Study Guide
How to calculate your GPA as a student in Nigerian university
What happens after the results are announced and you see your result? Some student view the need to calculate the GPA so as to know the grade they might likely graduate with, some also need to know so as to improve their grade and work better. Many students are intrigued by the idea of measuring their GPA or GP. Others, on the other hand, are simply interested in learning more about their current GPA.
This knowledge, on the other hand, is even more useful to those who remember to review their scores and even record them before leaving the exam room.
It is critical that all university students, especially those who are new to school, to learn how to measure their CGPA after each semester’s results are published, as well as how to add up the cumulative at the end of each session. This will allow you to assess and develop your academic performance on a regular basis.
Nigerian Universities’ CGPA Scale Students’ performance in semester tests and evaluations for courses/subjects/modules is graded using letter grades (A, B, C, D, E, and F), which reflect a number of possible scores or points. These grades are given a specific grade point.
Although the use of E is no longer graded in some federal universities, there are some simple ways to do a fast calculation mentioned below.
First before we go into details, here are the basics terms to know.
- Credit unit (CU)
- Quality point (QP)
- Grade point (GP)
- Total credit unit (TUC)
- Cumulative grade point average (CGPA)
This below is a sample of a letter/point grade, and mark score.
| Marks/Score | Letter Grade | Grade Point (GP) | ||
| 70% and Above | A | 5.00 | ||
| 60 – 69 | B | 4.00 | ||
| 50 – 59 | C | 3.00 | ||
| 45 – 49 | D | 2.00 | ||
| 40 – 44 | E | 1.00 | ||
| 0 – 39 | F | 0.00 | ||
How to Work Out Your Grade Point Average (GPA)
Each course, subject, or module has a set number of Credit Units (CU). Quality points (QP) are calculated by multiplying a course’s Credit Units (CU) by the student’s Grade Point (GP) in that course.
For Example: In a 3-credit-unit course, if a student receives a 63 percent grade, which is a B with a Grade Point of 4, the student’s Quality points are 3 x 4 = 12. The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the semester’s Total Quality Point (TQP) by the semester’s Total Credit Unit (TCU).
If a student received 56 quality points for 18 credit units in a semester, his or her GPA is 56/18 = 3.11.
Total Quality Points (TQP) for all semesters to date are added and divided by Total Credit Units (TCU) for all semesters to date to calculate the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
For instance, if a student receives a QP of 56 for 18 CU in the first semester and a QP of 67 for 20 CU in the second semester, his CGPA is TQP/TCU = (56 + 67) / (18 + 20) = 123/38 = 3.24.
Below is a simple example of how to calculate GPA and CGPA.
| Course Code | Credit Unit (CU) | Letter Grade | Grade Point (GP) | Quality Point (QP) = CU x GP |
| ENT 102 | 2 | B | 4 | 12 |
| BFN 201 | 3 | C | 3 | 6 |
| ENT 306 | 1 | C | 3 | 3 |
| BUS 103 | 4 | B | 4 | 16 |
| ENT412 104 | 5 | A | 5 | 25 |
| STT102 | 2 | D | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 17 | 66 |
QP = 66, CU = 17, TQP = 66, TCU = 17
GPA = QP/CU = 66/17 = 3.88
CGPA = TQP/TCU = 66/17 = 3.88
First Year, Second Semester
| Course Code | Credit Unit (CU) | Letter Grade | Grade Point (GP) | Quality Point (QP) = CU x GP |
| BFN 206 | 5 | E | 1 | 5 |
| BUS 202 | 4 | D | 2 | 8 |
| STT 206 | 5 | B | 4 | 20 |
| ENT419 | 3 | F | 0 | 0 |
| ENT 413 | 3 | A | 5 | 15 |
| Total | 20 | 48 |
QP = 48,
CU = 20,
TQP = 66 + 48 = 114,
TCU = 17 + 20 = 37
GPA = QP/CU = 48/20
= 2.40
CGPA = TQP/TCU = 114/37 = 3.08
So, in contrast to the first and second semesters, the student’s CGPA has dropped; with this knowledge, the student may plan to study harder in order to enhance his or her GPA.
