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University GPA calculator

Harvard College GPA Calculator

Calculate your semester GPA and updated CGPA using Harvard College's own grading scale, credit weighting, rounding rules, and CGPA formula — not a generic United States average.

Formula type

4.00 Harvard College GPA scale

18 grades carry points, 9 do not, and results are rounded to 2 decimal places. Verified 2026-07-21.

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University GPA Calculator

Semester GPA

4.00

Updated CGPA

--

GPA Credits

9

Rows

3

Harvard College

United States · 4.00 Harvard College GPA scale

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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

Harvard College grading at a glance

Grading scale
4.00 Harvard College GPA scale
Scale range
0.0 to 4.0 — a higher number is a better grade
Grades that carry points
18 grades count toward the GPA, plus 9 administrative grades that do not
Best possible grade
A (4.0 points)
Lowest passing grade
D- (0.67 points) — the weakest grade that still earns credit
Failing grades
E, FL, ABS, NCR, UNS, UEM, and EXLD — 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 30.0, in steps of 1.0
Pass/fail courses
Supported and counted in the GPA
Zero-credit courses
Allowed, but they do not move the GPA
Repeated courses
Needs manual review
Percentage bands published
No — this university publishes grade points, not percentage cut-offs
Grading data last verified
2026-07-21

Harvard College grading scale

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

Harvard College grade points, GPA inclusion and credit rules
GradeMeaningPointsGPA countedCredit earned
AA4.0YesYes
A-A-3.67YesYes
B+B+3.33YesYes
BB3.0YesYes
B-B-2.67YesYes
C+C+2.33YesYes
CC2.0YesYes
C-C-1.67YesYes
D+D+1.33YesYes
DD1.0YesYes
D-D-0.67YesYes
EFailure0.0YesNo
FLFail0.0YesNo
ABSAbsent from Final Examination and Failure0.0YesNo
NCRNo Credit0.0YesNo
UNSUnsatisfactory0.0YesNo
UEMUnsatisfactory Emergency0.0YesNo
EXLDExcluded0.0YesNo
CRCreditExcludedNoYes
PAPassExcludedNoYes
SATSatisfactoryExcludedNoYes
WDWithdrawalExcludedNoNo
EXTExtension of TimeExcludedNoNo
GNRGrade Not ReportedExcludedNoNo
SUSSuspendedExcludedNoNo
MKPMakeup Exam PendingExcludedNoNo
MK2Second Makeup Approval PendingExcludedNoNo

How the Harvard College GPA formula works

Harvard College 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 0.0 up to 4.0, so a higher average is a better result. The scale uses plus and minus grades, so there are 18 distinct point values rather than a handful of whole steps: A is worth 4.0 and A- is worth 3.67.

What gets left out of the average

CR, PA, SAT, WD, EXT, GNR, SUS, MKP, and MK2 carry no point value at Harvard College, 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. CR, PA, and SAT 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. E, FL, ABS, NCR, UNS, UEM, and EXLD work the other way: they earn no credit but are still counted in the average at 0.0 points, so a failed course pulls the average down while adding nothing to your progress.

How this semester rolls into your CGPA

Harvard College GPAs are cumulative and based on completed letter-graded courses taken while at Harvard, including failed courses, using the official 4-point transcript scale. 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 Harvard College compares with other United States universities

Harvard College is the only United States university covered here using the 4.00 Harvard College GPA scale; the other 11 universities on this site grade on different scales entirely, so their GPA numbers are not comparable with yours. Rounding is not uniform either: Harvard College has its cumulative average rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places, whereas Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 1 other do it differently. Repeated courses are handled differently again at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University College of Arts and Science.

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 United States comparison table for every university covered there side by side.

Worked examples

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

A typical graded semester

A student sitting at 2.88 after 60 completed credits takes 3 courses worth 3 credits each.

  • Core course3 credits × A (4.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × B+ (3.33 points)
  • Lab or seminar3 credits × B- (2.67 points)

Semester GPA 3.33 · Updated CGPA 2.94

The semester total is 30 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 CR

The same student adds a fourth 3-credit course graded CR (Credit).

  • Core course3 credits × A (4.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × B+ (3.33 points)
  • Lab or seminar3 credits × B- (2.67 points)
  • Credit course3 credits × CR (no grade points)

Semester GPA 3.33 · Updated CGPA 2.94

The semester GPA is unchanged at 3.33. CR carries no grade points at Harvard College, 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 E costs

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

  • Core course3 credits × A (4.0 points)
  • Elective3 credits × B+ (3.33 points)
  • Failed course3 credits × E (0.0 points)

Semester GPA 2.44 · Updated CGPA 2.82

The semester GPA slips from 3.33 to 2.44, and the cumulative average slips from 2.94 to 2.82. E 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 2.88 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 Harvard College scale and rounding.

Projected Harvard College CGPA after a 12-credit semester
If every course isSemester GPANew CGPAMovement
A (4.0)4.003.07+0.19 (better)
B (3.0)3.002.90+0.02 (better)
C (2.0)2.002.73−0.15 (worse)
D (1.0)1.002.57−0.31 (worse)
FL (0.0)0.002.40−0.48 (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 Harvard College GPA

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

  1. Counting CR, PA, and SAT courses in the average

    These earn credit at Harvard College 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

    E, FL, ABS, NCR, UNS, UEM, and EXLD earn no credit toward the degree, but they are still counted in the GPA at 0.0 points. Leaving a failure out flatters the result.

  3. Guessing the plus/minus values

    At Harvard College, A is worth 4.0 and A- is worth 3.67. 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

    Harvard College 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.

Harvard College GPA — frequently asked questions

What is a passing grade at Harvard College?

D- (0.67 points) is the weakest grade in the Harvard College table that still earns credit. Anything below it — E, FL, ABS, NCR, UNS, UEM, and EXLD — 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 Harvard College?

4.0 on the 4.00 Harvard College GPA scale, which you reach by earning A (4.0 points) in every course that counts toward the GPA.

Does Harvard College 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 United States GPA formula?

No. This page is generated from the grading configuration for Harvard College alone — its 18 point values, its standard rounding, and its own rules for pass/fail and repeated courses. Other universities in United States 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. CR, PA, and SAT earn credit at Harvard College 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 Harvard College GPA?

CR (Credit), PA (Pass), SAT (Satisfactory), WD (Withdrawal), EXT (Extension of Time), GNR (Grade Not Reported), SUS (Suspended), MKP (Makeup Exam Pending), and MK2 (Second Makeup Approval Pending) carry no grade points and are left out of the average. Of those, CR, PA, and SAT 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.

Is this calculator official?

No. GPAWorld is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Harvard College. The grading data on this page was taken from Harvard FAS Registrar - Transcripts and GPA Scale and Harvard FAS Registrar - Honors 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.

  • Harvard College has its own official grading system and is not treated as a generic United States formula.
  • Harvard College GPAs are cumulative, not semester GPAs; semester GPA output in this app is a term contribution using the same official grade points.
  • CR, PA, SAT, WD, EXT, GNR, SUS, MKP, and MK2 are excluded from GPA; NCR, UNS, UEM, EXLD/EXL, FL, ABS, and E are encoded as zero-point GPA grades according to the transcript scale.
  • Repeated-course handling is manual review because a clear general repeat replacement rule was not found in the cited official sources.