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Determining Your Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is exactly what it implies, the average of all the grade points earned. Beyond any other means, this is the factor that indicates your overall academic performance. When people ask you how you are doing with your studies, the most accurate measure of where you stand is your GPA. Clearly, the higher the GPA, the better. If your GPA is lower than you would like it to be, the fastest, most effective way to raise your GPA is to retake classes where the grade was lower than a C. Although the previous grade is not removed from your transcript, UVI will always use the higher of the grades for each course to calculate your GPA. GPA’s are certainly important, but they may not always testify to real learning. Whether or not you are learning successfully is more complex an issue than what is reflected in your GPA; although your GPA does provide the most notable standard to answer the question. While the University does automatically compute your GPA for you, every student should understand the formula and get in the habit of calculating it in order to verify its accuracy from your own standpoint. To determine your GPA, you divide the total number of grade points earned by the number of credits ATTEMPTED. The reason why it is important to emphasize that the credits are attempted rather than earned is due to the fact that failing grades do not represent earning a credit even though the attempted credit does enter into the calculation of the grade points. The calculation is rather simple to perform. Simply add up all the grade points earned and divide that total by the total numbers of your attempted credits. To determine the amount of grade points that you earn for a grade in a course, multiply the grade points associated with the grade by the number of credits attempted for a class. For example, if you get a B in a four credit class you would multiply 3.00 grade points for the B by 4. That would give you 12.00 grade points earned for a B in a four credit class. Grade points are earned for every grade of A through D for classes that are 100 level and above. Classes that are below 100 level, such as MAT 023 or RCA 021 do not receive letter grades of A through F. These courses are not evaluated at college level, so they do not have an effect on your GPA, although they do have an effect on your academic progress. The grade of A is the highest grade on the scale and awards the highest number of grade points, 4.00. UVI does not use a grade of A+ on the grade scale. The grade of D is the lowest passing grade and awards the lowest number of grade points, 1.00. UVI does not use a grade of D-. The UVI grading scale (which incorporates both pluses and minuses) appears below and can also be found in your UVI Catalog.
UVI GRADES WITH CORRESPONDING STANDARD AND GRADE POINTS
A Superior 4.00
A- Excellent 3.67
B+ Very High 3.33
B High 3.00
B- Good 2.67
C+ Above Average 2.33
C Average 2.00
C- Below A