SGPA vs CGPA vs Percentage: The Difference
Three numbers for the same course, and everyone asks for a different one. Here's what each means, how to convert between them, and which one to put on your CV — with a calculator to do the maths.
SGPA → CGPA → Percentage Calculator
Enter your semester SGPAs, separated by commas, to get your CGPA and an estimated percentage.
SGPA vs CGPA vs Percentage: the difference
They measure the same performance at different zoom levels:
- SGPA — Semester Grade Point Average. How one semester went, on a 10-point scale.
- CGPA — Cumulative Grade Point Average. Every completed semester rolled into one 10-point number. This is the one on your transcript.
- Percentage — the same standing expressed out of 100, using your university's conversion formula.
So the flow is: several SGPAs combine into one CGPA, and that CGPA converts into a percentage.
How to convert SGPA to CGPA
If all your semesters carry the same credits (the usual case), your CGPA is just the average of your SGPAs:
CGPA = (SGPA₁ + SGPA₂ + … + SGPAₙ) ÷ number of semesters
If semesters carry different credits, use the credit-weighted average instead — multiply each SGPA by its credits, add them up, and divide by the total credits. Our SGPA to CGPA Calculator does both.
How to convert CGPA to percentage
Multiply your CGPA by your university's factor. The most common is CGPA × 9.5 (CBSE and many universities), so an 8.0 CGPA is 76%. But it varies: VTU uses (CGPA − 0.75) × 10, Anna University uses CGPA × 10, and Mumbai uses a CBCS formula. Get the exact figure for yours in the CGPA to percentage guide or the CGPA converter tool.
Which one do colleges and recruiters want?
Almost always CGPA, or the percentage derived from it — because both describe your whole course, not a single term. SGPA is mostly an internal tracking number your college uses semester to semester. Practical advice: know your CGPA, be able to convert it to your university's official percentage, and put the CGPA on applications unless a form specifically asks for percentage. If you're chasing a target, the GPA Goal Calculator shows what you need in your remaining semesters to get there.
A worked example
Say your first four SGPAs are 8.2, 7.9, 8.5 and 8.1. With equal credits, your CGPA is (8.2 + 7.9 + 8.5 + 8.1) ÷ 4 = 8.18. Using the × 9.5 formula, that's about 77.7%. Under VTU's formula it would be (8.18 − 0.75) × 10 = 74.3% — the same performance, a different percentage, which is exactly why the formula matters.