GWA Calculator – General Weighted Average
If you're wondering how to calculate GWA or how to compute the general weighted average in college, this GWA calculator or general weighted average calculator is for you.
In this calculator, you will discover the following:
- What GWA is;
- How to compute GWA in college;
- An example of how to get GWA;
- How to use this GWA calculator; and
- Some frequently asked questions on how to get the general weighted average.
Understanding how to get your GWA will surely help you reach your academic goals. But of course, you must study well and focus on your dreams. Also, don't forget to enjoy your university stay and connect with other people. 🙂
What is GWA?
GWA, or general weighted average, is the typical averaging system used in the Philippines for grading a college or university student's academic performance. Assessing a student's overall performance requires consideration of the weight of each course or subject taken.
We quantify the weight of each course depending on its difficulty or importance using the equivalent credits or units they contribute to the overall curriculum of a degree. Generally, major courses weigh more than minor courses and are, therefore, worth more units.
Keep reading to explore how to compute the general weighted average in college.
How to compute GWA in college
We can use the general formula to find the weighted average of different numerical values to compute the general weighted average. You can learn more about weighted averages in our weighted average calculator.
Since we're dealing with grades and units, here is our general weighted average formula where the variables represent the course grades and course units we want to consider:
where:
- – General weighted average;
- – Grade of each course or subject;
- – Units or credits of each course;
- – Index of the summation where its value ranges from , , up to ; and
- – Total number of courses considered in the calculation.
Let us consider an example in the next section of this text.
Example of how to compute general weighted average in college
As an example, let's say we want to take the general weighted average of the course grades given in the following table:
Course number | Course units | Course grade |
|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | 1.00 |
2 | 1 | 1.25 |
3 | 5 | 1.50 |
By following our GWA formula, we know that we have to take the sum of the products of the course grades and their corresponding course units and divide that sum by the total number of course units. In equation form, we express that as shown below:
That's how to compute the general weighted average. However, note that the universities and colleges in the Philippines use different grading systems. Others use a grade-point scale where the highest grade is 1.00, while some have 4.00 as their highest grade. Other institutions follow the GPA grading system used in the United States. Nevertheless, the same process of calculation holds.
For letter grading systems, we first take their equivalent grade point system before we proceed with the computation. Some universities use this letter grade-to-grade-point scale equivalence table:
Grade-point scale grade | Equivalent letter grade |
|---|---|
4.0 | A |
3.5 | B+ |
3.0 | B |
2.5 | C+ |
2.0 | C |
1.0 | D |
0.0 | F |
Some use this equivalence table:
Grade-point scale grade | Equivalent letter grade |
|---|---|
4.0 | A |
3.7 | A− |
3.3 | B+ |
3.0 | B |
2.7 | B− |
2.3 | C+ |
2.0 | C |
1.7 | C− |
1.3 | D+ |
1.0 | D |
0.7 | D− |
0.0 | F |
💡 If you want to learn more about GPA or the grade point average, you can check out our GPA calculator or our College GPA calculator. We also have a high school GPA calculator if you're interested in exploring that.
In the next section of this text, we'll show you how to use our GWA calculator, which you can use for any grading system used in the Philippines.
How to use this GWA calculator
Using this GWA calculator is as simple as 1, 2, and 3.
-
Since we use various grading systems in the Philippines, please choose the appropriate grading system for your calculation.
-
Select the grade and enter the units of your first course or subject you want to consider in the calculation.
-
Repeat step 2 for your other subjects. You can enter up to 30 courses in this tool.
That's it! Our GWA calculator will instantly display the general weighted average of the course grades you entered.
🙋 Do you want to know your test grade before your teacher releases your grades? Our test grade calculator can help you with that.
FAQ
How do I calculate my GWA?
To calculate your GWA, or general weighted average, if, let's say, on a math course of 5 units, you got a grade of 1.50; on a science course of 3 units, you got 2.25; and on an art course of 3 units, 1.00:
-
Multiply your courses' grades by their corresponding units.
-
For math:
5 units × 1.50 = 7.50; -
For science:
3 units × 2.25 = 6.75; and -
And for arts:
3 units × 1.00 = 3.00.
-
-
Sum of those products to get:
7.50 + 6.75 + 3.00 = 17.25. -
Divide that sum by your total number of units to get your GWA:
17.25 / (5 + 3 + 3) = 17.25 / 11 = 1.56818 ≈1.57.
How is overall GWA calculated?
We calculate the overall GWA of a college student by adding all the products of all courses' grades and their respective number of units; then, we divide that sum by the total number of units the student took throughout their university stay.
What is the passing GWA in the Philippines?
The passing general weighted average in the Philippines depends on the grading system used by the university. Universities that use a grade-point scale of 1.00 to 5.00, where 1.00 is the highest, usually consider 3.00 as their passing GWA. On the other hand, institutions that use a 4.00 to 1.00 grade-point scale consider 1.00 as passing.
What is the equivalent GPA of a 1.00 GWA?
A general weighted average of 1.00 on a grade-point scale of 1.00 to 5.00 is equivalent to a GPA of A+. However, for a 1.00 to 4.00 grade-point scale (where 4.00 is equivalent to A+), we now consider a GWA of 1.00 to be equivalent to a GPA of D.