GPA Calculation

Credit is awarded by the course unit. Each credit is equivalent to four semester hours or six quarter hours. The normal semester course load is four credits. No additional credit is awarded for a course that requires laboratory work. Thirty-two credits are required for the degree. Any questions regarding the computation of the GPA should be directed to registrar@bowdoin.edu.

Grade Point Average (GPA): When calculating a student's grade point average, these point values are assigned for semester and cumulative GPAs:

 

A  =  4.0 B = 3.0 C = 2.0 F = 0.0
A- =  3.7 B- = 2.7 C- = 1.7
B+ = 3.3 C+ = 2.3 D = 1.0
 

Calculation instructions: divide the sum of points by the sum of credit values for courses that were assigned points then truncate the value after the third decimal--do not round up. 

  • Courses earning a grade of CR/CRD (credit), courses without credit, e.g. some repeated courses, and courses taken at other institutions are not counted in the GPA.
  • Bowdoin does not round up semester or cumulative GPAs. Instead, GPAs are truncated to display the first three decimals.
  • Half-credit courses are weighted as one half of a course. For example, 
    • A grade of A in a half-credit course is worth 2 points, a B is worth 1.5 points, and so on;
    • If a student took five 1.0 credit courses and one 0.5 credit course and earned all Bs for the 1.0 credit courses and an A in the 0.5 credit course, the calculation would be:
      • 3+3+3+3+3+2 = 17 points divided by 5.5 credits (not 6) for a semester GPA of 3.090 

GPA in the Major/Minor

Bowdoin does not calculate an official GPA within the major or minor. If you need this figure, use the same point assignments as those used for your semester and cumulative GPAs, but only assign points to courses that count toward the major/minor. Divide this sum by the number of courses assigned points, e.g. those counting towards the major/minor.

To compute a GPA for grades earned under the old "H" grade policy, use the following guide:

HH = 4.0 (the equivalent of an A)
H = 3.0 (the equivalent of a B)
P = 2.0 (the equivalent of a C)

For more details, please reference the Bowdoin College Transcript Key.