The grade point average is usually shortened as GPA. It calculates your grades or results for a course or module within an academic calendar.
The GPA is part of the academic life of the South African university. It reflects the performance of students through a series of diversity and unity.
GPAs are critical numerical evaluations for universities as they indicate students’ performance. While it may look into the educational path of students, it is also a system that indicates commitment among institutions.
Within South African universities, the GPA is widely used to assess the level of input for students, which is considered by the courses and credits taken. In the larger context, although the GPA may not reflect entirely a student’s ability in his or her academic work, it gives a sign of commitment in courses or modules for students.
At the end of the academic program, the GPA is the final determinant of the performance of students. It is important to know what your GPA reflects, including learning how to calculate your GPA.
In this blog post, we will look into how to calculate GPA at UNISA and related questions pertaining to grading at UNISA.
How to Calculate GPA at UniSA
If you want to calculate your GPA at the University of South Africa (UNISA), all you have to do is follow a straightforward formula. When calculating your GPA, we consider the grade points assigned to each course and the unit value of each course. Let me explain how you can do it:
You need to assign grade points to the grades you received based on the table that has been provided.
To calculate the grade value for each course, you need to multiply the grade point by the unit value assigned to that course. This can be expressed in the following way:
The value of a grade is determined by multiplying the grade point by the unit value.
Sum up the grade values for all your courses during a specific study period.
To calculate your GPA, you must divide the total grade value by the total unit value. Please round the GPA to the second decimal place.
Here is a typical example of how you can calculate your GPA. Following this formula will ease the stress on you when trying to calculate your GPA.
Assuming you studied 4 courses, with each course having its own grade.
- Course 1: Grade = B, Grade Point = 6, Unit Value = 4.5
- Course 2: Grade = B, Grade Point = 6, Unit Value = 4.5
- Course 1 Grade Value = 6 x 4.5 = 27
- Course 2 Grade Value = 6 x 4.5 = 27
- Course 3 Grade Value = 4.5 x 4.5 = 20.25
- Course 4 Grade Value = 4 x 4.5 = 18
Now, add up the grade values: 27 + 27 + 20.25 + 18 = 92.25
Add up the unit values: 4.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 18
Now, calculate the GPA:
GPA = Total Grade Value / Total Unit Value
GPA = 92.25 / 18
GPA = 5.12 (rounded to the second decimal place)
Conclusion: By changing the grades for Course 1 and Course 2 to B while keeping the grades for Course 3 and Course 4 the same, you can achieve a GPA of 3.8.
How do I check my GPA marks?
The GPA marks reflect your overall input at the university, and it is important you have an overview of how your academics are moving. This can help you plan and steer towards a better position when it comes to your academics.
- To check your GPA marks, log into the myUNISA portal using your credentials.
- Navigate to the academic records
- Proceed to select the semester and faculty
- Clicking on the semester will view your modules and all the grades associated with them.
However, students who may find it difficult can always reach out to UNISA for support or may have to email the academic office for their transcript within the academic semester.
What is an overall GPA in South Africa?
An overall GPA in the South African context reflects the results or grades accumulated for all modules for the academic period.
The overall period constitutes the grade you got in every module and within a semester. These are accumulated and added up to give a full scope of the GPA.
The grades are in percentage and also denoted by letters, which evaluate the academic performance of each student.
How does Unisa calculate final marks?
At UNISA final marks determine the total marks obtained for a particular module. In order to calculate your final marks while studying at UNISA, there are two components that contribute to the final mark, which are assignment 01 and assignment 02. The score within each of the assignments is equated to 50%.
In this context, your score received for an assignment is healed, and in the case where you score 100% for assignment 01, your total score is converted to 50%.
According to the university policy, for your year mark to be taken into consideration, you must obtain a minimum of 40% on the examination.
To successfully complete this module, it is necessary to achieve a final mark of at least 50%.
In order to determine your final mark, there are two factors that you need to take into account. The first factor is the year mark, which makes up 10% of your overall grade. The second factor is the mark you received on the examination, which accounts for the remaining 90% of your grade.
To calculate the final mark, we take 10% of the year mark and add it to 90% of the mark obtained in the examination.
