Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) GPA Calculator

Carnegie Mellon uses a letter-grade system it calls the Quality Point Average (QPA) rather than "GPA," on a 0.00–4.00 scale for undergraduates — see the Grade Scale Reference above for the exact grade points. This standard applies to "all students classified as seeking an undergraduate degree and special students taking undergraduate courses." Carnegie Mellon maintains a separate, higher-ceiling scale for graduate students that does not apply to undergraduates.

Carnegie Mellon's failing grade is R, not F — the university does not issue an F grade. There is no A+ and no plus or minus grades at all on the undergraduate scale.

Several other notations appear on Carnegie Mellon transcripts but carry no quality points and are not factored into your QPA: P (Passing), N (Not Passing), O (Audit), W (Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), and AD (credit for work completed at another institution or by examination).

Carnegie Mellon measures coursework in units, not credit hours — three units are the equivalent of one traditional semester credit hour. Your Quality Point Average is calculated as: units earned for a course × the Quality Point Value of the grade received = quality points for that course. Total Quality Points divided by Total Units Factorable equals your QPA.

Worked example printed by Carnegie Mellon: 11 units of A (44 quality points) + 10 units of R (0 quality points) + 9 units of B (27 quality points) + 9 units of C (18 quality points) + 9 units of D (9 quality points) = 48 total units and 98 total quality points. 98 ÷ 48 = a QPA of 2.04.

Grades of I (Incomplete), P (Pass), and W (Withdrawal) are not awarded quality points and are not counted as factorable units in your QPA. The same procedure is applied to every grade you've earned at the university to calculate your Cumulative QPA.

Repeating a course: if you repeat a course, all grades — the original and every repeat — are recorded on your official transcript and calculated into your QPA, regardless of whether the first grade was passing or failing. Only one set of units counts toward your graduation requirements.

Undergraduate students who meet their home college's academic requirements are added to that college's Dean's List each semester, noted on the transcript. Each college sets its own Dean's List qualification requirements. Only degree-seeking undergraduates are eligible — non-degree students are not.

Some candidates for undergraduate degrees are named to the University Honors List in recognition of exemplary academic achievement. Each undergraduate college selects its own honorees, typically based on a cumulative QPA greater than 3.5 and/or faculty recommendation.

Courses you take directly at Carnegie Mellon, and courses taken through the university's cross-registration program, have their grades recorded on your transcript and factored into your QPA.

Courses transferred in from other institutions are recorded on your transcript showing where the course was taken, but without a grade — they are not factored into QPA calculations, academic actions, or honors.