GPA is calculated by dividing the total points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted. Points earned for a particular course are calculated by multiplying the grade points by the number of credits. For example, a grade of B in a 3-credit course is worth 9 points. If a student takes four, three-hour courses (12 credit hours for the semester and receives one A, two Bs, and a C, this is translated into 36 quality points to be divided by the 12 credit hours. The resulting GPA would be 3.0. The cumulative GPA is derived by dividing the total number of credits taken, while at the college, into the total number of points earned for those courses.