Definitions
| Type | What it covers | Resets each semester? |
|---|---|---|
| Semester GPA (Term GPA) | Courses taken in the current semester (or quarter) only | Yes — starts fresh each term |
| Cumulative GPA | All graded courses from every semester at the institution | No — rolls forward every term |
How each is calculated
Both GPA types use the same formula: sum of (grade points × credit hours) divided by total credit hours. The difference is which courses are included.
Semester GPA example:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade points | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English 101 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| Math 201 | 4 | B+ | 3.3 | 13.2 |
| History 105 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Chemistry 101 | 4 | B− | 2.7 | 10.8 |
| Semester total | — | 45.0 ÷ 14 = 3.21 | ||
The cumulative GPA then takes this semester's 45.0 quality points and 14 credit hours and adds them to all previously earned quality points and credit hours:
Cumulative GPA formula:
(Prior quality points + Current semester quality points) ÷ (Prior credit hours + Current credit hours)
Which GPA matters when
| Situation | GPA used |
|---|---|
| Graduate school application (GPA box) | Cumulative GPA (recalculated by the application service) |
| Employer resume / GPA screen | Cumulative GPA |
| Academic good standing / probation | Cumulative GPA |
| Federal financial aid (SAP) | Cumulative GPA |
| Latin honors eligibility | Cumulative GPA at graduation |
| Dean's List recognition (typical) | Semester GPA (for that term) |
| Personal performance tracking | Semester GPA (most responsive to recent effort) |
Upward GPA trend
Graduate school admissions committees are aware that cumulative GPA can be weighed down by early poor performance. Many explicitly note that they consider GPA trend alongside the cumulative number. A student who earned a 2.5 in the first two years but a 3.7 in the junior and senior years is viewed differently from a student with a flat 3.1 across four years — even if the cumulative GPA is similar.
Some application services (such as VMCAS for veterinary school) explicitly calculate and report a "last 45 credit hours" GPA alongside the cumulative GPA for this reason. Even where it is not calculated for you, you can compute and report it in a personal statement or addendum to highlight improvement.
Transfer students and cumulative GPA
Most universities calculate cumulative GPA only from coursework completed at that institution — transfer credits may appear on the transcript but are typically excluded from the cumulative GPA calculation. This means a transfer student who struggled at a prior institution effectively starts fresh GPA-wise at the new school.
However, graduate and professional school application services (AMCAS, LSAC, PHARMCAS, etc.) recalculate GPA from all undergraduate transcripts — transfer credit from every institution is included. The GPA shown on your college transcript and the GPA reported to a professional school may therefore be meaningfully different.