How GPA is worked out
Each letter grade is worth a number of grade points. Multiply those points by the course's credits to get quality points, add them up for every course, and divide by the total credits. Credits make longer or heavier courses count for more.
Quality points = grade points × credits
GPA = Σ quality points ÷ Σ credits
Weighted: add the honors or AP/IB bonus to each grade's points first (never to an F)
| Grade | Points | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ or A | 4.0 | C+ | 2.3 |
| A- | 3.7 | C | 2.0 |
| B+ | 3.3 | C- | 1.7 |
| B | 3.0 | D+ | 1.3 |
| B- | 2.7 | D | 1.0 |
| D- | 0.7 | ||
| F | 0.0 |
Worked example: one high school semester
AP US History (B+), Honors English (A), Chemistry (A-) and Spanish II (B) at 1 credit each, plus PE (A) at half a credit.
- Unweighted quality points: 3.3 + 4.0 + 3.7 + 3.0 + 4.0 × 0.5 = 16.0 over 4.5 credits, so 16.0 ÷ 4.5 = 3.56.
- Weighted: AP adds 1.0 and honors adds 0.5, so 16.0 + 1.0 + 0.5 = 17.5, and 17.5 ÷ 4.5 = 3.89.
- Cumulative: with a 3.40 unweighted GPA over 9 earlier credits, (3.40 × 9 + 16.0) ÷ 13.5 = 46.6 ÷ 13.5 = 3.45.
- Goal: to reach a 3.50 after another 4.5 credits you need (3.50 × 18 − 46.6) ÷ 4.5 = 16.4 ÷ 4.5 = 3.64 next semester.
This semester is loaded when the page opens. GPAs are shown to two decimals, rounding a 5 up.
High school and college scales
- College. Most colleges use the plus and minus scale above with no extra weight for course level. Pepperdine University's registrar, for example, lists exactly these points, from A 4.0 to D- 0.7. Some colleges give an A+ 4.3 or have no D-, so check your registrar's page.
- High school. Many high schools add 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB. Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, for example, describes its weighting this way. Others use different bonuses, weight only some courses, or skip pluses and minuses, which is why both are editable here.
- Colleges recalculate. The College Board's BigFuture guide notes that some schools weight AP and honors classes and that colleges may recalculate GPAs so applicants can be compared fairly.
Limits
- Your school's scale and policy win. This calculator does not handle repeated courses that replace an earlier grade, pass/fail classes, or A+ worth more than 4.0.
- Weighted GPA tops out at 4.0 plus the largest bonus (5.0 with the defaults), so the goal helper uses that ceiling when your prior GPA is weighted.
- Grades come from percents? Turn a class percent into a letter with the grade calculator first.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate my GPA?
Turn each letter grade into points (A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 and so on), multiply by the course's credits, add those up and divide by the total credits. Five classes with three A's, a B and a C, one credit each, give (4 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 2) ÷ 5 = 3.4. That is the same example the College Board uses in its BigFuture guide.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA treats every class the same on a 4.0 scale. A weighted GPA adds extra points for harder classes, commonly 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB, so an A in an AP class counts as 5.0. Schools set their own bonuses, and many colleges recalculate GPAs their own way when you apply.
How do I work out my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your GPA so far by the credits it covers, add this term's quality points (GPA × credits), and divide by all the credits together. A 3.40 over 9 credits plus a 3.56 term over 4.5 credits gives (30.6 + 16) ÷ 13.5 = 3.45. Enter your prior GPA and credits and the calculator does it.
What GPA do I need next semester to raise my GPA?
Use the "Reach a goal" section. The calculator works out (target × all credits after next term − your quality points so far) ÷ next term's credits. Raising a GPA gets harder the more credits you already have, so if the answer is above 4.0 the goal cannot be reached in one term.
Does an A+ count as more than 4.0?
Here an A+ counts as 4.0, the same as an A, which is how most US schools treat it. Some colleges give an A+ 4.3. If yours does, an A+ will be slightly under-counted here, so check your school's scale.
Should college students use weighted GPA?
No. Colleges grade on a plain 4.0 scale with pluses and minuses, such as A- = 3.7 and B+ = 3.3, and course level does not add points. Choose College and the honors and AP settings disappear. Credits matter more in college, since a 4-credit lab counts four times as much as a 1-credit seminar.
Are pass/fail and withdrawn classes counted?
Leave them out. Pass/fail, withdrawals and incompletes usually carry no grade points and do not count toward GPA credits, but policies differ. A failed class (F) does count: it adds credits and zero points.