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The 4.0 GPA Scale: GPA to Letter Grade Chart

How letter grades become grade points, how those points become a GPA, and why a GPA can't be turned back into a single letter or percentage. To calculate yours, use the GPA calculator.

Letter grades and grade points

On the standard U.S. scale each letter grade has a percentage range and a grade-point value. The percentages are typical cutoffs; your school's may differ, and some schools skip plus and minus grades or give an A+ 4.3.

Letter grades, percentages and 4.0-scale grade points
LetterPercentageGPA (4.0)
A+97–100%4.0
A93–96%4.0
A-90–92%3.7
B+87–89%3.3
B83–86%3.0
B-80–82%2.7
C+77–79%2.3
C73–76%2.0
C-70–72%1.7
D+67–69%1.3
D63–66%1.0
D-60–62%0.7
FBelow 60%0.0

How a GPA is calculated

Multiply each class's grade points by its credits, add those up, and divide by total credits. Classes with more credits count more.

GPA = Σ (grade points × credits) ÷ Σ credits

Worked example

Same GPA, different grades

In the same five classes (4, 4, 3, 3 and 1 credits), B, B, B, B, B averages 3.00, and so does D, A, B, A, A.

That's why a GPA can be placed on the scale but can't be converted back into one letter grade or percentage.

Common GPAs explained

Each page shows where that GPA sits on the scale, real semesters that produce it, the weighted version, and what it takes to raise it.

For any other GPA, the GPA converter shows where it sits on the scale.

Weighted GPAs above 4.0

Many high schools also report a weighted GPA that adds about 0.5 points for Honors classes and 1.0 for AP, IB or dual enrollment, so an A in an AP class can count as 5.0. That's how a weighted GPA ends up at 4.3 or 4.6. Compare weighted with weighted and unweighted with unweighted: the GPA converter removes the weighting, and the high school GPA calculator shows both at once.

Common questions

What is the 4.0 GPA scale?

It's the grade point system most U.S. high schools and colleges use: an A is worth 4.0 points, a B 3.0, a C 2.0, a D 1.0 and an F 0, with plus and minus grades in between at many schools (A- 3.7, B+ 3.3 and so on). Your GPA is the average of those points, weighted by each class's credits.

How do I convert a GPA to a letter grade?

You can only place it on the scale. A GPA that equals a letter's points, like 3.0, is that letter's average (a B average). A GPA between two steps, like 3.5, sits between them (B+ 3.3 and A- 3.7) and isn't either one. Many different sets of grades produce the same GPA.

Can a GPA be converted to a percentage?

Not exactly. A GPA averages grade points, each letter covers a range of percentages, and schools set those ranges differently, so the same GPA can come from very different percentages. Convert class percentages to grade points, not the other way around.

Can a GPA be higher than 4.0?

Only a weighted GPA, or at schools that give an A+ 4.3. Many high schools add 0.5 points for Honors classes and 1.0 for AP, IB or dual enrollment, so a weighted GPA can go above 4.0. An unweighted GPA on the standard scale tops out at 4.0.

Is a 3.0 GPA a B?

A 3.0 is a B average: it equals a B's grade points. That doesn't mean every class was a B; half A's and half C's in equal-credit classes also average 3.0.