How the GPA Calculator Works
The grade point average (GPA) is a single number that sums up your grades. Most schools in the United States use a scale from 0 to 4.0. The GPA Calculator turns each letter grade into points, gives more weight to courses with more credits, and finds the average.
The formula
grade points of a course = points of the grade x credits GPA = total grade points / total credits
A course with more credits counts more. An A in a 4-credit course raises your GPA more than an A in a 1-credit course, and a bad grade in it lowers your GPA more.
The points of each grade
| Letter grade | Points |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Each block of the chart is 0.1 points, and the color shows the level of the grade.
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 an A+ 4.3 points, and some do not use plus and minus at all. The calculator uses the most common scale, where the A+ is worth 4.0. Check your school for its own scale.
Worked example: two courses
| Course | Grade | Points | Credits | Grade points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12 |
| Course 2 | B | 3.0 | 4 | 12 |
| Total | 7 | 24 |
GPA = 24 / 7 = 3.43. Note that the GPA is not (4.0 + 3.0) / 2 = 3.5, because the B course has more credits.
Example with plus and minus grades
| Course | Grade | Points | Credits | Grade points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Lab | B+ | 3.3 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Art | F | 0.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Total | 6 | 14.4 |
GPA = 14.4 / 6 = 2.40. Each block is 0.5 grade points.
Chemistry ██████████████████████ 11.1 points (3 credits) Lab ███████ 3.3 points (1 credit) Art 0.0 points (2 credits)
Without the F in the 2-credit art course, the GPA of the other two courses would be (11.1 + 3.3) / 4 = 3.60. One F takes it down to 2.40.
Your cumulative GPA
The cumulative GPA covers all your courses, not only those of one term. If you enter your earlier GPA and the credits that it covers, the calculator adds the new courses to them:
cumulative GPA = (earlier GPA x earlier credits + new grade points) / (earlier credits + new credits)
Example: an earlier GPA of 3.5 over 60 credits, and the new courses with 24 grade points over 7 credits. Cumulative GPA = (3.5 x 60 + 24) / (60 + 7) = 234 / 67 = 3.49. The more credits you already have, the less one new term can change your GPA.
Chart: the GPA scale
Each block is 0.1 grade points. The calculator draws a scale like this, with a marker at your GPA.
0.0 4.0 ████████████████████████████████████████ below 2.0 | 2.0-2.9 | 3.0-3.4 | 3.5-4.0
- Red, under 2.0: many schools call this a warning level, and 2.0 is often the minimum for graduation.
- Yellow, 2.0 to 2.99: a C average.
- Light green, 3.0 to 3.49: a B average.
- Green, 3.5 and above: often the level for honors lists. The exact rule depends on your school.
Tips
- Use the credits of your school. They can be called credits, credit hours or units.
- Leave out courses that have no grade points, such as pass or fail courses and withdrawals.
- Repeated courses. Some schools replace the old grade with the new one and some average them. Check the rule of your school and enter the courses to match.
- Weighted GPAs. Some high schools give extra points for honors and AP courses (up to 5.0). This calculator uses the unweighted 4.0 scale.
What this calculator does not include
- Weighted scales with extra points for honors or AP courses.
- Percent grades. Use the Grade Calculator to change a percent into a letter first.
- The rules of your school for repeated courses, transfer credits or a GPA needed for a scholarship.
This tool gives an estimate for planning. Your school decides your official GPA.