To calculate your GPA for the first semester, multiply the grade point obtained in each course by the number of units assigned to the specific course, the sum of which is divided by the total number of credit units taken for a semester.
For example, if your GPA after adding points, you arrive at 101 as total points while the total unit is 24, which is 101 divided by 24, which gives you 4.20.
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This guide will show you how to calculate your Grade Point Average (GPA) in a Nigerian university for each of the semesters and how to arrive at a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). GPA and CGPA is also applied in Nigerian Polytechnics using different grade points.
Over the years fresh students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria want to know how their grades are being calculated and arrived at by the authority.
Whether you are an undergraduate at the University in Nigeria, you should be able to compute your own GPA and CGPA right from your 100 level.
This article explores the meaning of GPA and calculating your overall CGPA, Total Point, and an illustration of calculating your grades in the University.
I will break down these jargon for easy understanding, before using an illustration which you can use to arrive at your own grade as an undergraduate in any of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Grade Point
The grade point is the product (course unit) and the corresponding point of the letter grade. It is derived from the actual percentage of raw score for a given course. The raw score is then converted into a letter grade and a grade point.
Grading Point for Nigerian University
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- 0
Grade Point Average
GPA for short, the Grade Point Average is the average of grade you earned in the courses you took during a semester.
The GPA is arrived at by multiplying the grade point obtained in each course by the number of units assigned to the specific course, the sum of which is divided by the total number of credit unit taken for a semester.
GPA=Total Point obtained over the total number units or registered courses.
Grade Point Average for Nigerian Universities
| Score Percent | Letter of Grades | Grade Point |
| 70 – 100 | A | 5 |
| 60 – 69 | B | 4 |
| 55 – 59 | C | 3 |
| 50 – 54 | D | 2 |
| 45 49 | E | 1 |
| 0 – 44 | F | 0 |
Cumulative Grade Point Average
CGPA for short, it is the updated mean of the Grade Point you earned in a programme of study. The CGPA is an indication of your overall performance at all points in your course of study at the end of a session.
CGPA = Sum of Total Grade Points obtained OVER the Total number of units for all courses registered by you (the student).
The CGPA is used to arrive at your class of degree.
Class of Degree in the University in Nigeria
- First Class
- Second Class Upper
- Second Class Lower
- Third Class
- Fail
CGPA for Universities in Nigeria
| CGPA | Class of Degree |
| 4.50 – 5.00 | First Class |
| 3.50 – 4.49 | Second Class Upper |
| 2.40 – 3.49 | Second Class Lower |
| 1.50 – 2.39 | Third Class |
| 1.00 – 1.49 | Fail (Certificate of Attendance) |
Total Point
TP for short, the Total Point is arrived at by multiplying your grade point by the number of the unit allocated for a particular course.
How To Calculate Your GPA In Nigerian University
In this section, I will show you how to calculate your class grade in the first and second semester using the grading system: 70- 100 and 0 – 44:
Calculating the first semester GPA
Let’s assume your course of study is Business Administration, offering the following courses and the unit of each course:
- Introduction to Business Management I (BUS 101): 3 Unit
- Uses of English I (GNS 101): 2 Units
- Introduction to Financial Accounting I (BUS 103): 3 Unit
- Small Scale Management I (BUS 105): 3 Unit
- Nigerian Language – Yoruba I – (GNS 103): 2 Unit
- Entrepreneurship Skill I (BUS 107): 3 Unit
- Nigeria Business Environment I (BUS 111): 3 Unit
- Business Analysis I (BUS 113): 3 Unit
- Introduction to trading and profit account I (ACC 101): 2 Unit
TOTAL UNIT: 24
Your scores are as follows after the end of the First Semester Examination:
| Course Code | Scores/Letter of Grade | Grade Point | Units | Total Points |
| ACC 101 | 64: B | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| BUS 113 | 79: A | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| GNS 103 | 67: B | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| BUS 111 | 54: C | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| BUS 107 | 69: B | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| GNS 101 | 81: A | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| BUS 103 | 69: B | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| BUS 105 | 66: B | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| BUS 101 | 77: A | 5 | 3 | 15 |
Sum of Total Points: 101
TOTAL UNIT: 24
Therefore, GPA= 8+15+8+9+12+10+12+12+15 DIVIDED by 24 (TOTAL UNIT)
101 divided by 24 = 4.2 (Second Class Upper in the 1st semester)
Calculating the second semester GPA
Let’s use the following list of courses for 2nd semester:
- Use of English II (GNS 102): 2 unit
- Nigerian Language – Yoruba II (GNS 104): 2 unit
- Practical Business Management (BUS 102): 3 unit
- Applied Financial Accounting (BUS 104): 3 unit
- Analytical small scale management (BUS 106): 3 unit
- Entrepreuship Skill II (BUS 108): 3 Unit
- Nigerian Business Environment II ( BUS 112): 3 unit
- Business analysis II (BUS 114): 3 unit
- Applied trading and profit account (ACC 102): 3 unit
TOTAL UNIT: 25
| Course code | Scores/Letter of Grade | Grade Point | Units | Total points |
| GNS 102 | 63: B | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| BUS 114 | 56: C | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| GNS 104 | 77: A | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| BUS 112 | 91: A | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| BUS 106 | 51: D | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| ACC 102 | 55: C | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| BUS 102 | 59: C | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| BUS 104 | 67: B | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| BUS 108 | 53: C | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Sum of Total Points: 87
TOTAL UNIT: 25
So, to know your GPA for the second semester, you are going to add the total points altogether, that is: 8+9+10+15+6+9+9+12+9 DIVIDED by 25 (TOTAL UNIT)
Therefore 87 divided by 25 =3.48 (that’s your GPA for the Second Semester).
CGPA Calculation for the Session
To calculate your CGPA for the session:
add total points in the first semester and total points in the second semester (101+87)=188
add no. of units in 1st and 2nd semester (24+25)=49
188÷49=3.84 on 5.0 scale
This means you maintained Second Class Upper for the session.