What is the Full Form of GPA ?

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GPA - Grade Point Average

Grade Point Average is calculated by taking the number of grade points a student earned in a given period of time divided by the total number of credits taken. It is a measure of student's performance through out the academic session.

Different Institutions have different range of GPA's. Usually it gets calculated in the scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. Grade Point Average is an average of your grades for only one semester.

For ex. If a student earn a grade of "A+", he or she would have a Grade Point Average of 4.33 out of 5 (for Excellent or Superior Performance). More and more universities in India are opting for Grade Point System in the scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. These Institutes include the renowned IIT's NIT's, IIIT's and some state & Deemed Universities.

The grading system in education is a standardised process to define different levels of academic abilities of a student. The education system and grading system in countries across the world is varied and is set as a standard for admissions within the country. However, to study in a foreign country, the need for a uniform grading system was realised. To sort out the problem, an internationally recognised calculation was introduced to calculate the grades, which is referred to as the Grade Point Average (GPA).

Students who are interested in studying abroad must know the difference between the grading system and GPA, as GPA is required to complete the application process at an international institution.

A Grade is a numerical value in the form of marks or percentage obtained by a student for a particular course in a specific period of time. In Indian schools and colleges, students receive marks out of 100 for each subject and the overall marks in all subjects is converted into a percentage to get the final score of a term.

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the average of grades obtained by students in a given period of time and is represented in the form of numerical or letters. For example, it can range on a scale of 0 to 4.0 or A to F.

GPA is calculated for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students for admissions in foreign educational institutions to compare the past academic performances of applicants.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is similar to GPA. It is another grading system that is also used in India. However, it is only defined in numerical form on a scale of 0 to 10.

GPA is the grading method used in countries like the US, Canada and Australia, which are some of the top study abroad destinations for higher education. However, these countries use different grading scales to determine the GPA. For example, the GPA scale used in US universities ranges from 0.0 to 4.0, while, in Australia, the GPA Grade scale ranges from 0.0 to 7.0.

There are various grading systems acceptable in different countries and universities. To avoid confusion and ease the international student admission process, universities abroad convert the marks or percentages into a common and standardised format, known as the GPA.

For example, if you are planning to take admission to one of the universities in the United States, the percentage/ marks you secured in your home country, will be converted to a scale of 0 to 4.0.

GPA is needed to complete the application process at universities abroad but also simplify the entire admission process for both the universities and the aspiring overseas students. It is used to determine the level of performance of students in academics based on which the decision on admission is taken.

The process of calculating the Grade Point Average defined by the countries themselves.GPA on a scale of 0 to 10 is calculated using the following formula - Percentage/ 9.5 which results in a score on a scale of 0 to 10. For example, if the percentage is 65% then its corresponding GPA will be 6.84 out of 10.

However, there is no straight forward formula to calculate the GPA on a scale of 0 to 4.0. To know the exact GPA on a scale of 0 to 4.0, aspirants can use the paid services of WES (World Education Services).