Open University Malaysia

Open University Malaysia

HUTECH WORKING MEETING VISIT FROM 12th - 14th APRIL 2012
1.

How to calculate GPA & CGPA in the grading system? It should be explained in detail.

a) The Grade Point Average or GPA, measures a learners academic performance in a particular
semester for his/her programme of study. To calculate the GPA, we need to know:
(i) the number of courses that a learner registers for in a particular semester and the credit
hours for each registered course. For example, if a learner registers 3 courses in a particular
semester and each course is 3 credit hours, the total credit hours for the three courses would
be 9 credit hours (3 courses x 3 credit hours)
(ii) the grade points obtained by the learner for each course based on the grades and the
equivalent grade point as shown in the Marks and Grades Schedule. The grade points of
each course are added together to obtain the total grade points.
To obtain the GPA, the total grade points are divided by the total credit hours for the three courses.
The following example shows how the GPA is calculated for a semester:

Equivalent
Grade Points*

Credit Hours
Total
X
Equivalent
Points
Grade Points

Course

Credit
Hours

Course 1

A-

3.67

3 x 3.67

11.01

Course 2

3.00

3 x 3.00

9.00

Course 3

C+

2.33

3 x 2.33

6.99

Grade

Grade

Total

27.00
27.00 9

GPA

Total
Grade
Points / Total = 3.00
Credit Hours

* Refer to OUMs Marks-Grade and Grade Points Schedule below

b) The Cumulative Grade Point Average or CGPA, measures a learners academic performance over
more than one semester until completion of the learners programme of study.
The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is calculated by dividing the cumulative grade points
obtained with the cumulative credit hours taken by a learner over more than one semester.

The following example shows how the CGPA is calculated.

Open University Malaysia

Open University Malaysia
HUTECH WORKING MEETING VISIT FROM 12th - 14th APRIL 2012
Assuming the learner has completed three semesters of his/her programme, has accumulated 27
credit hours and obtained the total grade points for each semester as follows:

Total Grade Points Per Semester

Semesters 2012

Credit Hours Per Semester

Semester Jan.

27.00

Semester May

18.00

Semester Sept.

27.00

Cumulative Total

27

72.00

CGPA

72.00 27 = 2.66

Note:

Only the credit hours of the courses with grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D
and F are included in the calculation of the GPA and CGPA. Courses with grades S
(Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) AU (Audit), IP (In progress) are not included in
the calculation of the GPA and CGPA.

(c) WHAT IF:

(1) a learner is unable to take the examination for a course due to unforeseen circumstances
(e.g. medical, death of immediate family member, etc.) and is awarded the grade I
Incomplete in a semester for example, semester January 2012.

The credit hours and grade I Incomplete of the course is not included in the calculation of
his/her GPA and CGPA for semester January 2012. If he/she retakes the examination of the
course for example in September 2012, the examination marks that he/she obtained in the
retake examination is then added to the coursework marks of the course for January 2012
and the GPA and CGPA is recalculated for semester January 2012.

Open University Malaysia

Open University Malaysia
HUTECH WORKING MEETING VISIT FROM 12th - 14th APRIL 2012
(2) a learner obtains grade F or low grade for a course in semester January 2012 and retakes
the examination in semester September 2012 in order to pass the course or improve on the
grade.

The coursework marks of the course in semester January 2012 is added to the retake
examination marks in semester September 2012 to obtain the course grade. The grade
points of the course are added to the grade points of other courses taken in September to
calculate the GPA and CGPA. But the grade points of the course taken in January 2012,
provided it is lower, are deducted from the cumulative grade points when calculating the
CGPA.

2. The meaning of Marginal Failure status and the status of other grades in the grading system

Marks

Grade

Grade
Point

Meaning

80 100

4.00

Outstanding

75 79

A-

3.67

Very Good

70 74

B+

3.33

Good

65 69

3.00

Pass

60 64

B-

2.67

55 59

C+

2.33

50 54

2.00

45 49

C-

1.67

40 44

D+

1.33

35 39

1.00

0 34

0.00

Conditional Pass (Subject to CGPA =>

3.00)

Fail

In the grading system, the minimum pass grade for postgraduate courses is grade B. Grades B-, C+
and C are known as Conditional pass grades. If a learner obtains any one of these grades in any

Open University Malaysia

Open University Malaysia
HUTECH WORKING MEETING VISIT FROM 12th - 14th APRIL 2012
course, he/she need not repeat the course or course examination on condition his/her GPA or CGPA
is 3.00 or higher.

Upon completion of his programme, he/she can continue to maintain the Conditional pass grades for
the courses concerned provided his/her CGPA is 3.00 which is the minimum required for graduation.

However, if a Faculty requires that a core compulsory course must be passed at minimum grade B,
the learner must repeat either the course or examination even though his/her CGPA is 3.00 or higher.