Grade Point Average (GPA)

What is it?

Your GPA is a metric that measures your academic performance. In college, your GPA is often a major consideration for scholarships, financial aid eligibility, and program admission. When it comes to defining a good college GPA, the answer depends on your program and academic goals. MassBay, like most colleges, uses a 4.0 scale, on which letter grades correspond to certain numeric equivalents.

You must earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA to maintain good academic standing and stay on track to graduate. In addition, many undergraduate programs require you to hold a minimum GPA to gain admission. For many Massachusetts colleges and universities, you must maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher for transfer.

How do I calculate my GPA?

1. Determine your letter grade for each course.
2. Using the 4.0 grading scale in the table above, convert your letter grades into point values
3. Determine the number of credits assigned to each course.
4. Multiply the number of credits assigned to each course by it’s corresponding points value to determine how many quality points it’s worth
5. Divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credits

Quality Points:

The concept of quality points can be confusing. Put simply, quality points exist to ensure that the size of the course is considered in your overall grade calculation. After all, a four-credit course should count more toward your GPA than a one credit course, right? See below for an example on how to calculate quality points based on a 2 course, 7 credit semester.

GPA Formula: Total Quality Points/Total Credits