Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

Policy Statement

Durham Technical Community College employs a letter grading system to evaluate students' performance in meeting the stated objectives of the instructional experience.

Procedure

Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) uses a grade point average (GPA) as a common indicator of academic success. There are three calculations used to determine students’ academic progress: (1) cumulative GPA, (2) program GPA, and (3) overall GPA for satisfactory academic progress (SAP). All GPAs are based on a 4.0 scale.

Programs may have specific cumulative and/or program GPA requirements. Refer to the Curriculum Program Completion and Graduation policy for additional information.

1. The cumulative GPA is calculated using grade points from all courses taken at Durham Tech including developmental and supplemental education courses, prerequisites, and classes outside a student’s program of study. If a course is repeated, only the highest grade is used to calculate the cumulative GPA, and the previous attempt is noted with an R on the transcript.
   
   To calculate their GPA, students must know the number of credit hours assigned to each class, and then must convert the letter grade earned into quality points. The table below illustrates the relationship between letter grades and quality points. 
   
    

   Letter Grade	Quality Points
   A/A*/PA	4
   B/B*/PB	3
   C	2
   D	1
   F/F2	0

   
   Grades of I, IP, R/NP, P, NS, W, AU, NC, CE, and TR are not used in GPA calculations. Refer to the Grading System policy for additional information.

2. The program GPA is calculated using the courses taken at Durham Tech that are listed on a student’s plan of study, including all General Education courses and any approved course substitutions. If a course is repeated, only the highest grade is used to calculate the program GPA. If a student has fulfilled the requirements on the plan of study and later completes additional courses, the program GPA will not include grade points from the additional coursework

   Program GPA Calculation Example:

   A student who has completed the courses below within the Associate of Arts degree during the 2020-2021 catalog year would not have the SOC 210 course incorporated into the program GPA, resulting in a program GPA of 3.368. The grade in PSY 150 satisfies the requirement with the passing grade and is therefore used to calculate the program GPA. Since the SOC 210 course was an attempt at fulfilling the social science elective for the program, the grade of F is not incorporated into the program GPA calculation. The F grade in SOC 210 is not replaced unless the course is repeated:
   
   2020FA: ACA 122 – A (1 cr.), CIS 110 – C (3 cr.), SOC 210 – F (3 cr.), ANT 210 – A (3 cr.)
   2021SP: ENG 111 – B (3 cr.), BUS 110 – C (3 cr.), PSY 150 – B (3 cr.), ART 115 – A (3 cr.)

3. Students who receive financial aid must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to maintain financial aid eligibility. Students who receive financial aid must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher. 
   
   The overall GPA used to determine a student’s SAP status is calculated using grade points from all courses, including developmental and supplemental education courses, prerequisites, and courses outside of the plan of study. If a student repeats a class, grade points from all course attempts are used to calculate the overall GPA. All past and recent periods of enrollment (semesters or terms) at Durham Tech are included in the SAP calculation, regardless of whether the student was receiving financial aid assistance at the time.