GPA Calculator

How GPA is calculated

Each letter grade has a point value on the 4.0 scale: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7 and F = 0. Multiply each grade's points by the course's credit hours to get quality points, add them up, and divide by the total credit hours. That is your GPA for the term.

Credit hours are what make GPA a weighted average. A 4-credit lab science counts a third more than a 3-credit class, so the same grade moves your GPA more in the bigger course. In high schools that don't use credit hours, enter 1 for every full-year class (or 0.5 for a semester class) and the maths works the same way.

Grades that don't carry points — pass/fail, audit, incomplete or withdrawn — usually don't count toward GPA at all. Leave those rows on "not counted". A failed class does count: the credit hours go into the total with zero points, which is why one F pulls a GPA down so hard.

Weighted vs. unweighted GPA

An unweighted GPA treats every class the same and tops out at 4.0. A weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder classes, most often +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP, IB or dual-enrollment college courses, so an A in AP Chemistry counts as 5.0. That is how high school GPAs end up above 4.0.

There is no national standard. Some schools give no honors bonus, some cap the number of weighted classes, and some don't add the bonus to low grades. This calculator lets you set the bonus for each level and never adds it to an F. Check your school handbook or ask your counselor for the exact rules.

Colleges often ignore the weighted GPA on your transcript and recalculate their own. The University of California, for example, uses only 10th- and 11th-grade A-G courses and adds one point per semester of approved honors-level coursework, up to 8 points. So treat your weighted GPA as your school's number and your unweighted GPA as the one that compares across schools.

Semester GPA vs. cumulative GPA

Your semester (or term) GPA covers only the classes you just took. Your cumulative GPA covers every graded credit hour so far. To combine them you can't simply average the two numbers; each GPA has to be weighted by its credit hours. Enter your prior cumulative GPA and the credit hours behind it, and the calculator does that for you.

Because the cumulative figure is credit-weighted, it gets harder to move as you go. A strong semester early in college can lift your GPA a lot; the same semester as a senior moves it far less. If you're aiming for a cutoff, plug in realistic grades for next term to see whether it's within reach.

The GPA formula

• Grade points = the 4.0-scale value of the letter grade (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0, with plus/minus steps of 0.3 or 0.4)
• Credit hours = the credits each course is worth
• Level bonus = the extra points for honors or AP/IB/college courses (commonly 0.5 and 1.0); 0 for regular classes and for an F
• Quality points = grade points × credit hours

Example

1. Four classes: an A in a 3-credit AP class, a B+ in a 3-credit honors class, an A- in a 4-credit regular class and a B in a 3-credit regular class.
2. Unweighted quality points: 4.0 × 3 = 12, 3.3 × 3 = 9.9, 3.7 × 4 = 14.8 and 3.0 × 3 = 9, for a total of 45.7 over 13 credit hours.
3. Unweighted GPA = 45.7 ÷ 13 = 3.52.
4. Weighted: the AP A becomes 5.0 × 3 = 15 and the honors B+ becomes 3.8 × 3 = 11.4, for a total of 50.2. Weighted GPA = 50.2 ÷ 13 = 3.86.
5. If your cumulative GPA was 3.40 over 30 credit hours, your new cumulative GPA is (3.40 × 30 + 45.7) ÷ 43 = 147.7 ÷ 43 = 3.43.

Frequently asked questions