If you receive all C's in your courses, your GPA will be 2.0 on a standard 4.0 scale.
Understanding the 4.0 GPA Scale
The Grade Point Average (GPA) is a widely used system to measure academic performance. Most educational institutions in the United States use a 4.0 scale, where letter grades are assigned numerical values. A higher number indicates better performance.
On this scale, a grade of 'C' typically corresponds to a 2.0. This means that if all your grades are 'C', your overall GPA will be a straight 2.0.
Letter Grade to 4.0 Scale Conversion
Here's a common breakdown of how letter grades convert to the 4.0 GPA scale, focusing on the 'C' range:
| Letter Grade | Percent Grade | 4.0 Scale Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| C+ | 77-79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73-76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69 | 1.3 |
As you can see from the table, a solid 'C' grade holds a value of 2.0. This numerical value is then used in calculations to determine your overall GPA.
How GPA is Calculated
To calculate your GPA:
- Assign Point Values: Each letter grade you receive in a course is converted into its corresponding point value on the 4.0 scale (e.g., C = 2.0, B = 3.0, A = 4.0).
- Multiply by Credits: Multiply the point value of each grade by the number of credit hours for that course.
- Sum Total Points: Add up all the grade points earned from every course.
- Sum Total Credits: Add up the total number of credit hours for all courses.
- Divide: Divide the total grade points by the total credit hours.
Example:
If you took five courses, and you received a 'C' in each, and each course was 3 credit hours:
-
Course 1 (C): 2.0 points * 3 credits = 6.0 points
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Course 2 (C): 2.0 points * 3 credits = 6.0 points
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Course 3 (C): 2.0 points * 3 credits = 6.0 points
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Course 4 (C): 2.0 points * 3 credits = 6.0 points
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Course 5 (C): 2.0 points * 3 credits = 6.0 points
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Total Grade Points: 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 = 30.0 points
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Total Credit Hours: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 15 hours
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GPA: 30.0 points / 15 hours = 2.0
This calculation confirms that an average of all 'C' grades results in a 2.0 GPA.
