About GPA
GPA (Grade Point Average) is a single number that summarises your academic performance across all courses. It is the credit-weighted average of the grade points you earned — so a 4-credit course affects your GPA more than a 1-credit course. Most US colleges and universities use a 4.0 scale, though high schools, international institutions and graduate programs often use different scales.
GPA matters for college admissions, graduate school applications, scholarships, internships, honors designations and job applications. A change of 0.1 in GPA can affect scholarship eligibility, so accurate calculation matters.
How GPA is calculated
The formula is straightforward:
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Convert each letter grade to its point value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.) |
| 2 | Multiply each course's points by its credit hours |
| 3 | Sum all the results to get total quality points |
| 4 | Divide total quality points by total credit hours |
Example: A student takes three courses — an A (4.0) in a 3-credit class, a B+ (3.3) in a 4-credit class, and a B- (2.7) in a 3-credit class.
- Quality points: (3 × 4.0) + (4 × 3.3) + (3 × 2.7) = 12.0 + 13.2 + 8.1 = 33.3
- Total credits: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10
- GPA: 33.3 ÷ 10 = 3.33
Grading scales
This calculator supports five scales. Choose the one that matches your institution.
| Scale | Grade | Points | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | A+ / A | 4.0 | US colleges (standard) |
| 4.0 | A- | 3.7 | US colleges |
| 4.0 | B+ | 3.3 | US colleges |
| 4.3 | A+ | 4.3 | Some US universities |
| 5.0 | A | 5.0 | US high schools (weighted / AP) |
| 10.0 | Numeric | 0–10 | India, Netherlands, Iran |
| Percent | Numeric | 0–100% | Many European and Asian systems |
Weighted vs unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA treats every course equally, capped at 4.0. An A is 4.0 whether it is in a remedial class or an AP class. Weighted GPA gives extra points for harder courses — typically 0.5 or 1.0 extra — often on a 5.0 scale, so an A in an AP class is worth 5.0 instead of 4.0. Weighted GPA rewards students who take on challenging coursework.
Most colleges recalculate applicants' GPAs on their own scale during admissions, so do not panic if your school uses an unusual system. The raw grades matter more than the number.
Cumulative GPA
Your cumulative GPA combines every course you have taken across every term. To add a new term's courses to an existing cumulative GPA, use the Include prior GPA section on this page. The formula is the same:
Cumulative GPA = (prior GPA × prior credits + current quality points) ÷ (prior credits + current credits)
This is why a single bad semester early on has less effect on your cumulative GPA later — the denominator keeps growing.
Common use cases
College applications
Know your GPA before you submit to universities.
Scholarship eligibility
Many scholarships require a minimum 3.0 or 3.5 GPA.
Graduate school
Grad programs typically expect 3.0 or higher.
Job applications
Some employers screen by GPA for entry-level roles.
Honors designation
Latin honors (cum laude) are based on GPA cutoffs.
Academic planning
See what grades you need to reach a target GPA.
Privacy and accuracy
This GPA calculator runs entirely in your browser. All calculations happen locally in JavaScript with no server calls. Your course names, grades and credits are never transmitted, stored or logged.