GPA Calculation Basics

Your GPA (Grade Point Average) is calculated using the following formula:

GPA = Total Grade (Quality) Points $LaTeX: \div$ Total Credit Hours

To calculate Total Grade (Quality) Points for each course you take, multiple the number of credits by the points associated with your letter grade.

The Creighton Grade scale is below:

Grade	Points
A	4.0
A-	3.67
B+	3.33
B	3.0
B-	2.67
C+	2.33
C	2.0
C-	1.67
D	1.0
F	0

Steps for Calculating GPA

Determine how many grade points you earned for each class on your transcript by multiplying each course's CREDIT HOURS by the points associated with your LETTER GRADE.
- As an Example: Earning a B+ in CHM 203 Lecture (3 credits) and a A- in CHM 204 Lab (1 credit) would translate to the following:
  - CHM 203 = 3 credits x 3.33 Grade Points = 9.99 total Grade Points for CHM 203
  - CHM 204 = 1 credit x 3.67 Grade Points = 3.67 total Grade Points for CHM 203
Sum your total Grade Points.
- From the example above:
  - 9.99 total Grade Points for CHM 203 + 3.67 total Grade Points for CHM 203 = 13.66 Grade Points Overall
Sum your total Credit Hours.
- From the example above:
  - 3 credits from CHM 203 + 1 credit from CHM 204 = 4 Credits Overall
Divide Total Grade Points by Total Credit Hours to calculate your GPA.

- From the example above:
  - 13.66 Grade Points $LaTeX: \div$ 4 credits = 3.415 GPA

Some professional schools will ask for specific GPAs to be calculated. For example, you may be asked for a math/science GPA. In this case, you would look at all of the math/science classes you've taken and follow the steps above to calculate your math/science GPA.

Simple GPA Calculations Using Grade Points

In your unofficial transcript that you can view in the NEST, each course has the grade (quality) points already calculated. In fact, your unofficial transcript also provides the total quality points for each semester.

To view your unofficial transcript, if you haven’t already, log into The NEST and click on the “Student Services” menu option. Under that menu is the “Unofficial Transcript” link.

Each course that you’ve completed will have the credit hour for the course, the grade earned, and grade points earned for that course.

As a note, if you have taken classes at a different school, check to see if they provide the grade points in their unofficial transcripts as well. This will make calculating your overall GPA, including transfer credits from other schools, much easier.

GPA Considerations

Lab Courses

You may have taken a number of courses that have included a lab component. For these courses you need remember to consider these as separate "courses," just as your transcript presents them.

For example, if you took a general biology course and the associated lab, your course work grade might be an "A" but the lab work might have been a "B." When you calculate these grades into your Overall GPA, your BCPM GPA or Math / Science GPA, you need to ensure you use the grade points for the lecture and lab separately and add the credit hours appropriately.

Some lab courses do not have separate lab grades, even though lab is included in the course. You compute those classes as you would any other. If it is a 4 credit hour lecture/lab combo class you multiply the 4 hours times the grade points for the grade earned. An example of this would be EXS 320 (Physiology) which is 4 credits and has a lab included.

Repeated Courses

If during your undergraduate career you have repeated a course, you need to include both grades, and the associated credit hours, when calculating your GPA for admission into professional programs. Why? Most primary application services require that all applicants include all course grades even from courses that a student repeated. Essentially this means that the course and the repeated course end up being an "average" of the two grades in the GPA calculations.

Additionally, From the Creighton catalog

An undergraduate student may not repeat a course for which a final grade of “C” or better (including “P” and “SA”) has been earned. This includes credit awarded through Advanced Placement Exams, International Baccalaureate, and transfer credit.

A student who has received a final grade of "C-" “D” or “F” (including “NP” or “UN”) in a course may repeat the course. The course to be repeated must be repeated at Creighton.

http://catalog.creighton.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies-procedures/repeating-courses/Links to an external site.

Let's look at a sample GPA calculation of a repeated course.

If you took General Chemistry twice, your first time you got a "D" and the second time you got an "A", you would include both grades and credit hours in your GPA calculations to the professional school application service.

"D" (1 X 3= 3 grade points)

"A" (4 X 3= 12 grade points)

Combined Grade Points: 3+12= 15

Divide by both course credit hours: 15 ÷ 6 = 2.5

2.5 is the resulting GPA

Study Abroad Courses

If you've participated in a study abroad course there might be a few things to keep in mind when calculating your GPA.

First, if you participate in a Creighton sponsored study abroad program, then both the letter grade and credit come back to Creighton and appear on your Creighton transcript. This means that you do not need to worry about requesting a foreign transcript for your application to professional school.

If you participated in a study abroad program that is not sponsored by Creighton, then you will need to know how your professional school application services handle foreign transcripts - each service handles foreign transcripts in different ways. It is important that you learn, research, and understand how study abroad courses and grades are handled by your professional program's application service, and sometimes also what is required by an individual professional school. In some cases, an individual school will require that you have a foreign transcript reviewed by a credentialing service and have that report sent to them.