Difference Between CGPA and SGPA: explained in complete detail

Darshan Shah

07 Sep 2024

SGPA and CGPA both are used for evaluating your performance as a student. And a lot of times, you might not know what the difference between SGPA and CGPA is. Let us look at common doubts like SGPA vs CGPA and the difference between CGPA and SGPA percentage.

Full Form of CGPA and SGPA

The full form of CGPA and SGPA is:

CGPA = Cumulative Grade Point Average

SGPA = Semester Grade Point Average

What is SGPA and CGPA?

The full form of CGPA and SGPA itself defines what they are. So what is SGPA and CGPA exactly? Let us understand in detail through examples on how they’re calculated, and later SGPA vs CGPA:

How to calculate SGPA

SGPA or Semester Grade Point Average as the name suggests, is for evaluating your performance within a particular semester. It is calculated by taking an average of scores in all the subjects during that semester. Learn more on how it is calculated here.

To convert your obtained marks in each subject, your university must’ve assigned you a conversion key like so:

For example, you want to calculate your SGPA for a semester for the following subjects, scores received, and the credits assigned to you for that subject:

SGPA = (8 × 4) + (9 × 6) + (10 × 3)/4+6+3

           = 32 + 54 + 30/13

           = 116/13

SGPA = 8.9

If you found this article interesting, you can also read How to Convert SGPA to CGPA

How to calculate CGPA?

CGPA or Cumulative Grade Point Average is essentially just an average of all your SGPAs during an academic year. So for assessing your performance throughout the year, your university will give you a CGPA score. You can easily keep a track of your academic improvements using CGPAs.

To calculate your CGPA, add all of your SGPAs and divide by the total number of credits during the academic year for all the subjects collectively.

For example, you wish to calculate your CGPA for an academic year with the following scores:

CGPA = (8.9 × 23) + (7.5 × 14) + (8 × 16)/23 + 14 + 16

           = 204.7 + 105 + 128/53

           = 437.7/53

CGPA = 8.2

Now let us further look at what the difference between SGPA and CGPA is based on different parameters.

SGPA vs CGPA

SGPA or CGPA which is important?

Well, SGPA directly affects your CGPA, since CGPA is just an average of your SGPAs. And, GPA is an average of all your CGPAs and therefore scores of all your academic years. 

So, while CGPA is important when you wish to qualify for admission into a university or certain scholarships, SGPA is what decides your CGPA.

Hence, breaking down to smaller goals, you can focus on improving your SGPA and your CGPA will improve automatically.

SGPA or CGPA which is important? Both are important but focussing on SGPA naturally makes your CGPA better. 

Converting SGPA and CGPA to Percentage

So your SGPA is crucial for quick assessments of your performance during semesters. It will help you to work on your weak points, strengthen your future scores, and thus your CGPAs and GPA.

Convert SGPA to Percentage

To convert SGPA to percentage, just put your SGPA in the following formula:

For example, your SGPA is 6.5, then your percentage according to the formula will be:

Percentage = [(6.5 - 0.75)/9.25] × 100

                    = [5.75/9.25] × 100

Percentage = 62.1%

Convert CGPA to Percentage

To convert your CGPA to percentage, simply multiply your CGPA for an academic year with 9.5

For example, you want to calculate percentage for 7.8 CGPA:

Percentage = 7.8 × 9.5 

Percentage = 74.1%

Common Myths About SGPA and CGPA

• Students many times end up believing that CGPA and SGPA are the same things. But that is so not true. SGPA is your performance score for only a particular semester. And while CGPA might give you your performance score for a semester (if there’s only one), it is usually used for giving you an cumulative average for your scores across all the semesters in an academic year.
• Another common myth is that CGPAs only matter for your final score GPA. But you might be surprised that high-end jobs and scholarships check your improvement through the rise and drop in your CGPAs throughout the duration of your degree.
• If you think that high recent SGPAs are guaranteeing you a higher CGPA then you’re wrong. While SGPAs are going to contribute towards your overall CGPA, if you depend on high scored SGPAs in the recent semesters only then you are not going to achieve a higher CGPA. All of your previous SGPAs are going to count and a low score in even one semester will affect your CGPA.
• You also cannot calculate your CGPA by just taking an average of your SGPAs. So make sure to refer to the formula mentioned above for calculating your CGPA.
• Another common myth among students is that only high CGPAs are a testament to your academic knowledge which is not true. While a higher CGPA can put you apart from your competitors, more weight is put on your skills and experience when you are getting interviewed for a job.

So, that was all about the difference between CGPA and SGPA percentage. For any further doubts or questions, please feel free to reach out to our expert consultants here at DVivid.