GPA calculator
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- Formula shown below
- Reviewed
Grade point average is the credit-weighted mean of grade points: GPA = Σ(pointsᵢ × creditsᵢ) ÷ Σcreditsᵢ. Five courses graded A, B+, A−, B and A across 17 credit hours produce 62.0 quality points and a GPA of 3.65 on the 4.0 scale. Credit hours, not course count, determine how much each grade matters.
Grade accepts a letter (A, B+, A−) or a numeric grade-point value (3.7).
Leave at 0 to calculate this term only.
Result
Term GPA
3.65
GPA = Σ(grade pointsᵢ × creditsᵢ) ÷ Σcreditsᵢ
- Quality points this term
- 62.00
- Credits this term
- 17.0
- Biology (4.0 cr)
- 4.0 pts
- Calculus (3.0 cr)
- 3.3 pts
- English (3.0 cr)
- 3.7 pts
- History (3.0 cr)
- 3.0 pts
- Chemistry (4.0 cr)
- 4.0 pts
Across 5 courses worth 17.0 credit hours, the term GPA is 3.65 on the 4.0 scale, from 62.00 total quality points.
Percentage-to-letter mapping follows the most common US scale (A = 93–96%, A− = 90–92%). Institutions differ — check the registrar's published scale if the result must match an official transcript. Current weighted average across the entered courses is 91.2% of the maximum 4.0.
How to use the GPA calculator
- 01
List your courses
Enter one course per line as “course, grade, credits”. Grade accepts a letter such as A or B+, or a numeric grade-point value such as 3.7.
- 02
Use accurate credit hours
Enter the credit hours from your transcript, not the number of contact hours. A laboratory course often carries more credits than a seminar meeting the same number of times.
- 03
Add your prior record for a cumulative GPA
Enter your previous cumulative GPA and the credits it covers. Leave both at zero to calculate this term alone.
- 04
Read the result
The result strip shows the GPA. The rows beneath list quality points, credit totals and each course's contribution.
The formula
GPA = Σ(grade pointsᵢ × creditsᵢ) ÷ Σcreditsᵢ
- grade pointsᵢ
- The 4.0-scale value of the letter grade: A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and so on.
- creditsᵢ
- The credit hours the course carries.
- quality points
- The product of grade points and credits for a single course.
- GPA
- Total quality points divided by total credit hours.
To fold in a prior record, multiply the previous GPA by the previous credit total to recover its quality points, add the new term's quality points, then divide by the combined credits. Averaging two GPAs directly is wrong unless the credit totals happen to be equal.
Worked example
- Courses
- Biology A (4 cr) Calculus B+ (3 cr) English A− (3 cr) History B (3 cr) Chemistry A (4 cr)
- Previous GPA
- 0 (this term only)
- Result
- GPA 3.65
Convert each letter to grade points and multiply by credits: Biology 4.0 × 4 = 16.0, Calculus 3.3 × 3 = 9.9, English 3.7 × 3 = 11.1, History 3.0 × 3 = 9.0, Chemistry 4.0 × 4 = 16.0. Quality points total 62.0 and credits total 17. Dividing gives 62.0 ÷ 17 = 3.65. Note that Biology and Chemistry carry 4 credits each and therefore weigh more heavily than the 3-credit courses.
Frequently asked questions
How is GPA calculated?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, sum the quality points, and divide by the total credit hours. A 4-credit A contributes 16 quality points while a 3-credit A contributes 12, which is why credit-heavy courses move a GPA further than credit-light ones.
What grade points does each letter grade carry?
On the standard US 4.0 scale, A and A+ are 4.0, A− is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B− is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, C is 2.0, C− is 1.7, D+ is 1.3, D is 1.0, D− is 0.7, and F is 0.0. Some institutions award 4.3 for an A+; most cap the scale at 4.0.
How do you calculate a cumulative GPA?
Multiply the previous cumulative GPA by the credits it covers to recover prior quality points, add the new term's quality points, then divide by the combined credit total. A 3.50 GPA over 60 credits carries 210 quality points; adding a term of 62.0 points over 17 credits gives 272.0 ÷ 77 = 3.53.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0 regardless of difficulty. A weighted GPA, common in US high schools, adds a bonus for honours, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses — typically 0.5 or 1.0 point — which is why weighted GPAs can exceed 4.0 and reach 5.0.
Does a pass or fail grade affect GPA?
Usually not. A pass grade normally awards the credit hours but no quality points, so it is excluded from the GPA calculation entirely. A fail in a pass/fail course is treated differently by different institutions: some exclude it, others record it as 0.0 grade points and include it. Check the registrar's policy before electing pass/fail.
How much can one bad grade lower a GPA?
The effect shrinks as credits accumulate. A 3-credit F added to a 3.70 GPA over 15 credits drops it to 3.08. The same F added to a 3.70 GPA over 90 credits drops it only to 3.58. This is also why early coursework has an outsized and lasting influence on a final transcript.
Do retaken courses replace the original grade?
Institutional policy decides. Grade replacement removes the original attempt from the GPA calculation and counts only the retake. Grade forgiveness policies often limit how many times replacement may be used. Where no replacement policy exists, both attempts remain in the calculation and the retake merely dilutes the original.
Sources
- Postsecondary grading and credit-hour reporting — US National Center for Education Statistics
- Credit hour — federal definition — US Department of Education
- Weighted mean — definition and method — Encyclopædia Britannica
Last reviewed: · Formula and sources verified by Syed Aqeel Ahmad Gillani. See the methodology for how every calculation is derived.