GPA CalculatorCalculators
Grade point average from grades and credits.
How to calculate GPA from letter grades and credit hours
Report cards show letter grades, but applications and scholarships ask for a number. Turn each grade into points, weight it by the course credits, and add the new term to your running GPA.
Why a simple average of grades gives the wrong GPA
GPA is a weighted average. A 4-credit course counts more than a 3-credit one, so averaging the grades on their own gives the wrong number. An A in 3 credits, a B in 4 credits, and an A− in 3 credits make a GPA of 3.51, while a plain average of 4.0, 3.0, and 3.7 comes to 3.57.
Cumulative GPA trips people up the same way. Averaging two term GPAs is only right when both terms had the same credits. The more credits you already have, the slower the cumulative number moves, so one strong term changes it less than you might hope.
Use the scale your school uses
Pick the grading scale in the GPA Calculator: 4.0, 4.3, or a weighted 5.0. Enter each course's grade and credits. On the 4.0 scale, A is 4.0, A− 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0, and so on down to F at 0. The 4.3 scale gives A+ 4.3. The weighted scale adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB courses, so the three courses above, with the A taken as AP and the B as honors, come to 4.01.
To update a running GPA, add your current GPA and credits. The same three courses combined with an existing 3.2 GPA over 30 credits bring the cumulative GPA to 3.28. The result shows the term GPA, the quality points, and the new cumulative figure.
Calculate your GPA
- Convert each letter grade to points on your school's scale. On the 4.0 scale, A is 4.0 and B is 3.0.
- Multiply each course's points by its credit hours to get quality points.
- Add up the quality points and the credit hours.
- Divide the quality points by the credit hours. The result is your GPA.
- Check it in the GPA Calculator, and add your current GPA and credits for a cumulative result.
What a calculated GPA may not match
- Grade point values vary by school. Check your school's scale before you rely on the result.
- Leave out pass/fail and withdrawn courses.
- Colleges often recalculate GPAs their own way, so report the version your school uses.
Frequently asked questions
How is GPA calculated?
Multiply each grade's points by the course credits, add them up, and divide by the total credits.
What is an A− on a 4.0 scale?
3.7.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA treats every course the same, up to 4.0. Weighted GPA adds points for harder courses, so an A in an AP class counts as 5.0.
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Add this term's quality points to your old GPA times your old credits, then divide by all the credits combined.
Related tools
Tools used in this guide
