A grade point average (GPA) is a calculated average of the letter grades you earn in University. Every semester, you'll receive a GPA based on the grades you earned in all of your classes during that semester. Your GPA is just a way of converting your grades into a numerical scale. The traditional GPA scale ranges from 0.0 to 4.0. Basically, it goes as follows: Each course is given a certain number of "units" or "credits", depending on the content of the course.