SUM(grade points * credits) / SUM(credits)

Let's say your school's grade scale has the following...

• A = 4.0 grade points
• B = 3.0 grade points
• F = 0.0 grade points

...and a student earns the following grades one term:

• 3-credit course: A
• 3-credit course: B
• 2-credit course: F
• 4-credit course: B

Here's how those numbers would be crunched:

• ( 4.0 GP x 3 credits = 12) +
• ( 3.0 GP x 3 credits = 9) +
• ( 0.0 GP x 2 credits = 0) +
• ( 3.0 GP x 4 credits = 12) +
• ÷ 12 attempted credits
• = 2.75 TERM GPA

To calculate cumulative GPA, Populi uses the same calculation, but with all of the student's courses.