How your GPA is worked out
Each letter grade is worth a number of grade points. Multiply that by the class’s credits, add up the results, and divide by your total credits. Here’s a term of four classes:
| Class | Grade | Points | Credits | Points × credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Chemistry | B+ | 3.3 | 4 | 13.2 |
| History | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Spanish | C | 2.0 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Total | 12 | 40.3 |
40.3 grade points divided by 12 credits gives a term GPA of 3.36. The C in a 2-credit class pulls the GPA down less than a C in a 4-credit class would.
The 4.0 scale
This tool uses a 4.0 scale. The full letters (A 4.0, B 3.0, C 2.0, D 1.0, F 0) follow College Board’s GPA explanation, which also explains weighted and unweighted GPA. Plus and minus grades sit 0.3 above or below.
| Grade | Points | Grade | Points | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 or 4.3 | B | 3.0 | D+ | 1.3 |
| A | 4.0 | B- | 2.7 | D | 1.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | C+ | 2.3 | D- | 0.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | C | 2.0 | F | 0 |
| C- | 1.7 |
Schools vary. Some don’t use plus and minus grades, and some use a 5.0 or 100-point scale. Your school’s official GPA may use a different scale or rules.
Weighted GPA
With Weighted on, harder classes earn extra points: +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB. An F stays at 0. In the example above, if Chemistry is an AP class, its B+ is worth 4.3 instead of 3.3. That adds 4 grade points (1.0 × 4 credits), so the weighted GPA is 44.3 ÷ 12 = 3.69.
These bonuses are this calculator’s assumptions, not a universal school policy. Check your school’s grading handbook or ask its registrar how course weighting, repeated courses, and transfer credits affect your official GPA. Colleges may recalculate it using their own rules.
Your overall (cumulative) GPA
If you already have a GPA, open “Add your GPA so far” and enter it with the credits it covers. A 3.20 over 30 credits is 96 grade points. Adding this term’s 40.3 points and 12 credits gives (96 + 40.3) ÷ 42 = 3.25 overall.
Limits
Credits can be from 0 to 10, in steps as small as you like (0.5 for a half-year class). Rows without a grade are skipped. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.