How this works
GPA (Grade Point Average) is the standard way US and UK universities summarise academic performance into a single number on a 4.0 scale. The calculator above takes your letter grade and credit hours for each course and returns the weighted average — heavier courses (more credits) count for more. The formula is straightforward: convert each letter grade to its numeric value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0), multiply by the course's credit hours to get "grade points", sum all grade points, and divide by total credits. Many schools use a finer-grained scale that includes plus/minus modifiers (A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, etc.); the calculator supports both. A few practical notes. "Semester GPA" is the average for one term in isolation; "cumulative GPA" rolls all terms together (you can compute it by entering every course you've taken, or by combining a previous cumulative GPA with the current term's grades and credits). Honors and AP classes at US high schools sometimes use a 5.0 weighted scale to reflect their difficulty — that's a school-specific choice, not a universal rule. International students applying to US programmes typically get their home-country grades converted to a 4.0 GPA equivalent by services like WES; the conversion is approximate, not formulaic.
The formula
Standard 4.0 scale: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0. Plus/minus scale adds: A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B− = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C− = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D− = 0.7. (A+ varies — most schools cap at 4.0; some allow 4.3.) Credits = how many semester hours the course is worth. The widget supports both scales — toggle between them depending on what your transcript uses.
Example calculation
- A student takes 4 courses this semester: English (3 credits), Math (4 credits), History (3 credits), Lab Science (5 credits).
- Grades earned: English A (4.0), Math B+ (3.3), History A− (3.7), Lab B (3.0).
- Grade points: 3×4.0 + 4×3.3 + 3×3.7 + 5×3.0 = 12 + 13.2 + 11.1 + 15 = 51.3
- Total credits: 3 + 4 + 3 + 5 = 15. Semester GPA = 51.3 ÷ 15 = 3.42.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0 — an A in basic Algebra is worth the same as an A in AP Calculus. Weighted GPA gives extra points for harder classes (typically AP, IB, or honors), so an A in AP Calculus might count as 5.0 instead of 4.0. US high schools usually report both numbers; college admissions look at the unweighted GPA but factor in course difficulty separately. This calculator computes unweighted GPA on the standard 4.0 scale.
How do I calculate cumulative GPA from existing GPA + new semester?
Multiply your existing cumulative GPA by your existing total credits to get past grade points; add this semester's grade points, then divide by your new total credits. Example: prior GPA 3.50 over 60 credits = 210 grade points. New semester earns 51.3 points across 15 credits. New cumulative = (210 + 51.3) ÷ (60 + 15) = 261.3 ÷ 75 = 3.484. The calculator above does the new-semester piece; combine it with the formula above for the cumulative.
What counts as a "good" GPA?
Context-dependent. For US college admissions, 3.0 is the rough floor for "decent", 3.5+ is competitive for selective schools, and 3.8+ is what you need for the most selective (Ivy League, top public flagships). For graduate school, 3.0 is usually the minimum to apply and 3.5+ is competitive. For employer recruiting, many companies don't look at GPA after your first job, but those that do typically use a 3.0 or 3.5 cutoff. International equivalents vary — a UK 2:1 honours degree maps roughly to 3.3–3.7 GPA, and a German 2.5 grade maps to roughly 3.0 GPA.
What if my school doesn't use a 4.0 scale?
Convert grades to the 4.0 scale before entering. UK universities use a 0–100 percentage scale: ≥70 (First) ≈ 4.0, 60–69 (Upper Second / 2:1) ≈ 3.3–3.7, 50–59 (Lower Second / 2:2) ≈ 2.7–3.0, 40–49 (Third) ≈ 2.0–2.7. German universities use 1.0 (best) to 5.0 (fail): 1.0–1.5 ≈ 4.0, 1.6–2.5 ≈ 3.5, 2.6–3.5 ≈ 2.5–3.0, 3.6–4.0 ≈ 2.0. These are approximate — official equivalence services like WES or ECE use more nuanced rules. For our calculator, just enter the closest letter grade your conversion suggests.