The Simplest Way To Calculate For CGPA In Nigerian Universities

 

The cumulative grade point average, CGPA is a type of grading system used by most Nigerian universities to evaluate students performance after an academic session. To get a CGPA for a particular student, it involves summing the product of all earned grade point and units divided by the total units attempted in the institution.
However, some students often find it difficult to calculate their own cumulative grade point average due to the perceived complexity they view it. In response to this issue, a post like this is necessary, as we will elaborate: what's CGPA, how to calculate GP and CGPA for an academic year, and also adding some tips on how to boost your CGPA so that you will graduate with a good result.

What's CGPA?

GPA which means Grade Point Average is basically a measure of a student’s academic results at a college or university for a particular term or semester. It is calculated by dividing the total number of acquired Grade Points by the total number of Course Unit received.
On the other hand, CGPA means Cumulative Grade Point Average, and it's the same as GPA but the slight difference is that it's summed for an academic session while GPA is calculated from a term or semester. Grade letter may differ.

In grading results in a CGPA scale, letters like ABCDEF are used to represent a score. In most cases, letter A usually represent scores from 70–100, and F which is fail is graded from 0–45 marks after the end of examinations. However most universities oust E and prefer to grade their students with ABCDF. To follow generality, we will use this method in our post to explain how to calculate CGPA.

What then is CGPA meant for?

 Some students especially the new intakes will be inquisitive about the essence of Grade Point Average. Its is a number that indicates how well or how high you scored in your courses when taking on average. GPA scale is always between 1.0 and 4.0 or 5.0, during your studies and shows your overall performance. This grade is subsequently used to assess whether you meet the standards and expectations set by the degree programme or university.

How to Calculate for CGPA in Nigerian Universities

Doing the calculations for GPA and CGPA is very straight and simple if you follow the steps properly. We have explicate down all the procedures, but first, let's enlighten on the terms used that may seem unfamiliar.

Basic terms to note in calculating for CGPA.

Credit Unit (CU) – This is a fixed unit attached to a course. This units is always done due to its importance as more tougher courses seem to have higher credit units. Example: Basic Statistics and Probability = 3 units.
GP (Grade Point) – This is a point allocated to a letter notation A, B, C, D, E and F.
GPAv(Grade Point Average) – The calculated point average a student earned per semester.
CGPA – The cumulative grade point earned from the beginning of study till the final year of course.

Calculating for CGPA is not much complex task. Here is the grading system used to calculate CGPA.

Mark/Score| Letter Notation| Grade Point(GP)
70-100 A 5.0
60-69 B 4.0
50-59 C 3.0
45-49 D 2.0
40-44 E 1.0
0-39 F 0.0
Note: This grade point is based on a 5.0 grading scale only.

How CGPA is calculated

Credit Unit (CU) are fixed to all courses and it signifies the value of the course.
The Grade point average(GPA) which is the calculated performance of a student, is derived by dividing the total grade points for a semester by the credit unit for that semester. Consider Ali to have earned 56 grade point as his quality point for a 20 credit unit. When you divide the total grade points 56 by the sum of credit units 20. The answer will be = 2.8 which will put Ali in a second class lower using a 5.0 grading scale.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is gotten by the summing of all the grade point average and dividing by n(number of GPAs). It is also derived by adding the total quality point and then dividing it by the Total Credit units for the courses offered.

If you are offering a four year degree programme, to calculate your CGPA for the four years, just do GPA(year 1)+GPA(year 2)+GPA(year 3)+GPA(year 4) divided by the credit units CU(year 1)+CU(year 2)+CU(year 3)+CU(year 4) and get your graduating CGPA.
Similarly, 5 year degree programmes like Engineering, Nursing, Medical Laboratory can get their CGPA by adding the respective GPA and TCU (Total Credit Units) for the fifth year of study.

Why you should calculate your CGPA

Some students fear to calculate their this cumulative grade point average of a thing because of the fear of seeing the 'unbelievable' if they might have lots of issues and low grades in some courses. But here are the reasons you should do some bit calculations and know your GPA and CGPA;

• Eligibility for Scholarship: If you have a good first class or second class upper grades will increase your chances of getting Scholarship from government.
• You graduate with good honours.
• Academic Status: Knowing your CGPA makes you to know the status you are academically in the university. Students who have a CGPA less than 1.0 are often required to change program or drop from the degree programme.

Conclusion

That's what we could let you know on calculating CGPA. Nonetheless, if you are a  victim of lower CGPA and you want to augment it. Always prioritize your priorities, I.e. by tackling courses with high credit units. Always go for nothing less than A and B in those courses before reading others and look for a way to strike a balance.

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