GPA Calculator


GPA Calculation Documentation

GPA Calculator User's Guide

GPA Calculation Introduction

There are many different types of grade point averages, or GPAs. Some GPAs such as your MSU (Institutional) cumulative GPA and your combined (Overall) cumulative GPA can be found on your academic transcript. Other GPAs such as major, minor, certificate, general education, and other program related GPAs are calculated within your degree audit and are not found on your transcript.

This GPA calculator can be used to calculate these various GPAs. In the next section of this page, GPA calculation instructions are provided to assist you in how to use the GPA calculator to make future GPA projections.

Some of these involve getting information from your degree audit. To run a degree audit, visit the Degree Audit and SEP card (students) or Degree Works card (faculty/staff) in My Missouri State.


GPA Calculation Instructions

For calculation of a current semester only GPA:

  1. Enter a starting GPA hours of 0 and a starting quality points of 0.
  2. Add each course to the Included Courses column (e.g. ABC 123 Fall 2019).
  3. Add in the number of credit hours and anticipated grade for each course.
  4. Calculate GPA.

For calculation of how current classes will affect your MSU (or Institution) cumulative GPA:

  1. Enter your current Total Institution GPA Hours as found on your unofficial transcript in the Starting GPA Hours box.
  2. Enter your current Total Institution Quality Points as found on your unofficial transcript in the Starting Quality Points box.
  3. Enter your current semester classes with credit hours and anticipated grades.
  4. If one of your current semester classes is a repeat of a previously attempted course that is currently part of your GPA, enter the information for the previous attempt in the Classes to Exclude section. This will simulate the action that will take place when your repeat is processed.
  5. Calculate GPA.

For calculation of how current classes will affect your combined (or Overall) cumulative GPA:

  1. Enter your current Overall GPA Hours as found on your unofficial transcript in the Starting GPA Hours box.
  2. Enter your current Overall Quality Points as found on your unofficial transcript in the Starting Quality Points box.
  3. Enter your current semester classes with credit hours and anticipated grades.
  4. If one of your current semester classes is a repeat of a previously attempted course that is currently part of your GPA, enter the information for the previous attempt in the Classes to Exclude section. This will simulate the action that will take place when your repeat is processed.
  5. Calculate GPA.

For calculation of a major/minor/certificate (or other program GPAs calculated in the degree audit)-In this example, a major GPA will be illustrated but these same principles apply to other specialty degree audit-generated GPAs.

  1. With these GPAs, there is not an easy visual to get the starting GPA hours and quality points, so you have to enter all applicable coursework into the calculator. Using a major GPA as an example, this would include all of the coursework listed as fulfilling a major requirement in the major section of your degree audit and 2) failed courses that if passed would have applied to one of the major requirements.
  2. When complete, click Calculate GPA to ensure it matches what is found on your degree audit.
  3. Enter any applicable current semester classes with credit hours and anticipated grades.
  4. If one of your current semester classes is a repeat of a previously attempted course that is currently part of this GPA, enter the information for the previous attempt in the Classes to Exclude section. This will simulate the action that will take place when your repeat is processed.
  5. Calculate GPA.

Other GPA calculation notes

Pass/not pass, audit, and incomplete grades do not factor into a student's GPA. Therefore, you will not find these grade options in the GPA calculator. If you are repeating a previously graded attempt of a course with a P/NP attempt, you should enter the previous attempt in the Classes to Exclude section since the original attempt will end up being excluded as a repeat, but you would not enter the new attempt anywhere since it would not factor into GPA calculation.

Once you have entered grades, you can change them and recalculate the GPA if you wish to see how different potentials grades may impact your GPA.