How to calculate CGPA
Multiply each course's grade point by its credit hours. Add the results. Divide by the total credit hours. That gives your GPA for one semester.
Your CGPA is the same sum over every semester you've taken, so bigger courses pull harder. The UKM, UPM, USM, UTM and UiTM regulations all spell out this credit-weighted average.
GPA= Σ (grade point × credit hours) ÷ Σ credit hours, for one semester
CGPA= the same, over all semesters
Worked example: 13 credits, GPA 2.69
This is the example printed in UKM's undergraduate regulations (2024), with our own course labels. One course failed with an E and still counts.
| Course | Grade | Point | Credits | Point × credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | A | 4.00 | 3 | 12.00 |
| Course 2 | B+ | 3.33 | 3 | 9.99 |
| Course 3 | A- | 3.67 | 3 | 11.01 |
| Course 4 | E | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Course 5 | D | 1.00 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Total | 13 | 35.00 | ||
35.00 ÷ 13 = 2.69
One trap: don't average your semester GPAs. A 4.00 semester of 18 credits and a 2.00 semester of 6 credits give a CGPA of 3.50, because the 18-credit semester weighs three times as much. The plain average, 3.00, is wrong.
PNG, PNGK and HPNG: the Malay terms
Result slips and regulations in Malay use their own abbreviations. They mean the same things.
| Term | Stands for | In English |
|---|---|---|
| PNG (sometimes PNGS) | Purata Nilai Gred | GPA for one semester |
| PNGK | Purata Nilai Gred Kumulatif | CGPA |
| HPNG | Himpunan Purata Nilai Gred | CGPA, as UiTM calls it |
| Nilai gred / mata nilai | Grade point | |
| Jam kredit / unit kredit | Credit hours | |
| Nilai Kredit | nilai gred × unit kredit | Grade points earned by one course (UiTM) |
Cara kira CGPA dan GPA
Darab nilai gred setiap kursus dengan jam kreditnya. Campurkan semua hasil darab, kemudian bahagi dengan jumlah jam kredit semester itu. Itu PNG (GPA) anda.
Untuk PNGK (CGPA), atau HPNG kalau di UiTM, buat kiraan yang sama untuk semua semester sekali gus.
Failed and repeated courses
Failed courses count. UiTM divides by the credit units you registered, not only the ones you passed, and UKM's regulations also count a failed course in that semester's GPA and CGPA. So enter every course you sat.
Repeats are where universities differ. At UKM, the latest grade of a repeated course replaces the earlier one in your CGPA. UPM drops your first failing grade once you pass the course, but keeps counting a second or later fail. For the others, check your own regulations and enter the grade that counts.
What GPA do you need next semester?
The target planner in the calculator uses this:
GPA needed = (target × (credits so far + next credits) − points so far) ÷ next credits
- Say you have 60 credits at a CGPA of 3.00. That's 180 grade points.
- You want 3.10 after a 20-credit semester: 3.10 × 80 = 248 points needed in total.
- 248 − 180 = 68 points from 20 credits, so you need a GPA of 3.40.
If the answer comes out above 4.00, one semester can't get you there. The planner then shows the best CGPA a perfect 4.00 would give you.
Which scale should you pick?
The letters look alike everywhere, but the points behind them don't. The differences that change your result:
| University | What's different |
|---|---|
| UPM | Quarter steps: A- 3.75, B+ 3.50, B- 2.75, C+ 2.50. No A+. |
| UM | One-decimal points: A- 3.70, B+ 3.30, C- 1.70. A+ and A are both 4.00. |
| UKM | No A+. The lowest grade is E (0.00). Applies from the 2022/2023 intake. |
| USM | Has a D- (0.67). The lowest grade is F. |
| UTM | A+ and D- (0.67) both exist. The lowest grade is E (0.00). |
| UiTM | E is a fail but still worth 0.67. The lowest grade is F (0.00). |
Full tables with marks ranges and sources are on the grading scales of Malaysian universities page. UiTM students can use the UiTM CGPA calculator, which also covers the Dean's Award and degree classes.
Questions students ask
What CGPA is second class upper?
3.00 at both UPM and UiTM. The band runs to 3.749 at UPM and 3.49 at UiTM. UM's and UKM's rules use other labels: UM gives "With Distinction" from 3.70, and UKM marks 3.67 and above as "Excellent".
Can I convert my CGPA to a percentage?
Not with a published formula. None of these six universities' regulations converts CGPA to a percentage; their marks ranges apply to single courses. If an employer or another university asks for one, ask your registrar for a letter.
Why is my result 0.01 off from my transcript?
Rounding. UKM's own regulations show 77.98 ÷ 27 as 2.88, although the exact value, 2.888…, rounds to 2.89. The calculator rounds and tells you when cutting off would give a different last digit.
Is GPA the same as PNG?
Yes. PNG is a semester's GPA. PNGK and HPNG are the CGPA.