Semester GPA, explained
Your semester GPA is the average grade point across every class you took that term, weighted by how many credits each class is worth. A 4-credit math class influences the average more than a 1-credit elective.
A semester GPA averages your grades from a single academic term (semester or quarter), weighted by credit hours. It's a snapshot of one term's performance — multiple semester GPAs roll up into your cumulative GPA.
- Scope
- One term only (single semester)
- Weighting
- By credit hours
- Used for
- Term snapshots, dean's list eligibility
- Combine with
- Cumulative GPA Calculator across terms
Want to see how this term changes your overall record? Use the Cumulative GPA Calculator — it combines this semester with your prior GPA.
Quarter, trimester, and semester systems
Most US schools run two semesters per year (fall + spring) plus an optional summer term. Some run quarters (3 per year, ~10 weeks each) or trimesters (3 per year, ~13 weeks). The math is identical — sum (grade × credits), divide by total credits — but term credits differ. A 4-credit semester course often equals a 5-credit quarter course in terms of contact hours. Use this calculator term-by-term, then roll into the cumulative GPA once each term posts.
Mid-term and forecasting
Final grades not posted? The Current GPA Calculator uses your in-progress assignment grades to estimate where the semester is heading. If you have a target — say a 3.5 by year-end — the GPA Goal Calculator reverses the math: enter the target, current GPA, and remaining credits, and it returns the average grade you need.
High school vs college semester GPA
High school semester GPA usually shows both weighted and unweighted; the High School GPA Calculator handles both views with AP/Honors weighting. College semester GPA is almost always unweighted on a 4.0 scale — see the College GPA Calculator.
Source: NCES — term GPA conventions
Source: U.S. Department of Education — Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) — term GPA cutoffs