Live term and cumulative boards — so a strong semester never pretends to be the whole transcript.
Educational 4.0 sketch. Term ≠ cumulative. Not an official registrar transcript.
By Ahmet C. Toplutaş·Site owner & editor · Other tools
Last updated May 21, 2026 · Reviewed May 21, 2026 · Planning estimates only - not tax, medical, or investment advice
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Students often quote one number: “my GPA.” There are usually two. Term GPA is this semester only. Cumulative GPA folds every prior graded credit into the average. A repair semester can look excellent while the transcript average still climbs slowly — or a soft term can sit below a strong record.
This page’s framing is Term ≠ cumulative. The panel shows both clocks and the gap between them.
Honors/AP weight bumps belong on the weighted GPA calculator. In-class “what do I need on the final?” belongs on grade tools. Here we stay on letters, credits, and the prior merge.
Decision framing: “Is this the semester story or the transcript story?” — not only “What is my GPA?”
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Enter prior cumulative GPA and prior credits. The panel converts prior history into quality points (GPA × credits), adds this term’s quality points, and divides by total credits. With prior credits at zero, term and cumulative match — Term ≠ cumulative appears as soon as a history exists.
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The unique affordance is the contribution strip: each course’s quality points (grade points × credits) as a bar. A 5-credit B can outweigh a 1-credit A in the term total — credit weight is visible, not hidden inside one average.
That is not a tournament payout ladder, not a solar twin-payback, and not a volatility path strip. It is academic weight literacy inside Term ≠ cumulative.
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We use a common U.S. 4.0 plus/minus map (A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3; A+ capped at 4.0). Registrars disagree. Treat the map as a sketch and confirm your catalog before you make planning decisions.
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Scenario A — Repair semester. Load the preset (prior ~2.4 / 30 cr, strong term). Term sits high; cumulative rises but lags — Term ≠ cumulative in one glance.
Keep the term fixed. Raise prior credits and watch the cumulative move slower — history has inertia.
Scenario B — Fresh term. Prior at zero: both clocks agree. Useful as a control.
Scenario C — Credit-heavy B. Watch the QP rail: the 5-credit B can dominate term quality points versus a tiny A seminar.
Scenario D — Honor-roll push. Term above cumulative — the gap flips sign when the semester outperforms the record.
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Stop here for semester vs transcript literacy on a standard 4.0 map. Hand off for weighted scales, in-course category math, or final-exam targets.
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Term GPA is only this semester’s quality points ÷ credits. Cumulative GPA folds in prior credits and prior GPA. A strong repair semester can sit well above a dragged cumulative — or the reverse. The dual board keeps those clocks separate.
A common U.S. 4.0 map with plus/minus (A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, etc.; A+ = 4.0). Schools differ — always check your registrar. This page is an educational sketch, not an official transcript.
Quality points = grade points × credits. A 5-credit B moves cumulative more than a 1-credit A. The contribution rails show each course’s share of term quality points.
Weighted GPA tools own honors/AP bump scales. This hub owns Term ≠ cumulative on a standard letter map — prior credits merge, not weight bumps. Use weighted GPA when your school adds points for rigor.
Course grade and final-exam needed-% tools answer what score you need inside one class. GPA answers how letters and credits average across a term and a career record.
Set prior GPA and prior credits to 0. Term and cumulative match — Term ≠ cumulative appears once a history exists.
Policies vary. This sketch only includes graded courses with credits you enter. Omit W/P/NP lines or follow your catalog.
LIVE GPA · TERM ≠ CUMULATIVE
Term ≠ cumulative ↓Scene presets
This term’s courses
TERM ≠ CUMULATIVE BOARD
Term GPA
3.67
10 cr · 36.7 QP
Cumulative GPA
2.72
40 cr total
QUALITY-POINT CONTRIBUTIONS
Updates as you type. Share writes the URL; typing does not. Educational 4.0 sketch — not an official transcript.
Cumulative GPA
2.72
Term 3.67 · gap -0.95
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