GPA and Some Differences when Studying in America

GPA stands for Grade Point Average and as far as can be determined appears to vary from university to university. It is a different way of grading than the traditional British First, 2:1, 2:2, and 3rd.

A generic GPA may work along the following scale:

Thus two A's and one B would constitute a GPA of 3.67. The scale, however, varies widely from school to school, from course to course and from professor to professor within the same school. Some schools require that professors grade on a sliding scale, which could mean, that 10% of the class gets an A, 20% gets a B, 30% gets a C, and so on.

Thus regardless of what percentages one scores on an exam, his grade is determined by how well everyone else does. Also, professors are known to bump up grades if everyone does poorly, explaining how I received an A in a course where I only got 65% correct on the exam. (Unfortunately, this does work in the opposite direction if everyone does well!).

This differs markedly from the UK system where receiving 65% would constitute a Merit. The UK system is generically formed on the following scale:

Some courses require students to maintain a certain GPA - a Masters may require students to keep above a 3.0. Gaining a higher percentage is easier in the States than in Britain.

BY: Sam