Can Your GPA go Down? (What You Need to Know in 2024)

Your final GPA is the grade point average that you get when you take the average of the grades you get in each of the classes. When you get good grades you usually expect that the GPA will increase in each semester. Of course, it is true that your final GPA will increase when you get good grades. But can your GPA go down? is a big question. Thus here we will help you to understand if it can happen or not.

Quick Takeaways

• Yes your GPA can easily go down when you get bad grades.
• Usually negative, C, and F grades are the ones that are used to make your GPA go down.
• When you get an F in the exams your final GPA will definitely go down. The amount of decrease in the GP will depend upon the credit hours of that subject.
• You will never get a negative GPA either calculated on the basis of an unwanted or weighted GPA.
• If your GPA has fallen down you must not add it to your resume as it may discourage the professors or the hiring managers from accepting your application.

However, you must read till the end to get a better understanding of whether your GPA can go down or not.

Can your GPA go down?

Yes, of course, the GPA can easily decrease when you get bad or negative grades. Suppose you are getting A and A+ grades in all the subjects except for two subjects. Let the grades in those two subjects be A- and B. When you get the negative or B grades, obviously, it will bring the grades down. In addition, you must also remember that, despite having a high term GPA, you can still get a low overall GPA. 

How much does an F bring down your grade in a class?

Every grade affects your final GPA and of course, getting an F will definitely make the overall grade go down. The amount at which an F will bring down your grades will depend upon the credit hours. It means that to know the the amount of your loss, you will need to understand how many calories with their for the subject.

The effect also depends upon the number of classes you have taken up. If you are taking up a lot of classes and get one F, then there may be fewer disadvantages. But if you have scored more F in the classes, then there may be a huge disadvantage.

Can GPA go below 0?

The usual GPA is calculated on the basis of the unweighted method. It means that you will be getting a grade on the basis of a 0-4.0 scale. On the other hand, when you calculate GPA on the basis of the weighted method, you will be getting to find great on the basis of a 5.0 scale. As we discussed the scale starts from zero, you cannot get a GPA below zero grade.

Should you add up on your resume when your GPA goes down?

Your GPA is an important factor in getting admission to higher universities or selection for the job. You must add your final GPA on the resume when it is too high. However, if your final GPA has gone down due to any reason, you must make sure it is still a good GPA. If you are final GPA has gone really down suppose below 3.0 GPA, then you should try to avoid it. This is because most of the admission councils want to get students who are good at their studies.

When you get a grade blows 3.0 GPA, it is considered too low GPA. There are many admission councils or hiring managers who actually want to look at your final GPA. In such a case you will need to mention your GPA on your resume. 

Will one C mess up my cumulative GPA?

Well, again a boring answer to this question is ‘It will depend upon the GPA you are in.’ If you are having all As and a single C, then it should not affect your GPA much. If you have already scored a mixture of As and Bs, then there may be a change in your grade. However, if we talk about the cumulative GPA, then there may be a very low effect on your GPA.

What are the factors that actually affect your final GPA?

Following are the factors that actually affect your final GPA and can be one of the popular reason due to which your GPA is not increasing–

1. Grades in subjects

You are final GPA will obviously depend upon the grades you get in the subjects. Suppose you are getting As in all the subjects, then your final GPA will be 4.0. On the other hand, if you have grades below an A, then your final GPA will also decrease. 

2. Honors and AP courses

One of the biggest factors to affect your final GPA is the honors and AP courses that you take up. These are the classes that are tougher than the standard classes. When you take up these classes, they result in an increase in your final GPA when calculated on the basis of a weighted system. Taking honored and AP courses will usually help you to get a GPA on a scale of 5.0.

3. Plus and minus grades

As we discussed above, getting a negative grade will also affect your final GPA a lot. Of course when you get plus grade you will be getting a higher grade. On the other hand, when you get negative grades it will lower your final GPA.

4. Dropping or withdrawing classes

When you drop out of the class, it means that you are no longer a student for that class. If you think that the subject is hard for you, you must try to drop out of the class. When you drop out of the class, it will help you to get saved from that class. Obviously, when you will not be attending the touch classes, you will be able to maintain good grades.

Further, if you miss the dropout period, you have the option of withdrawing it. When you withdraw from the class, it will be shown on your transcript. There will be a w in front of it. However, just like a dropout subject, it will not be counted towards your final GPA.

Conclusion 

One of the biggest doubts that you may have regarding your GPA is can your GPA go down or not. The obvious answer to It is a Yes. The grades that will make your final GPA go down are C, F, and negative grades. The amount at which the great will go down will depend upon the credit hours they have for that particular subject. One of the important points that you must remember is that your GPA will never go down to a negative point. Some of the factors that will actually affect your final GPA are the grades in the subject, the type of subjects you have chosen, etc.