GPA

Quick Distinction

Concept	Essence	Main Uses	Keywords
Weighted Average / 100-Point Weighted Average Score	Course scores weighted by credits	On-campus graduate recommendation, major transfer, etc.	First attempt, required, 100-point scale
GPA / 4.0-Scale GPA	Course grade points weighted by credits, converted from score distribution or letter grades	Study abroad transcripts, bachelor's degree eligibility, etc.	Highest score, 4.0, dynamic conversion
Comprehensive Evaluation Score	Annual composite of academic performance, conduct assessment, and overall quality	Scholarships, merit student, outstanding student leader awards	Class ranking, bonus points, public notice

Weighted Average: The Hardest Metric for On-Campus Competition

Its official name is the 100-point weighted average score. When students say “average score,” this is usually what they mean -- not simply adding up a few course scores and dividing by the number of courses.

Calculation:

$$\text{100-Point Weighted Average}={\displaystyle \frac{\sum (\text{Course Score (100-pt)}\times \text{Course Credits})}{\sum \text{Course Credits}}}$$

100-Point Weighted Average = Σ (Course Score × Course Credits) / Σ Course Credits

Core rules:

• Mainly used for on-campus graduate recommendation and major transfer scenarios.
• The calculation scope is required courses in the major's comprehensive training plan.
• Based on the student's first-attempt course scores.
• Failed, not-passed, re-enrolled-passed, and retake-passed courses are treated as 0.
• Five-level grade conversion: Excellent 95, Good 85, Satisfactory 75, Pass 65, Fail 0.
• Two-level grade conversion: Pass 80, Fail 0.
• Approved deferred study or deferred exam courses that are passed can be counted in the 100-point weighted average of the semester taken.

So a “high weighted average” in on-campus competition isn't an average padded with easy courses -- it's the result of first-attempt required course scores weighted by credits. High-credit courses are leverage; failing and retaking are wounds that are hard to heal in this accounting system, no matter how well you patch them up later.

GPA: The 4.0-Scale Ledger for External Credentials and Degree Eligibility

The official term in the Undergraduate Handbook is the 4.0-Scale GPA.

Calculation:

$$\text{GPA}={\displaystyle \frac{\sum (\text{Course Grade Point}\times \text{Course Credits})}{\sum \text{Course Credits}}}$$

GPA = Σ (Course Grade Point × Course Credits) / Σ Course Credits

Core rules:

• Mainly used for study abroad transcript applications and similar scenarios.
• The calculation scope is courses required by the major's comprehensive training plan; general education courses, minor courses, and off-campus courses are excluded.
• Based on the highest course score achieved by the student.
• Retake exam grade points are determined by the original class's normal exam grade range, capped at 3.3.
• One requirement for bachelor's degree conferral: the 4.0 GPA for all courses in the major's comprehensive training plan (excluding minor and off-campus courses) must be 2.0 or higher.

The GPA for 100-point courses is not a fixed “90 = 4.0” conversion -- it dynamically converts based on the course's grade distribution:

Percentile Rank in Course	Grade	Grade Points
Top 20%	A	4.0
20.1% - 35%	B+	3.7
35.1% - 50%	B	3.3
50.1% - 60%	B-	3.0
60.1% - 70%	C+	2.7
70.1% - 80%	C	2.3
80.1% - 90%	C-	2.0
Bottom 10%	D	1.7
Fail	F	0.0

Letter-grade course conversion:

Grading System	Course Score	Grade	Grade Points
Five-level	Excellent	A	4.0
Five-level	Good	B	3.7
Five-level	Satisfactory	C	2.7
Five-level	Pass	D	1.7
Five-level	Fail	F	0.0
Two-level	Pass	P	3.0
Two-level	Fail	F	0.0

The key takeaway: GPA is more of an “external translation system” than the main battlefield for on-campus graduate recommendation. If you're going abroad, it matters. If you're aiming for graduate recommendation or major transfer, look at the 100-point weighted average first.

Comprehensive Evaluation Score: The Mixed Ledger for Awards

The comprehensive evaluation total score isn't purely academic. It's an annual evaluation system that blends academic performance, conduct, competitions, papers, cultural and sports activities, labor education, and more.

Formula:

$$H=0.7X+0.1C+0.2S$$

H = 0.7X + 0.1C + 0.2S

Where:

• H: Comprehensive evaluation total score.
• X: Academic score, calculated as the 100-point weighted average of the year's required courses (including PE) and department-selected elective courses.
• C: Conduct assessment score, formula C = C1 + C2, including basic conduct score and conduct bonus points.
• S: Overall quality assessment score, formula S = D + 3Z + T + M + L, covering moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education.

The calculation rules for the academic score X are very similar to the “weighted average”: weighted by credits, five-level and two-level grades converted by equivalents, based on first-attempt scores, with failed, not-passed, retake, and re-enroll courses treated as 0, and approved deferred study courses counted in the semester taken.

The main use of the comprehensive evaluation score is scholarships and awards. For example:

• National Scholarship: Both the comprehensive evaluation total score and academic score should generally be in the top 10% of the class.
• National Encouragement Scholarship: Comprehensive evaluation total score in the top 33% of the class, academic score in the top 38%.
• University First-Class Scholarship: Comprehensive evaluation total score in the top 10% of the class, academic score in the top 15%.
• University Second-Class Scholarship: Comprehensive evaluation total score in the top 20% of the class, academic score in the top 25%.
• University Third-Class Scholarship: Comprehensive evaluation total score in the top 33% of the class, academic score in the top 38%.

The comprehensive evaluation is not a “you can make up for bad grades with activities” wish pool. Its weight structure is clear: X accounts for 70% -- grades are still the main body. Activities, competitions, honors, and social work are amplifiers, not engines.

Which Indicator to Watch

Goal	Priority Indicator	Logic
Major Transfer	100-point weighted average, key course scores	Many schools directly look at required course averages and single-course thresholds in math/English/physics
Graduate Recommendation	100-point weighted average	Handbook specifies using first three years' required course original scores weighted average for recommendation
Study Abroad	4.0 GPA, transcript presentation	GPA is the external language of grade certificates, but different schools may recalculate
Bachelor's Degree	4.0 GPA	GPA for courses in the major's comprehensive training plan must reach 2.0 or above
Scholarships/Merit Awards	Comprehensive evaluation total + academic score	Both overall ranking and academic ranking matter, usually requiring no failed courses and passing physical fitness tests

The on-campus currency is the first-attempt required course weighted average. The study-abroad currency is GPA. The award currency is comprehensive evaluation ranking. Optimize these three ledgers separately -- don't gamble one against another.

References

The following references are from the Undergraduate Handbook (PDF) (2024 Undergraduate Handbook). Page numbers use PDF reader pagination; numbers in parentheses are the handbook header page numbers. Policies may be adjusted by year, campus, departmental rules, or new university documents. For actual procedures, refer to the latest notices from the university, Academic Affairs Office, Student Affairs Office, and your specific school/department.

• PDF pp. 70-71 (Handbook pp. 68-69), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Credit System Teaching Management Implementation Measures (2017 Revision), Article 39: Rules on the purpose, calculation scope, first-attempt/highest scores, retake cap, and exclusion of general education/minor/off-campus courses from GPA for both the 100-point weighted average and the 4.0 GPA.
• PDF p. 77 (Handbook p. 75), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Bachelor's Degree Award Implementation Rules, Chapter 2, Article 4, Item 5: Requirement that the 4.0 GPA for all courses in the major's comprehensive training plan (excluding minor and off-campus courses) must reach 2.0 or higher.
• PDF pp. 104-106 (Handbook pp. 102-104), SCUT Measures for Recommending Outstanding Graduates for Graduate Admission Without Examination (2021 Revision), Parts 3 and 5: Basic recommendation conditions use the first three years (first four for five-year programs) required course original scores' 100-point weighted average; the weighted average accounts for 85% of the comprehensive recommendation score.
• PDF pp. 195-202 (Handbook pp. 193-200), SCUT Undergraduate Comprehensive Evaluation and Awards Measures (2023 Revision), Parts 2 and 4, Appendix 1: Organization, public notice, scholarship/outstanding individual eligibility and ranking thresholds, and the comprehensive evaluation total score formula H = 0.7X + 0.1C + 0.2S, academic score calculation scope, and retake/re-enrollment rules.