Quarter to Semester Credit Conversion
Transferring between quarter and semester schools? Here's how to convert credits accurately and how it affects your GPA calculation.
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The Conversion Formula
Why 2/3?
A semester is approximately 15 weeks of instruction, while a quarter is approximately 10 weeks. Since a quarter is two-thirds the length of a semester, each quarter credit represents two-thirds of a semester credit's instruction time.
Common Conversions
| Quarter Credits | Semester Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2.0 | Light lab |
| 4 | 2.67 | Standard lecture |
| 5 | 3.33 | Most common (= ~3 semester credits) |
| 6 | 4.0 | Lab + lecture combo |
| 8 | 5.33 | Heavy lab course |
| 10 | 6.67 | Double course |
| 45 | 30.0 | ~1 year of full-time |
| 180 | 120.0 | Typical bachelor's degree |
How Conversion Affects GPA
Credit conversion changes the weight of each course in your overall GPA, not the grade itself. A 5-quarter-credit A contributes differently to your cumulative GPA than a 3-semester-credit A simply because it represents a different proportion of total credits.
When combining courses from both systems (e.g., transfer credits), convert all credits to one system before calculating cumulative GPA:
Example
Quarter school courses: 45 quarter credits, 3.6 GPA
Semester school courses: 30 semester credits, 3.4 GPA
Convert quarters to semesters: 45 × 0.667 = 30 semester credits
Combined: (3.6 × 30 + 3.4 × 30) / (30 + 30) = 3.50 GPA
Which Schools Use Quarters?
Quarter systems are used by schools including the University of California (most campuses are now converting to semesters), University of Chicago, Dartmouth, Stanford (modified quarter), and several others.
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