Calculate your GPA using your course grades and credit hours. Enter each course below, select the grade you received, and the calculator will calculate your credit-weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale.
0.00 ÷ 0 = 0.00
Grade Point Scale Used by This Calculator
Grade-point values can vary by institution. Check your school’s official grading policy if you need an institution-specific GPA calculation.
What Does This GPA Calculator Calculate?
This calculator calculates a credit-weighted GPA.
For each course, your grade is assigned a grade-point value. That value is multiplied by the course's credit hours to get the course's quality points. The quality points from all courses are then added together and divided by the total number of credits.
In simple terms:
GPA = Total Grade Points ÷ Total Credits
For example, a 4-credit course has more influence on your GPA than a 1-credit course with the same grade because it carries more credits.
The calculator on this page uses the 4.0 grade-point scale shown below. Your college or university may use a different scale, so compare the values with your institution's grading policy when accuracy for an official transcript is important.
How to Calculate GPA
You can calculate GPA in four steps.
1. Find the Grade Points for Each Course
Convert each letter grade to its corresponding grade-point value.
For example:
- A = 4.0
- B = 3.0
- A− = 3.7
2. Multiply Grade Points by Credit Hours
For each course:
Credit Hours × Grade Points = Quality Points
3. Add the Quality Points
Add the quality points for all the courses you are including.
4. Divide by the Total Credits
Finally:
GPA = Total Quality Points ÷ Total Credit Hours
This is the basic weighted-average method used to calculate GPA when courses have different credit values.
GPA Calculation Example
Suppose your semester includes these three courses:
| Course | Credit Hours | Grade | Grade Points | Quality Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| English | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Biology | 4 | A− | 3.7 | 14.8 |
| Total | 10 | 35.8 |
Now divide the total quality points by the total credit hours:
GPA = 35.8 ÷ 10
GPA = 3.58
So the student's GPA for these courses is 3.58 on the 4.0 scale used in this example.
This also shows why you should not simply average the three grade-point values. The Biology course has 4 credits, so its grade has more weight than either of the 3-credit courses.
Why Do Credit Hours Matter in GPA?
Credit hours determine how much each course contributes to your GPA.
Consider two courses:
- Course A: 1 credit, A = 4.0
- Course B: 4 credits, C = 2.0
A simple average of the two grade points would be:
(4.0 + 2.0) ÷ 2 = 3.00
But that ignores the different credit values.
Using credit weighting:
(1 × 4.0) + (4 × 2.0) = 12.0 quality points
Total credits:
1 + 4 = 5
Therefore:
12.0 ÷ 5 = 2.40 GPA
That's why GPA calculations normally need both grades and credit hours when courses have different credit values.
4.0 GPA Grade Scale
Our calculator currently uses this grade-point scale:
| Letter Grade | Grade Points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| F | 0.0 |
Important: This is the scale used by our calculator, not a universal rule for every school.
Some institutions assign different values to A+, A−, D−, or other grades. Some also use weighted systems for Honors, AP, IB, or other advanced courses.
If your transcript or university handbook gives you a different grade-point table, use that institution's values rather than assuming this table applies to you.
What Is the Difference Between GPA and Cumulative GPA?
A GPA usually refers to the average for a particular group of courses, such as one semester or term.
A cumulative GPA covers your academic results across multiple semesters or terms.
For example, suppose you have:
- Previous GPA: 3.40 across 30 credits
- New semester GPA: 3.80 across 15 credits
You should not simply calculate:
(3.40 + 3.80) ÷ 2 = 3.60
because the two GPAs represent different numbers of credits.
Instead, calculate the underlying quality points:
3.40 × 30 = 102.00
3.80 × 15 = 57.00
Then:
(102.00 + 57.00) ÷ (30 + 15) = 3.53
So the combined GPA is approximately 3.53.
Cumulative GPA calculations are credit-weighted when the underlying GPAs represent different credit totals.
This is why a separate CGPA Calculator can be useful for combining academic results across multiple semesters.
What If My School Uses a Different GPA Scale?
Don't automatically convert your grades using a random online conversion table.
GPA systems vary between institutions. Even the relationship between letter grades and grade points can differ.
For example, our calculator treats:
A− = 3.7
But another institution could use a different value.
If your university publishes an official grading scale, use that scale for your academic records.
Our calculator is therefore best described as a 4.0-scale GPA calculator using the grade-point values displayed on this page.
Can You Calculate GPA Without Credit Hours?
You can calculate a simple average of grade points when every course has the same weight.
For example, if four courses each carry exactly 3 credits, averaging their grade points produces the same result as a credit-weighted calculation.
But when courses have different credit values, you need the credit hours to calculate the weighted GPA correctly.
That's why this calculator asks for both the grade and credit hours for each course.
What Happens If I Get an F?
On the scale used by this calculator, an F has 0.0 grade points.
If the course carries credit hours, those credits are still included in the calculation, while the course contributes zero quality points.
For example, a 3-credit F contributes:
3 × 0.0 = 0 quality points
The exact treatment of failed, repeated, withdrawn, or excluded courses can depend on your institution's academic policy, so your official transcript calculation may differ from a general calculator.
Can an A+ Give Me a GPA Above 4.0?
Not with the grade scale used by this calculator. Here, A+ and A are both assigned 4.0 points.
However, some schools use weighted GPA systems in which advanced courses can receive additional grade points. In those systems, a student's GPA can exceed 4.0.
That's different from the standard 4.0 scale used by our calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Good GPA?
There isn't one GPA number that is "good" for every student. Expectations can differ by school, program, scholarship, graduate program, and employer.
If you have a specific requirement—for example, a scholarship requiring a minimum GPA—compare your calculated GPA with the actual requirement rather than relying on a general label.
Is a 3.0 GPA Good?
A 3.0 GPA represents an average of 3.0 grade points on the 4.0 scale used by this calculator. Whether it meets your goal depends on your institution and the requirement you're trying to meet.
Is a 4.0 GPA the Highest Possible GPA?
A 4.0 is the maximum on the unweighted scale used by this calculator. Weighted GPA systems can use additional points for advanced courses and may therefore exceed 4.0.
Does a Higher-Credit Course Affect GPA More?
Yes. In a credit-weighted GPA calculation, a course with more credit hours contributes more quality points and therefore has more influence on the final GPA.
Can I Use This Calculator for College GPA?
Yes, if your institution uses the same grade-point values shown in our calculator. If your college uses a different grading scale, compare its official grade-point table with ours before relying on the result.
How Is Cumulative GPA Calculated?
Cumulative GPA combines previous and current academic results using their respective credit totals. You should not simply average two semester GPAs when the semesters contain different numbers of credits.
Does This Calculator Save My Grades?
No. The calculator performs the calculation in your browser. You don't need to create an account or submit your grades to calculate your GPA.
Related Calculators
Calculate a cumulative GPA using results from multiple semesters.
Calculate your GPA for a single semester or term.
Convert GPA using a clearly stated conversion method.
Estimate GPA from a percentage using the selected conversion scale.
Calculate your course grade from assignment and exam scores.