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GPA Calculator

Calculate your semester GPA, your cumulative GPA across all completed work, or the term GPA you need to reach a target — on the scale your school actually uses.

Choose a calculation mode

All three modes recalculate instantly as you type.

3 modes
Grade scale & settings
Some schools have no D−; uncheck to match them.
Adds bonus points for Honors / AP-IB courses below.

Schools define their own scales, A+ values, and weighting rules. These settings let you match yours — when in doubt, ask your registrar which scale your transcript uses.

Uncheck “Count toward GPA” for withdrawals, pass/fail, or repeated courses your school excludes. Your entries are saved in this browser only.

Add your courses to calculate your GPA.

How the GPA formula works

A GPA is a credit-weighted average. Each course contributes its grade points multiplied by its credit hours — those are "quality points" — and the GPA is total quality points divided by total credit hours.

GPA = Σ (Grade Points × Credit Hours) ÷ Σ (Credit Hours)

Worked example: one semester

Three courses: Biology B+ (3.3 points) × 3 credits = 9.9 quality points. English A− (3.7) × 3 credits = 11.1. Calculus B (3.0) × 4 credits = 12.0. Total quality points = 33.0, total credits = 10. Semester GPA = 33.0 ÷ 10 = 3.30.

Why credit hours matter

A 4-credit course moves your GPA more than a 1-credit lab. That is the whole point of weighting by credits: a B in a heavy course counts more than an A in a light one.

Semester GPA vs cumulative GPA

Semester GPA covers one term. Cumulative GPA covers everything: total quality points across all semesters divided by total credit hours. The key detail students miss is that cumulative GPA is not a plain average of semester GPAs — semesters with more credits pull harder.

Worked example

Say you finished 60 credits at a 3.20 (192.0 quality points), then earned a 3.60 across 15 new credits (54.0 quality points). Updated cumulative GPA = (192.0 + 54.0) ÷ (60 + 15) = 246 ÷ 75 = 3.28. A plain average of 3.20 and 3.60 would have said 3.40 — wrong, because the 60-credit history outweighs the 15-credit term.

Why cumulative GPA moves slowly

The more credits you have banked, the more new grades get diluted. That is bad news if you are trying to recover from a rough freshman year, and good news if one B worries you: after 60 credits at 4.0, a single 3-credit B drops you to about 3.95, not 3.80.

Read the full walkthrough in our guide on how to calculate GPA.

Weighted vs unweighted GPA

An unweighted GPA puts every course on the same 4.0 ladder: an A is 4.0 whether it was earned in regular English or AP Physics. A weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder courses — the common pattern is +1.0 for AP/IB and +0.5 for honors, so an A in AP counts as 5.0 and an A in honors as 4.5.

The 5.0 scale, explained

There is no official national 5.0 table. "5.0 scale" is simply what people call the weighted model: regular A = 4.0, honors A = 4.5, AP/IB A = 5.0. Schools vary the bonuses, cap totals differently, or skip weighting entirely — which is why the calculator lets you set the bonuses and scale yourself.

What colleges actually look at

Many colleges recalculate GPA with their own rules — stripping weighting, dropping non-core courses, or focusing on core subjects — so the number on your transcript is not always the number an admissions office uses. Class rank, by contrast, is almost always computed from weighted GPA at schools that offer AP/IB courses.

For the full comparison, see weighted vs unweighted GPA.

Settings worth checking before you trust the number

A+ value: 4.0 or 4.33?

Most schools cap A+ at 4.0, but some (Arizona State is a documented example) award 4.33 for A+ while capping the cumulative GPA at 4.00. If your transcript shows A+ grades, check your registrar's table and set the toggle to match.

D−: on or off?

Some schools have no D− grade at all — their scale jumps from D straight to F. Uncheck the D− option to match those schools.

What the calculator cannot know

Withdrawals (W), incompletes (I), pass/fail courses, audits, and repeated courses are all handled differently by different schools. The per-course “Count toward GPA” checkbox lets you model your school's rule: uncheck a repeated course your school replaces, or a W your school excludes. When anything is grade-critical, confirm against your official transcript or registrar.

GPA Calculator FAQs

How do I calculate my GPA for one semester?

Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours, add those quality points up, and divide by your total credit hours for the term.

How is cumulative GPA different from semester GPA?

Cumulative GPA is credit-weighted across every semester: total quality points divided by total credit hours. It is not a plain average of semester GPAs, because heavier semesters count more.

What is a weighted GPA?

A weighted GPA adds bonus points for advanced courses — commonly +1.0 for AP/IB and +0.5 for honors — so an A in an AP class can count as 5.0 instead of 4.0.

Should I use a 4.0, 4.3, or 5.0 scale?

Use whichever scale your school uses. Most US colleges use an unweighted 4.0 scale; many high schools report weighted GPAs on a 5.0 scale. When in doubt, ask your counseling office or registrar.

Does an F count in my GPA?

Yes. A failed course counts as 0.0 grade points, and its credit hours still count in the divisor, which pulls your GPA down.

Do withdrawals (W) affect my GPA?

No. A W is excluded from both quality points and credit hours, though it remains visible on your transcript.

What happens to my GPA if I repeat a course?

It depends on your school: some replace the old grade, others average both attempts. Check your registrar's policy, and use the per-course “count toward GPA” checkbox to model either rule.

What is a good GPA?

The average US high school GPA was 3.11 in 2019 (NCES), and the average college GPA was about 3.15 in 2020. What counts as “good” depends on your goals — our guide breaks down the honest numbers.