Philippine 1.00-5.00 scale — lower is better, opposite of the US 4.0 GPA. Add subjects with grades and units to calculate your GWA.
| Subject | Grade | Units |
|---|
1.00 = highest grade, 5.00 = failing — lower numbers are better on this scale.
GWA (General Weighted Average) is used by Philippine schools and universities: each subject's numerical grade is multiplied by its unit count, the results are summed, then divided by total units. Unlike the US 4.0 GPA where higher is better, the Philippine scale runs from 1.00 (highest) to 5.00 (failing), so a lower GWA means better academic standing.
Multiply each subject's numerical grade by its number of units, add those results together, then divide by the total units — the same weighted-average shape as GPA, but on the Philippine 1.00-5.00 scale where 1.00 is the best possible grade and lower numbers mean better performance. Example: grades of 1.50, 2.00, and 1.75, each in a 3-unit subject, give a GWA of (1.50×3 + 2.00×3 + 1.75×3) ÷ 9 = 1.75.
(1.50×3 + 2.00×3 + 1.75×3) ÷ 9 = 1.75.
1.00 in every subject averages to 1.00 — the best possible GWA.
Lower is better on the Philippine 1.00-5.00 scale — 1.00 is the highest possible grade and 5.00 generally means failing.
(2.50×3 + 2.25×3 + 2.75×3) ÷ 9 = 2.50.
There's no single national cutoff — many schools use roughly 1.00-1.45 for summa/magna honors and up to about 1.75-2.00 for a general Dean's List, but check your own school's student handbook.
No — a 3-unit subject affects your GWA three times as much as a 1-unit subject, since weighting follows unit count, not subject count.
(1.25×3 + 1.50×4 + 1.75×3 + 2.00×2) ÷ 12 = 1.58.
No — most Philippine schools include a failing 5.00 with its units in the GWA, so a single failed subject can noticeably worsen your overall GWA.
| Subjects (grade x units) | Total units | GWA |
|---|---|---|
| 1.50x3, 2.00x3, 1.75x3 | 9 | 1.75 |
| 1.00x3, 1.00x3, 1.00x3, 1.00x3 | 12 | 1.00 |
| 2.50x3, 2.25x3, 2.75x3 | 9 | 2.50 |
| 1.25x3, 1.50x4, 1.75x3, 2.00x2 | 12 | 1.58 |
| 1.75x3, 2.00x3, 1.50x3, 2.25x3 | 12 | 1.88 |
The Philippine grading scale is inverted compared to the US GPA: 1.00 represents the highest possible grade and 5.00 typically represents a failing grade, so as you accumulate better grades your weighted average moves toward 1.00, meaning lower is better on this specific scale.
Cutoffs are set by each individual school and program, not by a single national standard — commonly cited ranges include roughly 1.00-1.45 for summa/magna-level honors and up to about 1.75-2.00 for a general Dean's List, but you must confirm the exact cutoff with your own institution's academic handbook rather than assume a fixed number.
No. A 3-unit subject affects your GWA three times as much as a 1-unit subject, because the weighting is based on the number of units, not a simple count of subjects — this reflects that units approximate the workload or contact hours of each subject.
No, in most Philippine schools a failing grade of 5.00 is still included in the GWA computation using its assigned units, which is why a single failed subject can significantly raise (worsen) your overall GWA; policies on this can vary, so check your school's specific grading guidelines.
This calculator performs the standard weighted-average arithmetic used across Philippine schools, but exact grading increments, rounding rules, Dean's List thresholds, and how failing or incomplete grades are treated vary by school and program — always confirm the precise policy with your own institution's registrar before relying on this for official purposes.
Last updated: 2026-08-17