Meridean Overseas
Updated On 24 March 2022 & Read Time 11 minutes
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Universities around the world use unique grading systems to assess the academic performance of students during a specific period. While countries like India commonly use the percentage system, educational institutions in the United States make extensive use of grade point average (GPA) and semester grade point average (SGPA). What is SGPA is one of the most asked questions by students looking for study abroad information.
Table of Contents
SGPA Calculation
There are countless systems used by different school boards to review, grade, and evaluate their students on their achievements and accomplishments during a school year. When a student has graduated from a particular institute or council and wishes to demonstrate his or her merits with a view to being admitted to the following institutes, it appears necessary to have a universal and standardized method of grading which has figures recognized by all educational bodies.
This led to the establishment of different rating systems. Some of the grading systems are percentage grading system, percentile grading system which is commonly used in countries like India while countries like USA and Canada use GPA system for the scores.
In this article, we will give you a detailed understanding of SGPA, CGPA and help you understand how you can calculate them.
What is the SGPA?
One of the multiple methods that exist to calculate your performance in schools and colleges is SGPA. It is basically the cumulative grade point average calculated at the end of each session, such as a school year or a university semester.
To get impressive scores at the end of your course period, it is important to maintain an attractive SGPA. It not only helps in getting a great result which is an important factor when you want to pursue higher education in reputable institutes, but also helps to understand your progress and motivates you to work on areas that need special attention.
What is the SGPA Full Form?
SGPA is short for Semester Grade Point Average, a score given to students based on their performance in their course work at the end of each academic session, such as a school term or an academic year. The SGPA is calculated as the weighted average of the sum of all marks obtained by a student during a semester in all subjects.
How to calculate SGPA?
Now that you have a basic understanding of the concept of SGPA and how it affects your final score, let's focus on how to calculate SGPA. You will first need to add up the marks obtained in all subjects for a particular university term and then calculate their average to arrive at your SGPA.
You can also refer to the following methodology to determine your SGPA:
Find out your credit score for each of your subjects.
Multiply the credit points for each subject by the grade you obtained in the respective subject.
Add all the products obtained in the previous step.
Next, you need to divide the sum you get after adding the products of each subject by the sum of all the credits to get your SGPA.
Consider the following example to understand this method-
Say the credits score for each of your selected subjects are:
Subject 1- 2
Subject 2- 3
Subject 3- 3
Now suppose you got the following grades in each of these subjects:
Subject 1- 8
Subject 2- 7.8
Subject 3- 9
Next, you need to multiply each of the grades by their respective subject credits:
Subject 1- 2 x 8 = 16
Subject 2- 3 x 7.8 = 23.4
Subject 3- 3 x 9 = 27
Then you need to get the sum of all the products:
16 + 23.4 + 27 = 64.4. This is your total score.
Then add all the credits from the individual subjects:
(Subject 1 + Subject 2 + Subject 3) i.e. 2 + 3 + 3 = 8
Finally, divide the total score you get by the total subject credits:
64.4 / 8 = 8.3
Therefore, your SGPA is 8.3.
How to Convert SGPA to Percentage?
Most colleges in India advertise a percentage an applicant must score to gain admission into their specific programs. If you have your final results in the form of an SGPA or GPA, it's essential that you know how to perform the conversions accurately to avoid miscalculations and thereby losing valuable opportunities. Having a clear knowledge of your score percentage will help you in your process of finding suitable college courses and help you better understand your scope. You will need to know the percentages you have achieved each semester to get an idea of your progress and help you plan your progress.
Once you've determined your SGPA, it's relatively simple to deduce your score percentage. There is an identical calculation formula you can use for the method of SGPA calculation. All you have to do is multiply your SGPA by 10 then subtract 7.5 from your product which will bring you to your percentage. Considering the example we demonstrated above, you can calculate the SGPA percentage with the formula below:
(SGPA x 10) – 7.5 = Percentage
(8.3 × 10) – 7.5 = 75.5%
Cumulative Grade Point Average or CGPA is the grading system used by educational institutions to assess overall academic performance over the duration of the course. Students are assigned grades such as A, B, C, D, or F. The GPA is a record of the average achieved by the student at the end of the entire program, which can be an academic year or a graduation program. While different countries use different grading systems, most Indian school board assessments are percentage based.
Your GPA is what appears on your transcript and will get you admissions into sought after institutes. Many colleges and courses that teach core academic subjects place a heavy emphasis on your GPA, so it's wise to aim high and put all your effort into achieving that goal.
Here is a broad conversion from percentages to MPC and further to classifications:
Percentage |
CGPA |
Classification |
90% – 100% |
O+ or A+ |
Outstanding |
70% – 89% |
A |
First Class |
50% – 69% |
B+ |
Second Class |
40% – 59% |
B |
Pass Class |
Below 39% |
F |
Fail |
How to Convert SGPA to CGPA?
By now, we hope to have been able to establish what SGPA and CGPA are, and how to calculate SGPA.
Now let's see how you can calculate CGPA from SGPA.
All you have to do is find the sum of all the SGPAs you have scored throughout the academic year, and then divide it by the total number of semesters. So basically,
CGPA = (SGPA of all semesters in a particular year / total number of semesters)
For example, if you get 9 and 9 SGPA in two semesters, you would need to divide the total by 2:
(9 + 9)/2
18/2
So, your CGPA is 9.
What is difference between CGPA and SGPA?
The semester grade point average or better known as SGPA is the cumulative grade point average that is the total of an academic session in college. While CGPA, or Cumulative Grade Point Average, is the criterion to calculate the average of a student's overall academic performance in college and school. The criteria for calculating the SGPA and CGPA are explained below and above.
Common terms used and their meanings when calculating SGPA
There are hundreds of websites available online that offer SGPA calculators, and with the right amount of research, you will be able to easily determine your SGPA. It is essential that you know the terms used in the calculations so that you can insert the relevant information and figures.
Here is a list of all commonly used terms and their meanings:
Credit points
These are essentially the measurements of your study load. It is used by universities to assess your progress and course completion. Individual subjects are assigned credit based on the institutional hours they comprise. Colleges and universities require you to complete a certain number of credits to be considered for the final exam.
Score point
Grades are used to represent how well you have absorbed information in class and whether you are able to reproduce that information on the test. You generally receive grade points for each subject you study as part of your course, which are then used to calculate your cumulative grade point average at the end of each term.
Semester
The academic year in which a particular course is taught is divided into segments called semesters. Most often, an academic year is divided into two semesters.
To conclude, when you apply for higher education, the admissions committee of your prospective colleges and universities will consider your grades as essential in determining your merit. Although there are other areas you need to take care of such as letter of recommendation, statement of purpose and achievements in extracurricular activities, it is strongly advised to maintain your high grades if you want to attend a prestigious institute.
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These three terms are the most used in the academic world and are used in almost all countries. So, let's see what is the main difference between SGPA, CGPA and GPA:
CGPA- This is the cumulative average obtained by dividing the total credit points received by the student in the exams of the overall semester by the sum of the credits of the overall semester.
SGPA - The semester grade point average, or more commonly referred to as SGPA, is obtained by dividing the total number of credit points received by the candidate during a semester by the sum of the total credits during that semester.
GPA- The cumulative grade point average is calculated by the average marks obtained by the candidate during a semester. It concerns all the subjects that the student has covered. GPA is basically a student's academic achievement that showcases their academic performance.
Scoreboard for SGPA
The semester grade point average has an easy technical calculation. Here is how you can calculate your SGPA-
Write down your SGPA points.
Multiply your credits from each individual subject with the points you earned in that particular subject. Take the median because each note covers a range.
Calculate all the scores and add them up.
Divide the scores obtained by the sum of the credit points and you will have your SGPA.
Here is a table of grades for you to understand-
Suppose a student studied 7 subjects with different credits:
Course |
Credits assigned to subject |
Earned credit points |
Grade earned |
Grades assigned |
Total credits earned |
Commerce |
4 |
4 |
B+ |
8 |
32 |
Politics |
4 |
4 |
A+ |
10 |
40 |
Library |
4 |
4 |
C+ |
6 |
24 |
History |
4 |
4 |
A- |
9 |
36 |
Foreign Language |
2 |
2 |
A- |
9 |
18 |
English |
3 |
3 |
C- |
5 |
15 |
Economics |
2 |
2 |
B- |
7 |
14 |
To bring to a close, when you apply for higher education, the admissions committee of your prospective colleges and universities will consider your grades as essential in determining your merit. Although there are other areas you need to take care of such as letter of recommendation, statement of purpose and achievements in extracurricular activities, it is strongly advised to maintain your high grades if you want to attend a prestigious institute.
Q: What is the SGPA?
A: The performance of each student during a semester is calculated on the system called SGPA or semester grade point average. It is the average of the marks obtained in all the courses by a student.
Q: How is the SGPA calculated?
A: Know the credit points you have earned for each subject and how much credit is awarded to each subject. Now multiply each subject's credit with the credits earned in that particular subject. Add up all the points, and divide the sum by the total of all credits to find your SGPA.
Q: How does the GSP work?
A: The SGPA measures a candidate's performance over a semester. It is also the report of the credit points earned in a semester in all the subjects that we have decided to follow. SGPA can be written up to two decimal places.
Q: Are SGPA and CGPA the same?
A: No, SGPA and CGPA are not the same. The SGPA reflects your success throughout the curriculum, while the CGPA discusses your performance over a semester.
Q: What is the percentage of SGPA?
A: Know your total SGPA first, and then divide the total SGPA with the semesters you have studied. Then multiply your SGPA by 10, and then subtract 7.5 from the total. For example - (SGPA*10)-7.5 and you will get your percentage.
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