What is GWA? Meaning, Formula & Transcript of Records
GWA means General Weighted Average — the single number that sums up your grades for a semester or school year in the Philippines. Here is what it means, how it is computed, and where it appears.
GWA meaning
GWA (General Weighted Average) is the weighted average of all your grades, where each grade is weighted by the number of units of its subject. A 3-unit subject affects your GWA three times as much as a 1-unit subject.
In the Philippines, GWA uses the 1.00–5.00 scale: 1.00 is the highest grade (Excellent, typically 97–100%), 3.00 is the usual passing mark (75%), and 5.00 means failed. This is the opposite of the American GPA scale, where 4.00 is the best.
How GWA is computed
Take every subject in the semester, multiply its grade by its units, add all those numbers together, then divide by your total units. A worked example is on the How to Compute GWA page, and you can skip the arithmetic with the GWA Calculator.
What is a good GWA?
| GWA range | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 1.00 – 1.20 | Outstanding — usually Summa Cum Laude range |
| 1.21 – 1.45 | Excellent — usually Magna Cum Laude range |
| 1.46 – 1.75 | Very good — usually Cum Laude range |
| 1.76 – 2.00 | Good, above average |
| 2.01 – 3.00 | Passing |
| Above 3.00 | Includes a failing grade — needs attention |
These are typical ranges. Exact Latin honors cutoffs vary by university — see the Latin Honors Calculator.
Transcript of Records (TOR)
Your Transcript of Records (TOR) is the official document that lists every subject you took, the grade and units for each, and your GWA. It is issued by your school's registrar and is the document employers, scholarship bodies and other schools ask for when they need proof of your grades.
Keep your TOR safe, and check it every semester: a wrong grade or missing subject on your TOR is much harder to fix years later than in the same semester.