GPA Calculator

How GPA is calculated

Every grade converts to points on a 4.0 scale. Multiply each course's points by its credit hours to get quality points, add them all up, and divide by the total graded credits. The credit weighting is the part people forget: a four-credit course moves your GPA roughly twice as much as a two-credit one, so where you spend effort matters as much as how much.

The 4.0 scale

The A+ problem

This is the single most common source of a wrong GPA, and most calculators silently pick one answer. Many institutions cap the scale at 4.0, so an A+ and an A are worth the same. Others award 4.3, which lets an unweighted GPA exceed 4.0. Both are normal. Check your registrar's page and set the toggle to match — on a transcript full of top grades the difference is substantial.

Weighted vs unweighted

An unweighted GPA treats every course the same, so it tops out at 4.0 unless your school awards 4.3 for an A+. A weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder courses, most commonly +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB, which is why weighted GPAs above 4.0 are common.

Two things worth knowing. First, an F earns nothing however demanding the course was — the bonus applies to passing grades only, which is how this calculator treats it. Second, weighting conventions vary more than any other part of GPA: some schools weight only AP, some add +1.0 to Honors too, and some use a 5.0 scale throughout. Use the unweighted figure whenever you need a number that is comparable between schools, which is also what most college applications recalculate for themselves.

Pass/fail, withdrawals and retakes

Pass/fail courses normally earn credit without affecting GPA. Tick the P/F box and the course counts toward your credit total but is left out of the average — the summary tells you when that has happened.

Withdrawals (W) usually carry no grade points and no credits, so leave them out entirely.

Retakes are the one case this calculator cannot decide for you. Some institutions replace the original grade, others average the two attempts, and others keep both on the transcript while counting only the higher one. Enter whichever the policy says, not both, unless your school genuinely averages them.

Working out your cumulative GPA

Enter your prior GPA and the credits it was earned over, and this term is rolled into it. The formula combines quality points from both, then divides by all graded credits.

This is worth doing before you plan a term, because the arithmetic is unforgiving in a way people underestimate. Once you have 90 credits behind you, a single strong semester moves the cumulative figure by a fraction of a point. Raising a GPA is far easier early; protecting one is the job later on.