GPAWorld

University GPA calculator

University of Canterbury GPA Calculator

Calculate your semester GPA and updated CGPA using University of Canterbury's own grading scale, credit weighting, rounding rules, and CGPA formula — not a generic New Zealand average.

Formula type

9-point GPA scale with negative fail values

13 grades carry points, 4 do not, and results are rounded to 2 decimal places. Verified 2026-07-21.

GPAWorld

University GPA Calculator

Semester GPA

9.00

Updated CGPA

--

GPA Credits

9

Rows

3

University of Canterbury

New Zealand · 9-point GPA scale with negative fail values

Change university

Enter your current CGPA and completed credits to calculate your updated CGPA. Your semester GPA is shown from your courses below.

Semester Courses

9 credits entered

University of Canterbury grading at a glance

Grading scale
9-point GPA scale with negative fail values
Scale range
-3.0 to 9.0 — a higher number is a better grade
Grades that carry points
13 grades count toward the GPA, plus 4 administrative grades that do not
Best possible grade
A+ (9.0 points)
Lowest passing grade
R (1.0 points) — the weakest grade that still earns credit
Failing grades
D, E, and X — counted in the GPA but earning no credit
Semester GPA rounding
Rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places
Cumulative GPA rounding
Rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places
Credit hours per course
0.0 to 120.0, in steps of 0.5
Pass/fail courses
Supported (P and S) and excluded from the GPA
Zero-credit courses
Allowed, but they do not move the GPA
Repeated courses
Needs manual review
Percentage bands published
Yes — 11 grades map to a mark range
Grading data last verified
2026-07-21

University of Canterbury grading scale

Every grade University of Canterbury awards, the points it carries, and whether it counts toward the GPA or earns credit. This is the table the calculator above runs on.

University of Canterbury grade points, GPA inclusion and credit rules
GradeMeaningMark rangePointsGPA countedCredit earned
A+Excellent90–100%9.0YesYes
AExcellent85–89.9%8.0YesYes
A-Excellent80–84.9%7.0YesYes
B+Very Good75–79.9%6.0YesYes
BGood70–74.9%5.0YesYes
B-Good65–69.9%4.0YesYes
C+Satisfactory60–64.9%3.0YesYes
CPass55–59.9%2.0YesYes
C-Marginal Pass50–54.9%1.0YesYes
DFail40–49.9%0.0YesNo
EFail0–39.9%-1.0YesNo
RRestricted Pass—1.0YesYes
XAcademic Dishonesty—-3.0YesNo
PPass—ExcludedNoYes
FFail—ExcludedNoNo
SSpecial Pass—ExcludedNoYes
IIncomplete—ExcludedNoNo

How the University of Canterbury GPA formula works

University of Canterbury converts every graded course into quality points by multiplying the grade's point value by the course's credit hours. Your semester GPA is the total quality points divided by the total credit hours that count toward the GPA, and the result is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places. Points run from -3.0 up to 9.0, so a higher average is a better result. The scale uses plus and minus grades, so there are 13 distinct point values rather than a handful of whole steps: A+ is worth 9.0 and A is worth 8.0.

What gets left out of the average

P, F, S, and I carry no point value at University of Canterbury, so a course marked with one of them drops out of the division entirely — it changes neither the top nor the bottom of the fraction. P and S still earn credit toward your degree while staying out of the GPA, which is why your credit total can climb in a semester where your GPA barely moves. D, E, and X work the other way: they earn no credit but are still counted in the average at 0.0, -1.0, and -3.0 points respectively, so a failed course pulls the average down while adding nothing to your progress.

How this semester rolls into your CGPA

UC GPA multiplies each course grade value by course credits, sums those values, and divides by total course credits. In practice that means your existing CGPA is turned back into quality points by multiplying it by your completed credits, this semester's quality points are added on, and the total is divided by your new credit total. Both the semester and the cumulative figures are rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places. Repeat handling is not published as a rule this calculator can apply automatically, so retaken courses need to be checked against the current catalog.

How University of Canterbury compares with other New Zealand universities

University of Canterbury is the only New Zealand university covered here using the 9-point GPA scale with negative fail values; the other 7 universities on this site grade on different scales entirely, so their GPA numbers are not comparable with yours. Rounding is not uniform either: University of Canterbury has its cumulative average rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places, whereas Auckland University of Technology, University of Otago and 1 other do it differently.

A GPA only means something alongside the scale it was calculated on, which is why comparing raw numbers between institutions — even neighbouring ones — is unreliable. See the New Zealand comparison table for every university covered there side by side.

Converting this GPA to a 4.0 scale

University of Canterbury does not grade on the US 4.0 scale. Its scale runs to 9.0 rather than 4.0, with 13 point values in use and R as the lowest passing mark. There is no single correct formula for converting that into a 4.0 GPA, and GPAWorld deliberately does not publish one: every graduate school, employer and credential evaluator applies its own conversion table, and a number invented here could cost you an application. Calculate your GPA on this page using the real University of Canterbury scale, then let the institution you are applying to convert it with their table.

Worked examples

Each example below is run through the same engine the calculator uses, so the numbers show University of Canterbury's own rounding.

A typical graded semester

A student sitting at 5.64 after 60 completed credits takes 3 courses worth 3 credits each.

  • Core course3 credits × A+ (9.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × A- (7.0 points)
  • Lab or seminar3 credits × B (5.0 points)

Semester GPA 7.00 · Updated CGPA 5.82

The semester total is 63 quality points over 9 counted credits. Because the cumulative average now spans 69 credits, one semester moves it only a little — this is why a CGPA gets harder to shift the further into a degree you are.

Adding a course graded P

The same student adds a fourth 3-credit course graded P (Pass).

  • Core course3 credits × A+ (9.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × A- (7.0 points)
  • Lab or seminar3 credits × B (5.0 points)
  • Pass course3 credits × P (no grade points)

Semester GPA 7.00 · Updated CGPA 5.82

The semester GPA is unchanged at 7.00. P carries no grade points at University of Canterbury, so the course is removed from both sides of the division — even though the credit still counts toward the degree. Students often expect a fourth course to move the average and are surprised when it does not.

What one D costs

The same semester again, but the last course comes back as D (Fail) instead.

  • Core course3 credits × A+ (9.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × A- (7.0 points)
  • Failed course3 credits × D (0.0 points)

Semester GPA 5.33 · Updated CGPA 5.60

The semester GPA slips from 7.00 to 5.33, and the cumulative average slips from 5.82 to 5.60. D is worth 0.0 points and earns no credit, so it weighs the average down while adding nothing to your degree progress.

What this semester does to your CGPA

A student with a 5.64 CGPA after 60 credits takes 4 courses worth 3 credits each (12 credits in total). Here is where that CGPA lands if every course comes back at the same grade — calculated with the University of Canterbury scale and rounding.

Projected University of Canterbury CGPA after a 12-credit semester
If every course isSemester GPANew CGPAMovement
A+ (9.0)9.006.20+0.56 (better)
A- (7.0)7.005.87+0.23 (better)
B (5.0)5.005.53−0.11 (worse)
C+ (3.0)3.005.20−0.44 (worse)
C- (1.0)1.004.87−0.77 (worse)

Your own starting CGPA and completed credits will differ — enter them in the calculator above for your real figure.

Common mistakes when calculating your University of Canterbury GPA

These are the places where the University of Canterbury rules differ from what most students assume, and where a hand calculation usually goes wrong.

  1. Counting P and S courses in the average

    These earn credit at University of Canterbury but carry no grade points, so they belong in your credit total and nowhere near the GPA division. Including them is one of the most common reasons a hand-calculated GPA comes out wrong.

  2. Dropping a failed course from the calculation

    D, E, and X earn no credit toward the degree, but they are still counted in the GPA at 0.0, -1.0, and -3.0 points. Leaving a failure out flatters the result.

  3. Guessing the plus/minus values

    At University of Canterbury, A+ is worth 9.0 and A is worth 8.0. Those steps differ between universities, so a value copied from another school's chart will quietly skew the whole average.

  4. Averaging the grades instead of weighting them

    A course worth twice the credits moves your GPA twice as much. Adding up your grade points and dividing by the number of courses ignores that weighting and is almost always wrong.

  5. Expecting a 0-credit course to move the number

    University of Canterbury allows them, but with no credit hours they contribute nothing to either side of the division.

  6. Handling a retake by guesswork

    Repeat handling is not published as a rule this calculator can apply automatically, so retaken courses need to be checked against the current catalog. Check the current catalog before assuming an old grade has left your record.

University of Canterbury GPA — frequently asked questions

What is a passing grade at University of Canterbury?

R (1.0 points) is the weakest grade in the University of Canterbury table that still earns credit. Anything below it — D, E, and X — is counted in your GPA but earns no credit toward the degree. Individual programmes can set a higher minimum for courses in your major, so check your programme handbook as well.

What is the best GPA you can get at University of Canterbury?

9.0 on the 9-point GPA scale with negative fail values, which you reach by earning A+ (9.0 points) in every course that counts toward the GPA.

Does University of Canterbury round GPA up?

The cumulative average is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places, and the semester average is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places. That is ordinary rounding, so a result sitting exactly half a step along goes up.

Is this a generic New Zealand GPA formula?

No. This page is generated from the grading configuration for University of Canterbury alone — its 13 point values, its standard rounding, and its own rules for pass/fail and repeated courses. Other universities in New Zealand routinely use different point values or a different scale entirely, so the same grades can produce a different GPA elsewhere.

Do pass/fail courses affect my GPA?

No. P and S earn credit at University of Canterbury without carrying grade points, so they are excluded from the GPA division entirely. Your completed-credit total goes up while the average stays where it was.

Which grades are excluded from the University of Canterbury GPA?

P (Pass), F (Fail), S (Special Pass), and I (Incomplete) carry no grade points and are left out of the average. Of those, P and S still earn credit toward the degree.

What happens to my GPA if I repeat a course?

Repeat handling is not published as a rule this calculator can apply automatically, so retaken courses need to be checked against the current catalog.

How much does one semester change my cumulative GPA?

Your CGPA is weighted by every credit you have already completed, so a single semester moves it less the further along you are. Fifteen credits added to sixty already completed is a fifth of your record; the same fifteen added to a hundred and twenty is an eighth of it. Use the calculator at the top of this page with your real completed-credit total rather than estimating the movement.

What percentage is a A+ at University of Canterbury?

A+ covers 90–100% and is worth 9.0 grade points. The full percentage-to-grade table for all 11 graded bands is published on this page.

Is this calculator official?

No. GPAWorld is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Canterbury. The grading data on this page was taken from University of Canterbury - Grading Scale and University of Canterbury - Glossary of Terms and last verified on 2026-07-21; every source is linked on this page so you can check it yourself. Your registrar's record is always the authority.

Notes on this university's data

Judgement calls and caveats recorded when this grading configuration was built from the official sources. They are published so you can see exactly what the calculator assumes.

  • UC has its own official grading system and is not treated as a generic New Zealand formula.
  • UC is encoded separately because E has a GPA value of -1 and X has a GPA value of -3.
  • P, F, S, and I have no GPA value on the official UC alternative-grade table and are excluded here.
  • Repeated-course handling is manual review because a clear public repeat replacement rule was not found.