Semester ClarityPrintable guideLocked Grades and a Real GPA Range
Once some grades are locked in and others open, your real semester GPA is not one number, it is a range bounded by the best and worst outcome.
Partway through a term, some grades are already effectively decided while others are still genuinely open. Treating your GPA as a single guessed number at that point overstates how much you actually know; a range built from your locked grades plus a realistic min-to-max for each open course is more honest.
A GPA range, not a single guessed number, reflects what is actually still uncertain mid-term.
A single guessed GPA hides real uncertainty
Picking one number for an open course and treating the resulting GPA as fixed makes a genuinely uncertain situation look more settled than it is. A range built from an honest minimum and maximum for each open course communicates the real uncertainty instead of hiding it.
Locking a course collapses only its own range
As a grade is finalized, that course's contribution becomes fixed and its range collapses to a single point, narrowing the overall GPA range without affecting any other still-open course's own range.
A narrow range is more useful than a wide one, but both are honest
Early in a term, before much is locked in, the range will naturally be wide; that width is accurate information, not a flaw in the calculation. As more grades finalize, the range narrows on its own toward your eventual actual GPA.
Key takeaway. Use a realistic minimum and maximum for each open course, not a single guess, and recalculate as grades lock in. A range is a more honest mid-term answer than one guessed number.
Frequently asked
How do I set a realistic minimum and maximum for an open course?
Base it on your actual current standing in that course, such as your currently possible best and worst outcomes, rather than the theoretical full A-to-F scale, which is almost always wider than what is realistically still possible.
What if I want a single number instead of a range?
Use a named-scenario comparison with one specific assumed grade per open course instead; a range answers "what is possible," while a scenario answers "what if this specific thing happens."
Does this replace a normal GPA calculation once the term ends?
No; once every course has a final grade, use a normal GPA calculation directly. A range is specifically for the mid-term period when some grades are still genuinely open.
Semester Clarity is a set of transparent academic planning tools, not a substitute for your school's own advising office, registrar, or degree audit. This guide is educational, not a guarantee of any specific outcome.