As a Nigerian student, do you want to learn the grading system to calculate your GPA and CGPA score in university, polytechnic, secondary school, and high school using the 4.0 and 5.0 scale?
If YES, then this article is only what you need to read today.
If you want to excel in your studies and graduate with a good grade, then knowing how to calculate GPA and CGPA in school is vital.
Today, you will know how to calculate CGPA for students schooling at the University of Ibadan, UNN, AAU, UNILAG, NOUN, OAU, UNIPORT, IMSU, UNIZIK, UNILORIN, and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
For this article, I will use the 5.00 GPA scale to teach you how to calculate your GPA and CGPA because it is the most widely used grading scale in Nigerian universities.
If your school uses 4.00, the calculation remains the same.
If you’re not sure of your school’s GPA scale, ask your course advisor for the school GPA grading scale.
Getting started…
Nigerian University Grading System
The grading system in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions uses over a hundred scores.
30 marks are for continuous assessment, while 70 marks is for examination scores.
Test scores, assignment and class presentation make up your continuous assessment.
Here is the grading system for universities in Nigeria:
| Score | Grade | Points | Remark |
| 70 – 100 | A | 5 | Excellent |
| 60 – 69 | B | 4 | Very Good |
| 50 – 59 | C | 3 | Good |
| 45 – 49 | D | 2 | Pass |
| 40 – 44 | E | 1 | Fair |
| 0 – 39 | F | 0 | Fail |
What is GPA?
GPA, which means Grade Point Average, is a measure of a student’s academic achievement at a college or university.
The Grade Point Average is calculated by dividing the Total Grade Points by the Total Course Units received.
The formula for calculating the GPA is TGP/TCC.
Your GPA is important, as it shows how low or high you scored in your courses on average.
It is used to assess whether you meet the standards and expectations set by the degree programme or university.
To teach how to calculate your GPA and CGPA today, I’ll be using a sample of a biochemistry university student 100L and 200L first and second-semester results.
100 Level First Semester Course Outline
| Course Code | Course Title | Unit |
| BIO 101 | General Biology I | 3 |
| BIO 111 | General Biology Practical I | 1 |
| PHY 101 | General Physics I | 3 |
| CHE 101 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHE 141 | General Chemistry Practical I | 1 |
| MAT 101 | General Mathematics I | 3 |
| GST 101 | The Use of English I | 2 |
| GST 103 | Philosophy and Logic | 2 |
| GST 105 | Citizenship Education | 2 |
| Total | 20 |
100 Level First Semester Result
| Course Code | Course Title | Score | Grade |
| BIO 101 | General Biology I | 68 | B |
| BIO 111 | General Biology Practical I | 73 | A |
| PHY 101 | General Physics I | 55 | C |
| CHE 101 | General Chemistry I | 71 | A |
| CHE 141 | General Chemistry Practical I | 65 | B |
| MAT 101 | General Mathematics I | 61 | B |
| GST 101 | The Use of English I | 67 | B |
| GST 103 | Philosophy and Logic | 59 | C |
| GST 105 | Citizenship Education | 72 | A |
100 Level First Semester GPA Calculation
| Course Code | Unit | Grade | Point | Unit x Point | Total |
| BIO 101 | 3 | B | 4 | 3 x 4 | 12 |
| BIO 111 | 1 | A | 5 | 1 x 5 | 5 |
| PHY 101 | 3 | C | 3 | 3 x 3 | 9 |
| CHE 101 | 3 | A | 5 | 3 x 5 | 15 |
| CHE 141 | 1 | B | 4 | 1 x 4 | 4 |
| MAT 101 | 3 | B | 4 | 3 x 4 | 12 |
| GST 101 | 2 | B | 4 | 2 x 4 | 8 |
| GST 103 | 2 | C | 3 | 2 x 3 | 6 |
| GST 105 | 2 | A | 5 | 2 x 5 | 10 |
| Total | 20 | – | 37 | – | 81 |
GPA Formula
To get your GPA, you will divide the total points by the total number of credit unit loads for the semester.
Total Quality Point (TQP) = 81
Total Credit Unit (TCU) = 20
GPA = 81/20 = 4.05
From our calculation, the GPA for the 100 Level First Semester is 4.0.
Now let us calculate the GPA for the 100 Level Second Semester.
100 Level Second Semester Course Outline
| Course Code | Course Title | Unit |
| BIO 102 | General Biology II | 3 |
| BIO 112 | General Biology Practical II | 1 |
| PHY 102 | General Physics II | 3 |
| CHE 102 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHE 142 | General Chemistry Practical II | 1 |
| MAT 102 | General Mathematics II | 3 |
| GST 102 | The Use of English II | 2 |
| GST 104 | History and Philosophy of Science | 2 |
| GST 106 | Use of Computer Packages | 2 |
| GST 108 | Entrepreneurial Studies | 2 |
| Total | 22 |
100 Level Second Semester Result
| Course Code | Course Title | Score | Grade |
| BIO 102 | General Biology II | 74 | A |
| BIO 112 | General Biology Practical II | 63 | B |
| PHY 102 | General Physics II | 59 | C |
| CHE 102 | General Chemistry II | 68 | B |
| CHE 142 | General Chemistry Practical II | 61 | B |
| MAT 102 | General Mathematics II | 63 | B |
| GST 102 | The Use of English II | 65 | B |
| GST 104 | History and Philosophy of Science | 57 | C |
| GST 106 | Use of Computer Packages | 72 | A |
| GST 108 | Entrepreneurial Studies | 67 | B |
100 Level Second Semester GPA Calculation
| Course Code | Unit | Grade | Point | Unit x Point | Total |
| BIO 102 | 3 | A | 5 | 3 x 5 | 15 |
| BIO 112 | 1 | B | 4 | 1 x 4 | 4 |
| PHY 102 | 3 | C | 3 | 3 x 3 | 9 |
| CHE 102 | 3 | B | 4 | 3 x 4 | 12 |
| CHE 142 | 1 | B | 4 | 1 x 4 | 4 |
| MAT 102 | 3 | B | 4 | 3 x 4 | 12 |
| GST 102 | 2 | B | 4 | 2 x 4 | 8 |
| GST 104 | 2 | C | 3 | 2 x 3 | 6 |
| GST 106 | 2 | A | 5 | 2 x 5 | 10 |
| GST 108 | 2 | B | 4 | 2 x 4 | 8 |
| Total | 22 | – | 40 | – | 88 |
You will divide the total points by the total number of credit unit loads for the second semester.
Total Quality Point (TQP) = 88
Total Credit Unit (TCU) = 22
GPA = 88/22 = 4.0
From our calculation, the GPA for the 100 Level Second Semester is 4.0.
Now, we can calculate the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
What is CGPA?
CGPA, which means Cumulative Grade Point Average, is the Total Grade Point Earned divided by the Total Credit Units.
The formula to calculate the CGPA is the summation of the Total Quality Point (TQP)/Total Credit Unit (TCU) for both semesters of the first year.
CGPA Formula = Σ TQP/TCU
The difference between GPA and CGPA is that the GPA covers shorter periods, like one term or a semester.
While CGPA refers to the average grades got by a student at the end of two (2) or more semesters or throughout the entire academic experience.
| First Year (100L) | Total Quality Point (TQP) | Total Credit Unit (TCU) |
| First Semester | 81 | 20 |
| Second Semester | 88 | 22 |
| Total | 169 | 42 |
CGPA = Σ TQP/TCU
CGPA = 169/42 = 4.02
From our calculation, the CGPA for the first year (100 level) is 4.02.
Now let us calculate the final CGPA for a four-year biochemistry course.
Final Year CGPA
The final year CGPA is an addition of your Total Quality Point and Total Credit Unit from the first to your last year.
For this calculation, I will sum the Total Quality Point (TQP) and Total Credit Unit (TCU) for each academic session.
Here is the CGPA of a biochemistry student from the first year to the final year.
| Level | Total Quality Point (TQP) | Total Credit Unit (TCU) |
| 100 | 169 | 42 |
| 200 | 151 | 45 |
| 300 | 137 | 31 |
| 400 | 125 | 29 |
| Total | 582 | 147 |
Final CGPA = Σ TQP/TCU
Final CGPA = 582/147 = 3.96
From our calculation, the graduating CGPA is 3.96.
This same procedure applies to students studying a five (5) or six (6) years course at the University.
Degrees Classification in Nigerian Universities
| Degree | Cumulative Grade Point Average |
| First Class Honours | 4.5 – 5.0 |
| Second Class Honours (Upper Division) | 3.5 – 4.49 |
| Second Class Honours (Lower Division) | 2.49 – 3.49 |
| Third Class Honours | 1.50 – 2.48 |
Final Words
Getting a good GPA makes you eligible to graduate with good honours and it increases your chances of getting better grants and scholarship.
The method for calculating GPA and CGPA in all Nigerian universities for first-year and other students is the same as explained in this post.
I wish you success.
