How to Calculate GPA (Step by Step, With Examples)
How to calculate your GPA from letter grades and credits, step by step. Covers unweighted, weighted and cumulative GPA with worked examples and the 4.0 scale.
By GradeCalc Team · Updated · 5 min read
Your GPA (grade point average) is a weighted average of your grades, where each class counts by how many credits it's worth. You can work it out by hand in a few minutes with nothing but your report card or transcript. Here's how to calculate GPA step by step, for high school and college.
The GPA formula
GPA = total grade points ÷ total credits
To get the total grade points, turn each letter grade into points on the 4.0 scale, multiply by the class's credits, and add everything up. That's it. The steps below walk through it.
Step 1: Turn each letter grade into grade points
Most U.S. high schools and colleges use this 4.0 scale:
| Letter grade | Percent | Grade points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ / A | 93–100 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69 | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66 | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62 | 0.7 |
| F | below 60 | 0.0 |
A few schools give an A+ 4.3, and some don't use plus or minus grades at all (every B is 3.0). Your handbook or registrar's page lists your school's scale. If you only have a percentage, the grading scale shows which letter it is.
Step 2: Multiply by the credits
Each class is worth a number of credits (called credit hours or units in college). A 4-credit class counts more than a 1-credit lab. Multiply each class's grade points by its credits to get its quality points.
In high school, full-year classes are usually 1 credit and semester classes 0.5. If every class at your school counts the same, give them all 1 credit and your GPA is simply the average of your grade points.
Step 3: Add up and divide
Add all the quality points, add all the credits, and divide the first total by the second. Round to two decimal places.
Example: a college semester
| Course | Grade | Points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English 101 | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Calculus I | B | 3.0 | 4 | 12.0 |
| Psychology | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Chemistry + lab | C+ | 2.3 | 4 | 9.2 |
| Total | 14 | 44.3 |
GPA = 44.3 ÷ 14 = 3.16.
Notice that the C+ in a 4-credit class pulls the GPA down more than a C+ in a 1-credit class would. That's why credits matter. The college GPA calculator does this math for you.
How to calculate weighted GPA
Many high schools give extra points for harder classes: usually +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP, IB or dual enrollment. To calculate a weighted GPA, add the bonus to each class's grade points before multiplying by credits. An A in an AP class becomes 5.0, and a B in Honors becomes 3.5.
For example, AP Biology B+ (3.3 + 1.0 = 4.3), Honors English A- (3.7 + 0.5 = 4.2), Algebra II B (3.0) and Spanish A (4.0), all 1 credit:
- Unweighted: (3.3 + 3.7 + 3.0 + 4.0) ÷ 4 = 3.50
- Weighted: (4.3 + 4.2 + 3.0 + 4.0) ÷ 4 = 3.88
Failing grades usually don't get the bonus. Colleges often look at both numbers, so it's worth knowing each one. The high school GPA calculator shows weighted and unweighted GPA side by side.
How to calculate cumulative GPA
Your cumulative GPA covers every semester, not just the latest one. Don't average your semester GPAs, because semesters with more credits should count more. Instead, combine the totals:
Cumulative GPA = (old GPA × old credits + new quality points) ÷ (old credits + new credits)
If you have a 3.20 over 45 credits and earn the 44.3 quality points from the example above (14 credits): (3.20 × 45 + 44.3) ÷ 59 = (144 + 44.3) ÷ 59 = 3.19. The cumulative GPA calculator does this in one step.
Quick answers: all A's, all B's
With no weighting, all A's is a 4.0, all B's is a 3.0 and all C's is a 2.0, whatever the credits, because every class has the same grade points. Mixes are where credits matter: an A in a 4-credit class and a B in a 1-credit class gives (16 + 3) ÷ 5 = 3.80, not 3.50.
GPA on a 5.0 or 6.0 scale
Some high schools report weighted GPA on a 5.0 scale (AP A = 5.0) or a 6.0 scale (AP A = 6.0). These numbers can't be compared directly with a 4.0 GPA. To get the 4.0 version, recalculate with standard grade points and no bonuses, rather than scaling the number down (a 4.5 out of 5.0 isn't the same as a 3.6 unweighted).
What doesn't count toward GPA
- Pass/fail and credit/no-credit classes (they have no grade points)
- Withdrawals (W) and incompletes, until a grade is posted
- Transfer credit at most colleges, which counts toward your degree but not your GPA
- Retaken classes, at schools that replace the old grade; others average both attempts
Calculating GPA from percentages
If your classes show percentages rather than letters, convert each to a letter first (for example, 88% is a B+, or 3.3), then follow the steps above. Don't average the percentages and convert once at the end: that gives a different, usually wrong, answer when classes have different credits.
Quick ways to check your GPA
- Your student portal (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward or your college's system) usually shows your official GPA.
- Your transcript lists your cumulative GPA and credits.
- To see what a GPA will be, enter your expected grades in a calculator: college, high school or middle school.
Want to know what it would take to move your GPA up? The raise GPA calculator shows the GPA you need next term to hit a goal. And for benchmarks, see what counts as a good GPA.