GPA Calculator

How GPA is calculated

Grade point average converts letter grades into numbers and averages them, weighted by how many credits each course is worth. On the standard 4.0 scale, A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0 and F = 0. Plus and minus grades adjust by about a third of a point: B+ = 3.3, A− = 3.7, and so on.

The formula is: GPA = Σ(grade points × credits) ÷ Σ(credits). Each course's grade points times its credit hours gives its "quality points." Add those up and divide by the total credits attempted.

Example

Suppose you earned an A in a 3-credit class (12 points), a B+ in a 4-credit lab (13.2 points), an A− in a 3-credit class (11.1 points) and a B in a 3-credit class (9 points). That's 45.3 quality points over 13 credits, a GPA of about 3.48.

Grade scale used

A+ 4.0 · 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 · F 0.0

Some schools give A+ a 4.3, or don't use plus/minus grades at all. Check your school's catalog if your number differs slightly from your official transcript.

Weighted vs. unweighted GPA

High schools often report a weighted GPA, in which honors, AP or IB courses earn extra points (for example, an A in an AP class counts as 5.0). This calculator computes the standard unweighted GPA. Colleges usually recalculate applicants' GPAs in their own way anyway.

Cumulative GPA

To find a cumulative GPA, add a row for your previous total: enter the credits you've already completed and the letter grade closest to your current GPA, or, for accuracy, enter each past course. Pass/fail and withdrawn courses usually don't count toward GPA.

Raising your GPA

Courses with more credits move your GPA the most. Early in college each semester has a large effect; later, your GPA becomes harder to move, so strong first-year grades pay off.