What is Cumulative GWA? Key to Boosting Academic Success

In the Philippines, a student’s overall academic performance is represented by the cumulative General Weighted Average (GWA). This metric evaluates both your performance and the institution’s standards. Your higher CWA indicates better grades and ensures your consistent academic effort. Hence, you can calculate it by averaging grades from all completed courses. GWA impacts your academic standing, scholarships, and future opportunities.

Moreover, you’re proficient in using our GWA calculator, which helps you manage grades and balance your academics with your personal life. The Philippine grading system uses both cumulative and average scales. So, when you routinely monitor your cumulative GWA, you can improve your position and become better for your future success in academics and other aspects.

The cumulative General Weighted Average is the exclusive metric used in the Philippines to measure college or university students’ ultimate academic performance. It considers your entire grades, whether pass or fail, to evaluate your overall progress each semester or year.

Therefore, this numerical representation considers your credits for each course, and it exhibits a comprehensive view of your academic excellence. Instead of just averaging scores, this efficient system adds up all your potential and earned points. Let’s evaluate your academic journey with a clear example and formula of cumulative weighted average.

Check this: Colleges Grading system

Cumulative GWA = Σ (Grade Points x Credit Hours) / Σ Credit Hours

It’s essential to know your grades, such as earned scores in each course and their corresponding credit hours, to calculate your accurate cumulative GWA.

Thus, the usual grading scale in the Philippines is 4.0. Here;

GradesNumerical EquivalenceDefinition
Grade A4.0Outstanding
Grade B3.0Good
Grade C2.0Satisfactory
Grade D1.0Poor
Grade F0.0Failure

According to this scale, your entire credit hours are the sum of the whole credit duration for completed courses.

Find out: What is a Passing Grade in College?

  • Ensure and precisely enlist all your courses with their respective credit units and grades.
  • Now multiply these grades with their units to obtain weighted grades for your course.
  • Sum up all obtained weighted grades. This resulted in getting your total grade points
  • Finally, divide the entire grade points by the total unit points you’ve achieved.

Suppose you’ve acquired three courses:

  • Science (grade 2.25, 3 units)
  • Math (grade 1.50, 5 units)
  • Arts (grade 1.00, 3 units)

Compute your Cumulative GWA:

  • Science: 2.25 x 3 units = 6.75
  • Math: 1.50 x 5 units = 7.50
  • Arts: 1.00 x 3 units = 3.00

Total Grading Points = 6.75 + 7.50 + 3.00 = 17.25

Total units = 3 + 5 + 3 = 11

Cumulative GWA = Total grade points / Total units

Cumulative GWA = 17.25 / 11 = 1.57

For instance, you earn the following grading in your recent semester:

  • Initial Grades: 75
  • Midterm: 85
  • Final Grade: 90

Now you can calculate your final cumulative grade; there, your final grades are taken as 60%, and midterm counts as 40%. Evaluate them as:

Final Grade= {0.4×Midterm Grade} + {0.6× Final Grade}

Final Grades= {0.4×85} + {0.6×90}

Final Grades= 34+54

Final Grade = 88

Well, your Cumulative GWA for your recent semester is 88.

Cumulative GWA includes all your completed courses: general education, major requirements, and electives classes. All these approaches influence your overall average. It ensures the significance of your consistent performance in all subjects.

Educational institutions rely on different grading systems, such as numerical scales (0-100) or letter grades (A, B, C). You should note down your institute’s exclusive grading aspects to calculate your Gwa accurately.

Cumulative GWA is a vital metric for your academic performance. Meanwhile, it’s valued by employers as a sign of your discipline, dedication, and hard work.

Different aspects are directly and indirectly associated with cumulative GWA. Major of these are:

  • Course Difficulty: There can be challenging levels in your different courses that affect GWA. So, institutions may use a weighted system to prioritize difficult courses. This approach highlights your true capabilities.
  • Health and Well-being: A student’s mental and physical health directly affects his ability to focus and excel academically.
  • Credit Hours: You may assign the courses with different credit hours according to their complexity and time commitment. These credit hours can significantly impact your GWA calculation.
  • Study Habits: Students’ time management and effective study habits are vital elements for your academic success. These elements can directly influence their GWA.
  • Grading Policies: Your college’s grading policies can vary. Such as some educational institutes go for whole numbers, while others use plus & minus grades. It can add complicated aspects to your GWA calculations.
  • Extra-curricular Activities: Participating in these activities can positively or negatively impact your academic journey.

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  • Fair Grading System: Cumulative grading provides a better overall picture of grades and eliminates odd weightings of tests.
  • Students Evaluation: Tutors can prioritize your progress and highlight the true improvement in your grades. This evaluation helps your teachers analyze your progress from initial to final grades.
  • Self-Improvement & Growth Testing: You can recognize where you need improvements in your educational journey. It assists you in identifying the areas of improvement and new trends to reach the next level in your education. So, with time, you can evaluate your improvements and obtain your desired success.
  • Track Your Performance: Parents or students can give exclusive time duration to check their performance. Hence, 45 days is enough to reset students’ grades, which is an excellent aspect of tracking your consistent performance.
  • Reduced Stress: A cumulative system is usually less stressful than when a poor grade can impact your entire performance. So, this system is quite convenient because it affects your overall scores.
  • Graduate School Admissions: The majority of graduate programs accept the cumulated GWA while opening their admissions. An applicant with a strong GWA can get an excellent chance in a dedicated program.
  • Employability: Once you enter professional life, employers focus on your cumulative GWA as a sign of a candidate’s commitment, work ethic, and capabilities to handle challenges. Your high GWA can positively impact your job opportunities.

You’re proficient in maintaining your worthy cumulative grade by applying our fascinating tactics. These are some basic tips for improving your cumulated GWA:

  • You must create a well-structured schedule for focusing on your studies with relaxing breaks.
  • You may ask your tutors when needed.
  • Record your exams, assignments, and deadlines for timely submission of the tasks.
  • Your consistent practice for improvement is vital for excellent success
  • Join your peer’s company for enhanced knowledge exchange
  • Actively participated in asking questions and class discussions
  • Frequently revisit class content to analyze your perfect learning
  • Must maintain a healthy balance between personal life, academics, and extracurriculars.

We’ve provided you with a comprehensive view of grading systems in the Philippines. Here, the Cumulative General Weighted Average (GWA) comes with all grades in students’ semesters or terms. While GWA provides an overview of academic performance with your focus on individual course difficulty, Cumulated GWA has a broader view of progress in the overall semesters. 

You can try our calculator or calculate your GWA manually to monitor your academic progress and plan for more efficient results. Ultimately, your Cumulative GWA is more than a number; it’s an effective result of your brilliant achievements, which influence both career and academic opportunities.

Reference: https://our.upd.edu.ph/files/catalogue/GLOSSARY.pdf

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