How to Calculate GPA at NUS
Your NUS GPA is the Unit-weighted average of your grade points on a 5.00 scale. In one line: multiply each course's grade point (A+/A = 5.0 down to F = 0) by its Units, add those up, and divide by the total Units. That's the whole formula — the rest is detail.
The National University of Singapore grades on a 5-point system (the one previously called CAP). Calculating it by hand takes about two minutes once you know the three moving parts: grade points, Units, and the weighted average. Let's walk through each.
Step 1 — Convert each grade to its grade point
NUS assigns a fixed grade point to every letter grade:
| Grade | Point | Grade | Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 5.00 | C+ | 2.50 |
| A | 5.00 | C | 2.00 |
| A- | 4.50 | D+ | 1.50 |
| B+ | 4.00 | D | 1.00 |
| B | 3.50 | F | 0.00 |
| B- | 3.00 |
Note the quirk: A+ and A both equal 5.00. The A+ is recognition of exceptional work, but it cannot push your GPA above a perfect 5.0. There's no C− or D− on the scale.
Step 2 — Multiply each grade point by the course's Units
NUS courses carry Units (renamed from "Modular Credits / MCs" in August 2023). A typical course is 4 Units. Multiplying grade point × Units gives that course's contribution, sometimes called grade points earned:
course points = grade point × Units
So an A in a 4-Unit course is 5.00 × 4 = 20.0, while a B+ in a 4-Unit course is 4.00 × 4 = 16.0. Heavier courses move your GPA more — that's why one weak grade in a 4-Unit core hurts more than a weak 2-Unit elective.
Step 3 — Add it all up and divide by total Units
GPA = sum(grade point × Units) / sum(Units)
Here's a full worked semester:
| Course | Grade | Units | Point | Course points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS1101S | A | 4 | 5.00 | 20.0 |
| MA1521 | A- | 4 | 4.50 | 18.0 |
| GEA1000 | B+ | 4 | 4.00 | 16.0 |
| ES2660 | B | 4 | 3.50 | 14.0 |
| Total | — | 16 | — | 68.0 |
GPA = 68.0 / 16 = 4.25. That's a Distinction-band result. Prefer to skip the arithmetic? The NUS GPA Calculator does all three steps as you type.
Cumulative GPA: just keep adding courses
Your cumulative GPA uses the exact same formula across every graded course you've ever taken — not an average of semester GPAs. To combine semesters correctly, total all grade-points-earned and divide by all Units. Averaging semester GPAs directly can be off by 0.1–0.3 whenever your semesters carry different Unit loads, so always go back to the raw points and Units.
Don't forget the S/U option
NUS lets you declare the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option on eligible courses. A course you S/U is removed from your GPA entirely — you get an S if your grade was C (2.0) or above, or a U if it was D+, D, or F. When you calculate, simply leave any S/U-ed course out, and your figure will match what NUS shows in EduRec.
Quick sanity checks
- It should land between 0 and 5.00. If you get something above 5, you've used a US 4.0 grade point by mistake.
- Weight by Units, never a plain average. Four courses of different Units don't each count equally.
- Exclude S/U, CS/CU, and withdrawn (W) courses. They carry no grade points.
- A 4.0 here is strong, not average. On the 5.0 scale a 4.0 GPA is a solid Distinction — don't read it like a perfect US 4.0.
The bottom line
Calculating your NUS GPA is three steps: turn grades into points, multiply by Units, and divide by total Units. Keep S/U-ed courses out, weight everything by Units, and remember the 5.00 ceiling. Do it once by hand to understand it — then let the NUS GPA Calculator handle it every semester after that.
Skip the arithmetic
Enter your grades and Units — your NUS GPA and honours band appear instantly.
Open the NUS GPA Calculator