Academic Policy
Grade Point Average (GPA)
In addition to completing all the required course work, students must have a specific overall grade point average (GPA) and a specific GPA in their major to graduate. Students should familiarize themselves with the policies of their academic program.
Grading System
The following grades are considered in computing semester or cumulative grade averages.
The following grades are not considered in computing semester or cumulative grade point averages:
P Passed (Pass/Fail Option)S Satisfactory
R Deferred
I Incomplete
W Withdrawn
Semester and Cumulative GPAs
Only courses with grades of A+ through D– and F are used in calculating grade point averages (GPA).
P and S grades are passing grades in completed courses and will count towards hours earned but they are not used in the calculation of a GPA.
I and R grades have no GPA value.
Courses taken at other non–IU institutions are not used in calculating the GPA.
- GPA Hours: the sum of hours in courses with a grade of A+ through D- or F
- GPA Points: the sum of the credit points for each course with a grade of A+ through D- or F. Credit points are calculated by multiplying the point per credit hour by the hours of credit for the course. The points per credit hour are awarded based on the grade earned in the course as described in the Grading System chart above.
- Hours Earned: the number of course hours completed with a passing grade (A+ through D-, S, P)
- GPA: calculated by dividing the total GPA points by the total number of credit hours
Multiple GPA statistics may appear on a student’s transcript:
- Semester GPA: sum of all grade points earned in a semester divided by the sum of credit hours with grades of A+ through F
- Cumulative GPA: sum of all grade points earned in all courses, all semesters taken at IU Indianapolis (or an IU campus) divided by all the credit hours with grades of A+ through F
- Program Summary GPA: based on the student’s last active primary program, includes all grades and hours earned by level (undergraduate, graduate, law, etc.)
- Degree GPA: In some cases, schools calculate a degree GPA, which may vary slightly from the program summary GPA. This value appears in the summary portion of a student’s transcript.
