How to use the GPA calculator
- Choose High school or College. High school rows start at 1 credit and show a Level column; college rows start at 3 credit hours.
- For each class pick the letter grade and check the credits. Set the level to Honors or AP / IB where it applies. Course names are optional and stay on your device.
- Read the bar under the table: unweighted and weighted GPA, updated as you type. Open Cumulative GPA to add earlier semesters, or Target GPA to see what you need next.
How GPA is calculated
GPA = sum of (grade points × credits) ÷ total credits
Each letter has a point value (A 4.0, B+ 3.3, B 3.0 and so on). Multiply it by the credits of the course to get its quality points, add the quality points of all courses and divide by the credits. The University of Illinois registrar explains its own GPA in exactly these four steps.
Example, one high school semester with four 1-credit classes: English A (4.0), AP Biology B+ (3.3), Honors Algebra II B (3.0) and Spanish A− (3.7). Unweighted: 14.0 ÷ 4 = 3.50. Weighted, with 1.0 extra for AP and 0.5 for Honors: 4.0 + 4.3 + 3.5 + 3.7 = 15.5, and 15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875, shown as 3.88.
Weighted vs unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA treats every class alike, so 4.0 is the top. A weighted GPA rewards harder classes. North Carolina’s State Board of Education sets the rule for its public high schools: since the freshman class of 2015–16, Honors courses earn half a quality point more and AP, IB and Cambridge courses one full point more, and students receive both an unweighted and a weighted GPA. That is the weighting this calculator uses, for every passing grade.
Not every district does it the same way. Howard County Public Schools in Maryland adds the Honors and AP points only for an A, B or C; a D stays at 1.0. If your school works like that, tick “bonus only for A, B and C” under Scale and weighting. College GPAs are not weighted, so the Level column and the weighted figure disappear in College mode.
4.0 or 4.3: what an A+ is worth
On a 4.0 scale nothing is above 4.0, so an A+ counts the same as an A. Cornell University’s grade-point table goes to 4.3 for an A+; switch the scale to 4.3 if your school does the same. The minus and plus steps here are tenths (A− 3.7, B+ 3.3), as in Cornell’s table. The University of Illinois uses thirds instead (B+ 3.33, C− 1.67), so your result can differ from an Illinois transcript by a few hundredths.
Cumulative GPA and the GPA you need next
Your cumulative GPA averages every credit you have taken, not just this term. Say you start with a 3.20 over 30 credits and add a 3.50 term of 15 credits: (3.20 × 30 + 3.50 × 15) ÷ 45 = 148.5 ÷ 45 = 3.30. Enter the previous GPA and its credits and the calculator does this for you.
Target GPA works the same sum backwards. To reach a 3.40 after 15 more credits, you need 3.40 × 60 = 204 quality points in total; you have 148.5, so the next 15 credits must bring 55.5, an average of 3.70. If the number is above the top of the scale, the calculator tells you the target is out of reach in that many credits.
GPA questions
How do I calculate my GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credits, add the results and divide by the total credits. A 3-credit A (12 points) plus a 4-credit B (12 points) is 24 points over 7 credits, a 3.43 GPA.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA counts every A as 4.0, however hard the class. Weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder courses: North Carolina's state policy adds 0.5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP and IB, so an A in an AP class counts as 5.0.
Do pass/fail classes count toward GPA?
Usually not. At the University of Illinois, S (satisfactory) and CR (credit) grades carry no grade points and no GPA hours. Choose P or NP in the calculator and the course is left out of the average.
Is an A+ worth 4.3?
Only on a 4.3 scale, such as Cornell's. Many schools cap the A+ at 4.0: the University of Illinois lists A+ and A both as 4.00. Switch the scale in the calculator to match your school.
Why is my GPA a little different from my transcript?
Small gaps usually come from points or rounding. Some schools give a B+ 3.33 instead of 3.3, and Illinois cuts its GPA to two decimals instead of rounding. Your school may also weight only some courses, or only A, B and C grades.
Where the GPA rules come from
- University of Illinois Office of the Registrar, calculate your GPA
- North Carolina State Board of Education, policy GRAD-009, grading and transcript standards (PDF)
- Howard County Public School System, Policy 8020, grading and reporting: middle and high school
- Cornell University ILR School, academic grades and notations (grade-point table)
To turn a percent into a letter first, use the grading scale lookup.