What this calculator does
Turn your letter grades into your GPA (grade point average), the single number schools use to sum up your grades. Each letter is worth a set number of points. Bigger courses count more: a four-credit course moves your GPA more than a one-credit lab. This calculator handles up to eight courses and shows its working, so you can see where your GPA comes from.
It works for both college and high school. The unweighted scale is a common US 4.0 scale with plus and minus grades, where A+ and A are both worth 4.0. The weighted scale adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB courses, as many high schools do. It shows your unweighted GPA beside it. Add your earlier overall GPA to see where this term leaves you. Add a goal to see the GPA you'd need next term to reach it.
Not every school grades the same way. Some give 4.3 for an A+, skip plus and minus grades, or use different honors and AP bonuses. So check your school's own scale before you rely on the result for anything official.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Term GPA. An A in a 4-credit course and a B in a 3-credit course give a GPA of (16 + 9) ÷ 7, about 3.57.
- Weighted classes. Students see how an honors or AP grade on a weighted scale changes their average.
- Cumulative GPA. Students combine a new term with earlier credits and grade points to update their overall GPA.
- Planning ahead. Students work out the GPA needed next term to reach a target cumulative GPA.
How to use it
- Choose the unweighted 4.0 scale, or the weighted scale if your school adds points for honors and AP/IB courses.
- Choose how many courses to enter. Four rows show at first. Pick a higher number to show up to eight.
- For each course, choose the letter grade and enter its credit hours. On the weighted scale, also choose the course level. Set the grade to "Not used" to leave a row out.
- To update your overall GPA, tick the prior GPA box. Then enter your overall (cumulative) GPA so far and the credit hours it covers. Add a target GPA and next term's credit hours to see what you need.
- Read your term GPA, and your new overall GPA if you added one. The working is shown underneath.
What the inputs mean
- GPA scale
- Unweighted uses the 4.0 points listed below. Weighted adds 0.5 for an honors course and 1.0 for an AP or IB course, but nothing to an F. So the highest possible is 5.0.
- Number of courses
- How many course rows to show. Rows that are hidden or marked "Not used" are left out.
- Course 1: grade
- Here's what each letter is worth: A+ and 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, F 0.0.
- Course 1: credit hours
- The credit hours (or units) the course is worth. Decimals such as 1.5 are fine. A 0-credit course doesn't change your GPA.
- Course 1: level
- Only shown on the weighted scale. Regular courses get no bonus.
- Prior cumulative GPA
- Your overall GPA before this term, as shown on your transcript. It can be above 4.0 only on the weighted scale.
- Credit hours already completed
- The graded credit hours that earlier GPA is based on. Pass/fail credits usually don't count here.
- Target cumulative GPA (optional)
- The overall GPA you want to reach after next term. Leave it blank if you only want your current numbers.
- Credit hours next term
- The graded credit hours you expect to take next term.
Formula and method
quality points = grade points × credit hours (for each course) term GPA = Σ quality points ÷ Σ credit hours weighted grade points = grade points + 0.5 (honors) or + 1.0 (AP/IB), with no bonus on an F cumulative GPA = (prior GPA × prior credits + term quality points) ÷ (prior credits + term credits) GPA needed next term = (target × (all credits so far + next credits) − all quality points so far) ÷ next credits
Grade points are what a letter is worth, such as 3.0 for a B. Credit hours are how much a course counts. Quality points are the two multiplied together. The Σ sign means "add up all of them".
So each course earns quality points: its grade points times its credit hours. Add up all the quality points, then divide by all the credit hours. That gives an average where bigger courses count more.
You can't find an overall (cumulative) GPA by averaging two GPAs. That's because the terms usually have different numbers of credits. Instead, the calculator turns your earlier GPA back into quality points by multiplying it by its credit hours. It adds this term's quality points. Then it divides by all the credit hours together.
The target works the same idea backward. It finds the quality points you'd need in total to hit the target. It takes away the quality points you already have. Then it spreads what's left over next term's credits.
Worked example
A student earns an A in a 3-credit course, a B+ in a 4-credit course, an A- in a 3-credit course and a B in a 3-credit course.
- Quality points: 3 × 4.0 + 4 × 3.3 + 3 × 3.7 + 3 × 3.0 = 12 + 13.2 + 11.1 + 9 = 45.3.
- Credit hours: 3 + 4 + 3 + 3 = 13.
- Term GPA: 45.3 ÷ 13 = 3.4846, shown as 3.48.
- With a prior GPA of 3.2 over 30 credits: (3.2 × 30 + 45.3) ÷ 43 = 141.3 ÷ 43 = 3.2860, shown as 3.29.
- To reach a 3.40 cumulative GPA after a 15-credit next term: (3.4 × 58 − 141.3) ÷ 15 = 55.9 ÷ 15 = 3.7267, shown as 3.73.
- On the weighted scale, with the A course taken as AP and the B+ course as honors: 3 × 5.0 + 4 × 3.8 + 3 × 3.7 + 3 × 3.0 = 50.3, and 50.3 ÷ 13 = 3.87.
Result: The term GPA is 3.48 unweighted, or 3.87 weighted with one AP and one honors course. The overall GPA rises from 3.20 to 3.29. A 3.73 next term would lift it to 3.40.
Understanding the result
The more credits already on your record, the less one term can move your overall GPA. That's why early terms matter so much, and why later gains show up slowly. Keep going: every good term still pulls it up.
Results are shown to two decimal places. Some schools round GPAs and others cut off the extra digits, which can change the last digit.
Assumptions and limitations
- Grades follow the 4.0 scale listed above, with A+ capped at 4.0.
- On the unweighted scale, credit hours are the only thing that makes one course count more than another. On the weighted scale, honors adds 0.5 and AP/IB adds 1.0 to any passing grade.
- Every course you enter is graded and counts toward the GPA.
- Schools that use a 4.3 scale, different honors or AP bonuses, percentages or other systems will get different results.
- Many colleges redo high-school GPAs their own way for admissions, often unweighted. So a weighted number here may not match theirs.
- Each school has its own rules for repeated courses, grade replacement, transfer credits and pass/fail courses. This calculator doesn't model them.
- Your official GPA is the one on your transcript. This is an estimate to help you plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is an A+ worth more than 4.0?
At many schools an A+ tops out at 4.0, and that's what this calculator uses. Some schools give 4.3 for an A+. If yours does and you have A+ grades, your real GPA will be a little higher than shown.
Why can't I just average my semester GPAs?
A plain average treats every term as equal, even if one had 18 credits and another had 9. The overall GPA option gives each term weight by its credit hours. That matches the number your school will work out.
How do pass/fail courses affect my GPA?
At most schools they earn credit but no grade points, so they're left out of the GPA completely. Don't enter them here, and don't include their credits in your earlier credit hours.
What GPA do I need to raise my cumulative GPA to a target?
Tick the prior GPA box, then enter your target and next term's credit hours. The calculator works out the term GPA you'd need. If that's above the top of the scale, it tells you, because one term isn't enough. The more credits already on your record, the higher the term GPA you need to move it.
What is the difference between a weighted and an unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA uses the same 4.0 points for every course. A weighted GPA adds extra points for harder courses, usually 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB. So an A in an AP class counts as 5.0. Choose the weighted scale to see both numbers side by side.
Is a 3.5 GPA good?
On an unweighted 4.0 scale, 3.5 sits between a B+ (3.3) and an A- (3.7) average. Whether it's good enough depends on your goal. Scholarships, honors programs and graduate schools each set their own cut-offs. So check the exact requirement for the one you're aiming for.
How this calculator is checked
Method: Credit-weighted average of grade points on a common US 4.0 letter-grade scale with plus/minus grades. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.
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