A semester carrying 18 credits should not have the same weight as a semester carrying 15. This is why averaging two semester GPAs can differ from a cumulative credit calculation.
Use Cumulative GPA with each semester’s GPA and counted credit hours. It combines semester quality points and divides them by the total counted credits.
The figures to collect before calculating
Copy the semester GPA and GPA counted credits from your academic record. The number of subjects alone is not enough because their credit hours can differ.
The maximum grade point must match the scale you are using. A point above that maximum is rejected. Changing the scale does not convert a GPA from one grading system into another.
If your record includes repeated attempts or excluded credits, make sure the semester summaries reflect how those attempts are counted. Do not put one repeated course into two rows if the official summary has already replaced the earlier attempt.
Why 3.40 is not the answer here
Take a first semester GPA of 3.2 over 18 credits and a second semester GPA of 3.6 over 15 credits. Their quality points are 57.6 and 54.
The combined total is 111.6 quality points over 33 credits. CGPA is therefore 111.6 ÷ 33 = 3.3818 to four decimal places.
A simple average gives 3.4, but that gives the smaller second semester the same weight as the first. The credit ledger shows exactly where the difference comes from.
Rounded semester GPAs can limit precision
If the semester GPAs on your transcript are rounded, reconstructing cumulative quality points from them can introduce a small difference. The university may retain more precise course level values internally.
Where an official cumulative quality point total is available, use that record to check the calculator’s result. A reconstructed CGPA is useful for planning; it is not a replacement transcript.
Use the next calculation for a specific question
The Target CGPA Planner estimates the average needed across remaining credits to reach a chosen final CGPA. That answers a future planning question rather than simply summarising completed semesters.
For a repeated course, Repeated Course CGPA compares two declared counting policies. Confirm the applicable policy before treating either comparison as the expected university result.
Keep a copy of the semester rows with your calculation. It is much easier to correct one mistaken credit figure when the underlying worksheet is visible.