So ... what's my GPA, exactly?

DON'T MISS THIS: Your winter-term DISC deadline is March 23, 2020.

To many students, the Grade Point Average (GPA) can be a bit mystifying. Thankfully, there are a number of resources out there to help you better understand this important part of your academic career.

Laura Mitchell, director of Concordia’s Student Success Centre, encourages students to get informed about their GPAs and transcripts early on in their academic careers. 

“As a new student, it’s helpful to clarify exactly what the GPA means. It’s a great a way for you to keep track of your academic progress.”

It’s also a big part of the application process if you decide to enter a graduate program down the line, making the calculation process essential.

Concordia measures your GPA on a 4.3 grading scale — each letter grade you receive for a class helps shape it. This GPA scale will give you a better idea of how it's tabulated.

There are three types of GPAs that appear on your transcript: your last annual GPA, your term GPA and your cumulative GPA. The annual GPA relates to the courses you've taken in the last academic year, starting in the summer term.

The term GPA is the grade point average of all courses taken during the term to which it refers. The cumulative GPA is ongoing and takes all of your courses into account.

You must maintain a certain annual GPA in order to be considered in good standing and continue to study in your program. Generally, this is a minimum of 2.0 (out of 4.3).

In addition, annual GPA will only appear on your transcript after the grades for the Winter term come in. New students won’t see an annual GPA on their transcript until the end of their first year, and only if they have attempted at least 12 credits.

Read more about how your GPA is assessed based on the faculty to which your program belongs:

• Arts and Science
• John Molson School of Business
• Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Fine Arts

Withdrawing from a class after certain deadlines can impact your GPA. It’s important to note that the deadline to request a DISC (discontinued course) this term is March 23, 2020.

Provided you were able to withdraw before the DISC deadline, the course as well as a DISC withdrawal notation remains on your academic record but does not affect your GPA. However, you are financially responsible for the payment of all tuition and other fees pertaining to the course.

Find out more about course withdrawals.

Find out about learning support offered through Concordia’s Student Success Centre.