How to use the GPA calculator
- Choose a letter grade for each course and enter its credit hours (units). Leave unused rows blank.
- For a weighted GPA, set each course’s type to Regular, Honors or AP/IB and check “Show weighted GPA.”
- For your cumulative GPA, open the extra options and enter your current GPA and the credits you have already completed.
- Read the results: semester GPA, total credits, quality points and a course-by-course table. Copy the link to save your grades.
How GPA is calculated
Colleges and many high schools calculate GPA as a credit-weighted average. Each letter grade has a point value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0 and so on). Multiplying the grade points by the course’s credit hours gives its quality points. Your GPA is total quality points divided by total credits attempted for a grade.
GPA = Σ(grade points × credits) / Σ credits
- gᵢ
- grade points for course i (for example, A− = 3.7)
- cᵢ
- credit hours for course i
- gᵢ × cᵢ
- quality points for course i
Worked example
| Course | Grade | Points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| Course 2 | B+ | 3.3 | 4 | 13.2 |
| Course 3 | A− | 3.7 | 4 | 14.8 |
| Course 4 | B | 3.0 | 3 | 9 |
| Course 5 | A | 4.0 | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 15 | 53 |
The five courses earn 53 quality points over 15 credits, so the GPA is 53 ÷ 15 = 3.53. Credits matter: if the one-credit A became an F, quality points would drop to 49 and the GPA to 3.27.
Letter grade to GPA conversion
This is the standard 4.0 scale with plus and minus grades, including the weighted values used by schools that add 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB. Some colleges use thirds instead, such as 3.67 for an A− and 3.33 for a B+ (Portland State University is one example), and some schools do not use plus or minus grades at all.
| Letter grade | Unweighted | Honors (+0.5) | AP / IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C− | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| D− | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
An F stays at 0.0 in any course type. An A+ is 4.0 at many schools; some count it as 4.3.
Percentage to letter grade
Grading scales are set by each school, district or instructor, so check your syllabus or student handbook. Many U.S. schools use a 90/80/70/60 scale (90% and up is an A, 80–89% a B, 70–79% a C, 60–69% a D and below 60% an F). One common way to split it into plus and minus grades is shown below.
| Letter grade | Percentage | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | 4.0 |
| A | 93–96 | 4.0 |
| A− | 90–92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86 | 3.0 |
| B− | 80–82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76 | 2.0 |
| C− | 70–72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69 | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66 | 1.0 |
| D− | 60–62 | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
Weighted vs. unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA treats every class the same, so the maximum is 4.0. A weighted GPA gives extra points for more demanding classes. The College Board notes that most high schools give an additional GPA boost for AP courses, but the size of the boost is each school’s policy. Adding 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB is a common approach, which is what this calculator uses.
In the example above, the B+ in a 4-credit AP / IB class and the A− in a 4-credit Honors class add 6 bonus quality points, raising the GPA from 3.53 unweighted to 3.93 weighted. Colleges may recalculate applicants’ GPAs, for example by removing non-core classes or adjusting honors and AP weighting, to compare students from different schools.
How to calculate cumulative GPA
Your cumulative GPA covers every graded course you have taken, not just one term. You cannot simply average semester GPAs, because terms with more credits count more. Instead, turn your current GPA back into quality points by multiplying it by your credits completed, add the new term, and divide by all credits.
For example, a student with a 3.20 GPA over 45 credits has 144 quality points. Adding the example term’s 53 quality points and 15 credits gives (144 + 53) ÷ (45 + 15) = 3.28. The more credits you have already earned, the less a single term moves your cumulative GPA.
What is a good GPA?
There is no single cutoff, because grading and course difficulty differ between schools. As a reference point, the College Board’s BigFuture reports that the average GPA is about 3.0 across U.S. high schools and 3.1 across U.S. colleges. Colleges, scholarships and honor societies set their own minimums, so check the specific requirements that matter to you.
In college, your GPA also affects financial aid. Under federal satisfactory academic progress rules, a student in a program longer than two academic years must have at least a C average (or academic standing consistent with the school’s graduation requirements) by the end of the second year to keep receiving federal aid. Schools set their own detailed policies within those rules.
Related tools: work out a test or assignment score with the percentage calculator, or count the days until the end of the semester with the date calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate GPA?
Multiply each course’s grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, add the quality points, and divide by the total credits. For example, 53 quality points over 15 credits is 53 ÷ 15 = 3.53. Courses with more credits count more, so an A in a 4-credit class raises your GPA more than an A in a 1-credit class.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA uses the same 4.0 scale for every class, so an A is always 4.0. A weighted GPA adds extra points for harder classes; a common approach adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB, so an A in an AP class counts as 5.0. Weighting rules are set by each high school, and colleges may recalculate your GPA their own way.
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your current GPA by the credits you have completed to recover your total quality points, add this term’s quality points, and divide by all credits combined. With a 3.20 GPA over 45 credits and a 3.53 term over 15 credits, the new cumulative GPA is (144 + 53) ÷ 60 = 3.28.
Is an A+ worth 4.0 or 4.3?
At many schools that use plus and minus grades, an A+ is worth 4.0, the same as an A, because 4.0 is the top of the scale; the University of Illinois is one example. Some schools give an A+ 4.3 points instead. This calculator uses 4.0 by default; open the cumulative GPA options to count an A+ as 4.3 if your school does.
What is a good GPA?
It depends on your goals and your school’s grading. According to the College Board, the average GPA is about 3.0 across U.S. high schools and 3.1 across U.S. colleges, so a GPA above those figures is above average. For federal student aid, students in programs longer than two years generally need at least a C average, or equivalent academic standing, by the end of their second year.
Do pass/fail or withdrawn classes count in GPA?
Usually not. GPA is normally based only on courses with letter grades; Portland State University, for example, counts only A–F graded courses and leaves out pass/no pass credit. Pass/fail credits can still count toward graduation. Rules for withdrawals, failed pass/fail courses and repeated courses vary, so check your registrar’s policy. To leave a class out here, simply leave its row blank.