GPA calculator

How do I calculate my GPA?

Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours, add them up and divide by the total credits. An A (4.0) in a 3-credit class, a B+ (3.3) in a 4-credit class and a C (2.0) in a 3-credit class: 12 + 13.2 + 6 = 31.2 points over 10 credits, a 3.12 GPA.

How many points is each letter grade?

On the common 4.0 scale: 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 and F 0. Some schools count an A+ as 4.3, or give honors and AP classes extra points; check your school's scale.

How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?

Combine this term with your earlier record by credits. With 30 earlier credits at a 3.5 and the term above, (31.2 + 30 × 3.5) ÷ 40 = 3.405. Enter your current GPA and credits to see it.

Do pass/fail classes count?

Usually not — a pass adds credits toward graduation but no grade points. Leave pass/fail and withdrawn courses out of the list.

What GPA do I need to raise mine to a goal?

Work backward from the cumulative formula: goal × (old credits + new credits) − old GPA × old credits, divided by the new credits. Try a few grades for next term here and watch the cumulative number.

Why is my GPA different from my school's?

The grade-point scale is set by each school. Some count an A+ as 4.3, some give extra points to honors or AP classes (a “weighted” GPA), and some replace an old grade when a course is repeated. This calculator uses the common unweighted scale in which A+ and A are both 4.0, so treat the result as an estimate and compare it with your transcript.

Can I raise a 3.2 to a 3.4 in one semester?

It depends on how many credits you already have. To go from a 3.2 over 60 credits to a 3.4 with a 15-credit term you would need a 4.2 GPA that term, which is above the 4.0 maximum, so it cannot be done in one semester. Over 30 credits you would need a 3.8. The more credits behind a GPA, the slower it moves.

How the calculation works

Each course contributes grade points times credit hours (called quality points). The semester GPA is the sum of quality points divided by the sum of credits attempted for those graded courses. For the cumulative GPA, the earlier GPA times the earlier credits is added to the term's quality points, and the total is divided by all credits. This is a credit-weighted average, so a 4-credit course counts more than a 1-credit lab.

Worked example

A student takes four courses: an A in a 3-credit course, a B+ in a 4-credit course, a C in a 3-credit course and an A− in a 2-credit course. The quality points are 3 × 4.0 + 4 × 3.3 + 3 × 2.0 + 2 × 3.7 = 38.6 over 12 credits, so the semester GPA is 3.22. If the grades were simply averaged without credits, the result would be 3.25, which overstates the GPA because the C is in a 3-credit course and the A− in a 2-credit one.

Now suppose the student already has 60 credits at a 3.2. The cumulative GPA is (38.6 + 3.2 × 60) ÷ 72 = 3.20. Twelve new credits barely move a record built over sixty.

Common mistakes

Averaging the grades without weighting by credits is the usual one. Others: rounding each course's points before adding (round only the final GPA), including pass/fail or withdrawn courses (they carry no grade points), entering your cumulative GPA from a weighted scale next to term grades on an unweighted one, and forgetting that repeated courses may be treated differently under your school's policy: some schools count both attempts and some replace the first grade. Check the registrar's rules before you plan around a repeat.

Sources: the point values are the common 4.0 letter-grade scale used by US colleges; formulas are the standard credit-weighted average. Your school's catalog or registrar decides how your official GPA is computed. Related tools: grade, final grade and weighted average calculators.