GPA Calculator
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Calculate your GPA by course credits and letter grades with an instant weighted-average result.
GPA is a credit-weighted average
The GPA calculator converts your letter grades and course credits into a precise grade point average in seconds. Semesters are full of grade anxiety already - this tool removes the arithmetic so you know exactly where you stand before report cards drop.
Enter each course once, and the calculator does the weighted-average math automatically: each grade's point value multiplied by its credits, summed, then divided by total credits. No more formula mistakes at midnight before finals.
Credits are the weights
A GPA is an average with weights, and the weights are the credits. Each grade is converted to grade points, multiplied by the credits the course is worth, and the total is divided by the credits attempted. Here is a four-course term on the standard 4.0 scale:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 4 | A (4.0) | 16.0 |
| Calculus | 3 | B+ (3.3) | 9.9 |
| History | 3 | A- (3.7) | 11.1 |
| Spanish | 2 | C (2.0) | 4.0 |
| Total | 12 | weighted average | 41.0 |
Forty-one quality points over twelve credits is a GPA of 3.42. The credit column is what makes this different from averaging the grades directly: an A in a two-credit course barely moves the number, while a C in a four-credit course pulls it down hard. In this term, turning the Spanish C into an A raises the GPA to 3.75, but turning the Biology A into a C drops it to 2.75 - the same grade change, in opposite directions, decided only by how many credits sat behind it.
Adding courses and credits
- Type each course name (optional), its credits, and the letter grade you received or expect.
- Add as many courses as you need; delete rows with the x button.
- Pick the 4.0 or 5.0 scale and click Calculate GPA to see your average and totals.
Why the same grades give different GPAs
- Use the credit hours from your transcript - usually 3 or 4 per course - for an accurate weighted result.
- Unsure about a grade? Calculate a "best case" and "worst case" set to see how much a single course moves your GPA.
- Plan ahead: compute what you need in current courses to lift last semester's GPA above a 3.0 or 3.5 target.
The most important thing to know about GPA is that there is no single GPA, only the one your school computes. The 4.0 scale used here is the common American convention, where an A is 4.0, each step down is roughly 0.3 and an F is 0. The 5.0 option in this calculator adds one point to every passing grade, which is one way schools express a weighted GPA for honours and advanced courses - another way is to add a bonus only to those courses, and some schools do not weight at all. If you are comparing your number with a friend's, compare the scales first.
Two smaller details also travel with the arithmetic. Credits are usually counted as attempted rather than passed, so a course you withdrew from late can still sit in the denominator depending on your school's policy. And a GPA is not the same as a class rank or a percentage average, because both of those depend on how everyone else did. Once the term is finished, the final grade calculator covers the other direction - what you still need on an exam to reach a target - and the percentage calculator handles the weighted averages behind both.
Cumulative GPAs work the same way across terms, and the weighting is again by credits rather than by term. A term of twelve credits at 3.42 followed by a term of fifteen credits at 3.20 gives 41.0 and 48.0 quality points over twenty-seven credits, which is a cumulative GPA of 3.30 - closer to the second term than to the first, because the second term carried more credits. That is also why a single weak term is hard to undo with one strong one.
FAQ
How is GPA calculated?
Multiply each course's letter-grade points by its credits, add the results, and divide by the total credits. An A is 4.0, B is 3.0, C is 2.0, D is 1.0, and F is 0.
What is a weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA gives extra points for honors, AP, or IB classes, usually 0.5-1.0 more per course. This calculator uses the standard unweighted 4.0 scale, with a 5.0 option for weighted-style calculations.
How many credits should I enter?
Use the credit hours from your transcript, usually 3-4 per course. If your courses are all weighted equally, enter 1 for each and you still get the correct GPA.