The method of calculating GPA in the South African system is specific to the countrywide CAPS curriculum – and there is no difference between IEB and government systems.
The first thing to note is that your cumulative GPA considers all of your term marks for each subject from the beginning of grade 9 until the end of Matric – this is to reflect America’s 4-year high school system.
Once you’ve accumulated all of your marks from all of your completed terms, you must convert them to the GPA scale.
South African Mark to GPA Conversion Table
| South African Mark | GPA Score |
|---|---|
| 80-100% | 4.0 |
| 60-79% | 3.0 |
| 50-59% | 2.0 |
| 40-49% | 1.0 |
| 0-39% | 0.0 |
Follow these steps to calculate your GPA weighted by credit hours:
- Multiply each numerical grade value by the number of credits earned in the course.
- Add these figures together.
- In this example, divide 45 by the total number of credits you took.
- Your GPA weighted by credit hour is 3.46.
In South Africa, what is a good GPA?
Students typically graduate cum laude (Latin for “with praise”) when their GPA is 3.5-3.7, magna cum laude (“with great praise”) when their GPA is 3.7-3.9, and summa cum laude (“with highest praise”) when their GPA is 3.9 or higher.
What is the required GPA for college?
A 2.0 GPA or higher is required for admission to any four-year college. If you want to attend a selective college (less than 60% acceptance rate), you should aim for a 3.5 or higher.
