What does CGPA mean?
Table of Contents
CGPA is an acronym for Cumulative Grade Point Average which is used in quantifying the summary of a student’s academic performance.
The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is calculated when two semesters are completed, as this makes the completed academic section.
What is an academic section in the National Open University of Nigeria?
An academic section in the National Open University of Nigeria is made up of two semesters.
This is a compilation of 8 months, which are further subdivided into 4 months.
The 4 months make a semester which is termed the first semester and the other 4 months make the second second semester.
Therefore first and second semester makes up a section.
It might interest you to know that to get a Bachelor’s Degree in the National Open University of Nigeria, in any department apart from the Department of Law
there are 8 semesters to go through with consistency and discipline in the place of studying.
Back to what CGPA is;
I believe by now you understand that CGPA is calculated based on the cumulation of a student’s performance in a section, and a section is subdivided into semesters.
Meaning, that the cumulative values of the first and second semester is where we derive the grade for the CGPA.
To know what a student’s performance is in a semester to derive the student CGPA which is based on the section, we will need to talk about certain terms.
1. Grade Point Average
2. Course Title
3. Credit Unit
4. Total Credit Unit
5. Grades
6. Points for Grade
7. Weighted Grade Points
8. Total Grade Points
9. Grade Point Average
What is the Grade Point Average (GPA)?
The grade point average is derived from the calculation of the summation of the total weighted grade points divided by the total total credit unit for a particular semester.
Let’s take for an example:
If TGP (of 1st semester) = 86 and TCU (of 1st semester) = 22
Therefore GPA = 86/22 = 3.91 which is a second-class upper.
What are Weighted Grade Points (WGP)?
Weighted Grade points are derived from the following:
l Credit Unit; which means the unit of a particular course, e.g. GST101 is a major course which is usually graded a 3 unit.
l Point For Grades; this is the grading of score ranges, known as Percent Grades, lets take for example;
70 – 100 = A
This explains that numbers within the range of 70,71,72,73,74,75,76,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,
97,98,99,100 are graded (A)
60 – 69 = B
60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69 are graded (B)
50 – 59 = C
50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59 are graded (C)
45 – 49 = D
45,46,47,48,49 are graded (D)
40 – 44 = E
40,41,42,43,44 are graded (E)
Lastly; you need to how grading is apportioned. Let’s take for example:
A = 5
B = 4
C = 3
D = 2
E = 1
F= 0
Now that you have all that you need to know all that is required to calculate your WGP, I believe we are done setting the foundation correctly.
Let’s get practical.
We will use two students from different departments and different levels.
Let Miss., Lena be student A and let student B be Mr., Ex-corp
Miss Lena, is a student of Business Administration 100 level first semester.
In the case of Miss Lena, she would need to calculate only her GPA, since it is just a semester.
Bellow her are the following courses, and her tutor marked assignment and exam scores listed below;
| COURSE TITLE | CREDIT UNIT | TMA 1-3 GRADES | EXAM GRADES | TOTAL GRADES | GRADING | GRADING FREQUENCY | WEIGHTED
GRADE POINTS |
| MTH105 | 3 | 30 | 35 | 65 | B | 4 | 12 |
| GST101 | 3 | 27 | 45 | 72 | A | 5 | 15 |
| GST105 | 3 | 29 | 28 | 57 | C | 3 | 9 |
| GST107 | 3 | 25 | 21 | 46 | D | 2 | 6 |
| CSS121 | 3 | 30 | 50 | 80 | A | 5 | 15 |
| ECO121 | 3 | 20 | 24 | 44 | E | 1 | 3 |
| CSS111 | 2 | 20 | 19 | 39 | F | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 60 |
Please, if you are reading this article on a smart phone, kindly switch your view/screen to landscape or auto-rotate to see the complete table above.
Explaining the table above:
Step 1:
MTH105 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 65 (TMA & EXAM), which is a B, the grading frequency for B is 4.
To get the weighted grade point for MTH105, we will multiply the grading frequency of MTH105 which is 4 by the credit unit of MTH105, which is 3 giving a total of 12.
Step 2:
GST101 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 72 (TMA & EXAM), which is an A, the grading frequency for an A is 5.
To get the weighted grade point for GST101, we will multiply the grading frequency of GST101 which is 5 by the credit unit of the GST101, which is 3 giving a total of 15.
Step 3:
GST105 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 57 (TMA & EXAM), which is a C, the grading frequency for C is 3.
To get the weighted grade point for GST105, we will multiply the grading frequency of GST105 which is 3 by the credit unit of the GST105, which is 3 giving a total of 9.
Step 4:
GST107 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 46 (TMA & EXAM), which is a D, the grading frequency for D is 2.
To get the weighted grade point for GST107, we will multiply the grading frequency of GST107 which is 2 by the credit unit of the GST107, which is 3 giving a total of 6.
Step 5:
CSS121 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 80 (TMA & EXAM), which is an A, the grading frequency for A is 5.
To get the weighted grade point for CSS121, we will multiply the grading frequency of CSS121 which is 5 by the credit unit of the GST107, which is 3 giving a total of 15.
Step 6:
ECO121 is a 3-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 44 (TMA & EXAM), which is an E, the grading frequency for E is 1.
To get the weighted grade point for ECO121, we will multiply the grading frequency of ECO121 which is 1 by the credit unit of ECO121, which is 3 giving a total of 3.
Step 7:
CSS111 is a 2-unit course, and Miss., Lena had a total grade of 39 (TMA & EXAM), which is an F, the grading frequency for F is 0.
To get the weighted grade point for CSS111, we will multiply the grading frequency of CSS111 which is 0 by the credit unit of CSS111, which is 2 giving a total of 0.
From the above analysis, we may proceed to get what Miss., Lena’s GPA is for her first semester.
This will be achieved by dividing the total of the weighted grade points by the total credit unit:
Total Weighted Grade Point/ Total Credit Unit
60/20 = 3.0 (Second Class Upper)
In the case of Mr., Ex-corp who is a student of the Department of Business Administration 100 level second semester.
He will need to calculate his CGPA, to do that, he needs to know what his is GPA for both the first and second semesters.
Using the above formula applied in calculating Miss., Lena’s GPA we arrived at the following GPA for Mr., Ex-corp’s first and second semesters respectively.
First Semester: 3.80 (Second Class Upper)
Second Semester: 2.50 (Third Class Upper)
Please note the grading system in Nigerian universities. According to the latest release from the National Universities Commission, NUC has reviewed the scaling system of the Nigerian Universities Grading System from a five-rating scale that we all know to a four-rating scale.
First Class Honours – 3.5 – 4.0
Second Class Honours (Upper Division) – 3.0 – 3.49
Second Class Honours (Lower Division) – 2.0 – 2.99
Third Class Honours – 1.0 – 1.99
Please note that any student whose CGPA is less than 1.0 will not be awarded a degree.
Back to calculating Mr., Ex-corp’s CGPA for the 100 level; we have derived his CGPA for the first and second semesters which are;
First Semester: 3.80 (Second Class Upper)
Second Semester: 2.50 (Third Class Upper)
Respectively.
To get his CGPA we will then, add both first and second-semester GPAs which are:
3.80 + 2.50 = 6.30
Divided by 2 = 6.30/2 = 3.15 (Second Class Honours (Upper Division)
So, if we have Mr., Ayo who is in the 300 level first semester, to get his GPA.
HOW TO CALCULATE CGPA FOR 300 LEVEL FIRST SEMESTER
To calculate CGPA for the 300 level first semester add up all CGPA from 100 level first semester to 300 level first semester then divide it by 5.
HOW TO CALCULATE CGPA FOR 300 LEVEL SECOND SEMESTER
To calculate CGPA for the 300 level second semester add up all CGPA from 100 level first semester to 300 level second semester then divide it by 6.
HOW TO CALCULATE CGPA FOR 400 LEVEL FIRST SEMESTER
To calculate CGPA for the 400 level first semester add up all CGPA from 100 level first semester to 400 level first semester then divide it by 7.
HOW TO CALCULATE CGPA FOR 400 LEVEL SECOND SEMESTER
To calculate CGPA for the 400 level second semester add up all CGPA from 100 level first semester to 400 level second semester then divide it by 8.
I hope the article was helpful. Let me know what you think in the comment section
Let me say, I did a course ECN101, and I scored 65 in the computer based exam. My calculations will go like this;
65 x 70 = 4,550.
Then, you should proceed and divide it by 120, and this goes like this:
4,550 ÷ 120 = 37.9.
That means your score over 70 in the examination, is 37.9/70.
Please, also take note, that for all students, who did the full complete 150 (One hundred and fifty) questions in a particular exam or more, you will have to divide by the number of questions. It is not always 120.
Lets also assume your score for the four (4) NOUN TMAs were as follows;
TMA1 = 9.5,
TMA2 = 8.00,
TMA3 = 9.00,
TMA4 = 7.5, respectively.
For you to successfully and rightfully calculate your Noun GPA, you’ll need to calculate the best 3 TMAs, which will be like this;
9.5 + 9.00 + 8.00 = 26.5.
This will give you, a total of 26.5, and your test score over 30. That means you scored 26.5/30.
While for you, to get your overall score over 100. You’ll be adding exam score + test score= 37.9 + 26.5= 64.4. So, my total score for the course ECN101 would = 64.4/100. Which is a ‘B’.
Before we venture into NOUN GPA calculation; Note that:
70-100= A.
60-69= B.
50-59= C.
45-49= D.
40-44= E.
39 downwards= F.
Now, let us assume, I did 11 courses and this was how my score went in the 11 courses after calculating scores, with their units in front of them. Let’s assume these were my courses, grades & units;
1) ECN101 – B. 2unit course
2) TFC116- B. 2unit course
3) ENT121 – C. 3unit course
4) BAT128- C. 2unit course
5) GMB142 – A. 2unit course
6) BRF136- A. 3unit course
7) KFC108- A. 2unit course
8) GEJ158 – D. 3unit course
9) OBJ114 – D. 2unit course
10) IBB131 – E. 2unit course
11) FFK104- F. 2unit course
Now, we have 11 courses, with their grades & units in front of them. Let’s understand the grades;
A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1, F=0.
How to Calculate NOUN GPA
Now, let’s start with the first course ECN101 for NOUN GPA calculation.
I scored B in ECN101 above. Since B= 4.
I’ll multiply 4 by the unit of the course, which is a 2unit course.
So; 4 x 2unit= 8. So for ECN101 = 8.
Next is LAW116, I scored B as well. Since it is a 2unit course, I’ll calculate 4 x 2units= 8. So, TFC116 = 8.
Next is ENT121, it was a C. C = 3, which is a 3 unit course. So, calculation will be; 3 x 3units= 9. ENT121= 9.
Next is BAM128, I scored C, which is a 2unit course. The calculation will be; 3 x 2units= 6. BAT128= 6.
Next is BUS142, I scored A. A=5, which is a 2unit course. So; 5 x 2units= 10. GMB142= 10.
Next is BIO136, I scored A, which is a 3unit course. So; 5 x 3units= 15. BRF136= 15.
Next is CHM108, I scored A, which is 2unit course. So: 5 x 2units= 10. KFC108 = 10.
Next is GEO158, which is a 3unit course, I scored D, D = 2. So; 2 x 3units= 6. GEJ158= 6.
Next is CHM114, which is a 2units course, I scored D. So; 2 x 2units= 4. OBJ114= 4.
Next is ECO131, which is a 2units course, I scored E. E = 1. So; 1 x 2units= 2. IBB131= 2.
Next is AGR104, which is a 2unit course, I scored F. F = 0. So; 0 x 2units= 0. FFK104=0.
Now, having done all the 11 courses calculation, we will have to finalized it by adding all the course calculations together. So that will give us;
8 + 8 + 9 + 6 + 10 + 15 + 10 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 0 = 78.
Now, add the total units of all the course together;
2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 25.
So, divide the added course calculation by total units.
Which is; 78 ÷ 25 = 3.1.
So, there you have it, your NOUN GPA is 3.1. That is 2nd class lower.
NOUN GPA Classification
After your NOUN GPA calculation, your GP can be classified as:
First Class: 4.50 and above.
Second Class Upper: 3.50-4.49.
Second Class Lower: 2.50-3.49.
Third Class: 1.50-2.49.
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