Resumés:
Including GPA
Should I include my GPA on my resumé?
- In general, the Feld Career Center recommends that undergraduate students include their cumulative GPA if it is 3.0 or higher.
- The Feld Career Center recommends that MBA students participating in the campus recruiting program include their cumulative GPA if it is 3.5 or higher.
- Your cumulative GPA is the average of your grades in all courses taken at Boston University. When you reference your "GPA," the assumption is that you are referring to your cumulative GPA. It should be updated after the completion of each semester to ensure that your resumé accurately reflects your current academic achievement.
- GPA should always be carried to two decimal points and should never be rounded up (i.e., 3.47 is not the same as 3.5). Your GPA reflects the official record of your academic accomplishment at Boston University; therefore, it is critical that you represent your GPA accurately in writing and verbally, as on your resumé and in an interview.
- Any misrepresentation of your academic accomplishment, whether in verbal or written form, is subject to action by the Academic Conduct Committee.
Can I include the GPA in my major if it is better than my cumulative GPA?
- You may include your major GPA on your resumé; however, you MUST indicate it as such.
- Your major GPA is the average of your grades in all courses with the SMG designation.
- Be aware that including your major GPA on your resumé may prompt an employer to ask you about your cumulative GPA during an interview. Address this issue positively; talk about your strengths as they relate to the position for which you are applying.
If you have any further questions about this matter, please contact a Feld Career Center counselor or an Undergraduate Program Office advisor.
How to Calculate Your Major GPA
- Multiply the number of course credits for an SMG course by the grade earned in the course (see chart below). This equals your honor points for that course.
- Add the total number of credits for all of your SMG classes.
- Add the total honor points for all of your SMG classes.
- Divide honor points by total credits.
For example, you get a B in FE442, a B- in FE445:
22.8 divided by 8 credits = 2.85 GPAFE442 4 credits x 3.0 = 12 honor points FE445 4 credits x 2.7 = 10.8 honor points 8 credits 22.8 *Credits for courses in which you receive an 'F' should be included in the denominator of the calculation.
Value of each grade
| 4 credit courses | 6 credit courses | |||||
| A | = | 4.0 | = | 16 honor pts | 24 honor pts | |
| A- | = | 3.7 | = | 14.8 | 22.2 | |
| B+ | = | 3.3 | = | 13.2 | 19.8 | |
| B | = | 3.0 | = | 12 | 18 | |
| B- | = | 2.7 | = | 10.8 | 16.2 | |
| C+ | = | 2.3 | = | 9.2 | 13.8 | |
| C | = | 2.0 | = | 8 | 12 | |
| C- | = | 1.7 | = | 6.8 | 10.2 | |
| D | = | 1.0 | = | 4 | 6 |
Your MAJOR GPA refers to all courses with the SMG prefix.
Because the concentration consists of such a small number of courses, the Feld Career Center considers it misleading to include your concentration GPA (which includes only the four courses in your concentration) on your resumé unless you have completed all of the coursework for your concentration. In any event, you must specifically indicate on your resumé whether you are using your Major GPA, Concentration GPA or Cumulative GPA. The latter is naturally preferred.
