Check if your GPA makes the dean list.
GPA is a credit-weighted average, so lifting it means earning enough new grade points to pull the whole record up. Multiplying the target GPA by total credits gives the points you need in total; subtracting the points you already hold and dividing by this term's credits gives the term GPA required. When that exceeds 4.0 the target is arithmetically out of reach this term, which is more useful to know early than late.
Grade points required
Required points = target GPA x (completed credits + term credits)
Term GPA needed
Term GPA needed = (required points - current GPA x completed credits) / term credits
Institutions differ. Many use the term GPA with a minimum credit load, others require a cumulative threshold. Check your registrar's definition before planning around either.
Because each new term is a small share of the total. With ninety credits completed, a fifteen-credit term carries only one sixth of the weight, so early grades dominate for a long time.