Cleveland State University GPA Calculator

This calculator uses Cleveland State University's credit-hour GPA system. The calculation is credit-weighted, which means a 4-credit course affects your GPA more than a 1-credit course. For every row, the calculator converts the letter grade into grade points, multiplies that value by the course credits, adds all quality points together, and divides by the total GPA-eligible credits.

For example, if you earn B+ in a 3-credit course, that course contributes 3.33 x 3 = 9.99 quality points. Add the quality points from every graded course, divide by all attempted GPA credits, and you get the semester estimate shown above.

This planner uses the standard plus/minus grade-point values commonly published in CSU academic records. Source: Cleveland State University catalog.

Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1964. With roughly 15,000 students across colleges including the Washkewicz College of Engineering, the Monte Ahuja College of Business, the Levin College of Public Affairs, and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, CSU grades undergraduates on the standard 4.0 scale with plus/minus modifiers.

Because CSU uses the conventional 4.0 system, the calculator above produces the same number CSU's registrar does — as long as you enter the correct credit hours for each course. The sections below cover the CSU-specific rules (honors thresholds, the repeat-course quirk, academic standing) that change how that number is interpreted.

Dean's List at Cleveland State recognises a single strong semester: a term GPA of 3.25 or higher while carrying at least 12 credit hours of A-F graded coursework (or a part-time student completing a 12-hour step). This is a slightly lower bar than the 3.5 many universities use, so it is genuinely achievable with a mix of A and B grades.

Latin honors at graduation are based on your cumulative CSU GPA, and you must have completed at least 30 credit hours in residence at CSU to qualify:

These are fixed thresholds (not class percentiles), which makes them easy to plan against: a 3.30 reliably earns cum laude, a 3.80 reliably earns summa. The 30-credit residency rule means transfer-heavy students need enough CSU coursework to be eligible regardless of GPA.

This is the most important CSU-specific detail, and it works opposite to what most students assume. Cleveland State lets you repeat a course with a D or F grade up to two times — but the rule for which grade counts is unusual:

The grade from your most recent attempt is the one used in your cumulative GPA — even if it is lower than a previous attempt.

At most universities, a retake either replaces the old grade with the higher one, or both attempts are averaged. CSU instead uses the latest grade outright. So if you earned a C on your first attempt and then retook the course and got a D, the D replaces the C in your GPA. That means retaking a course you already passed is risky — you can actively damage your GPA.

Practical rule for CSU students: only repeat courses where your original grade was a D or F (where almost any new grade is an improvement), and be confident you will do better. Never retake a C-or-better course at CSU hoping to "bump" it, because a worse result will stick.

Cleveland State requires a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher to stay in good standing. Drop below 2.00 and you are placed on academic notice (CSU's term for probation); sustained low performance can lead to dismissal. A 2.00 cumulative is also the floor to graduate.

Here is the recovery formula every CSU student should run:

Example: you are at a 1.9 cumulative over 45 credits and need to reach a 2.0 to clear academic notice by 60 credits. Required average over the next 15 credits: (2.0 x 60 - 1.9 x 45) / 15 = (120 - 85.5) / 15 = 2.30. A 2.30 term — roughly a B-/C+ average — pulls you back into good standing.

Aiming for cum laude (3.30) from a 3.0 at 60 credits: required over the final 60 credits = (3.30 x 120 - 3.0 x 60) / 60 = 3.60. Demanding but reachable, and you would be on the Dean's List most terms along the way.