In education, what does the abbreviation GPA stand for?

In education, GPA stands for grade point average.

A grade point average summarizes a student’s academic performance using numerical values assigned to grades. Schools and universities calculate it by averaging grade points, often with each course weighted by its credit or unit value.

Many institutions use a four-point scale, where an A commonly corresponds to 4.0, although grading scales differ between countries, schools, and programs. Some systems add weighted points for advanced or honors courses, so two students with the same letter grades may have different GPAs.

A GPA is not a universal international measurement. It can be unweighted or weighted, cumulative or limited to a particular term. Admissions offices may also recalculate GPAs because secondary schools use different scales and course policies.