Calculate your semester GPA from your grades and credit hours, add your past record for a cumulative GPA, and see what you need to reach a goal.
Set a course's credit hours to 0 to leave it out, for example a pass/fail class. Check your school's own scale, since it may differ.
Your grade point average is a credit-weighted average of your grades. Each letter grade is converted to grade points on a 4.0 scale, multiplied by the course's credit hours to get quality points, and then all the quality points are added up and divided by the total credit hours. A course with more credits therefore counts for more. An A in a 4-credit class moves your GPA further than the same A in a 1-credit class.
Enter each course's grade and credit hours, and use the add and remove buttons if you have more or fewer than four courses. The result updates as you type. If you also enter your current cumulative GPA and the credit hours you have completed, the calculator combines them with this semester to show your new cumulative GPA. Add a goal, and it works out the GPA you would need this semester to reach it.
The default scale is the plus/minus 4.0 scale used by many US colleges: 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 and F = 0.0. Two other options are available. Some schools count an A+ as 4.3, and others do not use plus and minus grades at all, so every A is 4.0, every B is 3.0 and so on. Because schools differ, your registrar's published scale is the authority for your official GPA.
Suppose you earn a B+ in a 3-credit course, an A in a 4-credit course, an A- in a 3-credit course and a B in a 2-credit course. The quality points are 3.3 x 3 = 9.9, 4.0 x 4 = 16.0, 3.7 x 3 = 11.1 and 3.0 x 2 = 6.0, for a total of 43.0 across 12 credit hours. Your semester GPA is 43.0 / 12 = 3.58.
Notice that the credit hours matter. If you had earned an A in a 1-credit course and a C in a 4-credit course, your GPA for those two would be (4 x 1 + 2 x 4) / 5 = 2.40. Swap the credit hours, so the A is in the 4-credit course, and it becomes (4 x 4 + 2 x 1) / 5 = 3.60. A simple average of the two grades would give 3.00 in both cases, which is why you should never average grades without weighting them.
Your cumulative GPA covers every course you have taken, not just one term. To update it, take your current GPA times your completed credit hours to get your past quality points, add this semester's quality points, and divide by the combined credit hours. Say you have a 3.20 GPA over 60 credit hours, which is 192 quality points. Adding the 12-credit, 43-point semester above gives 235 points over 72 credits, a new cumulative GPA of 3.26.
The more credits you have already completed, the harder it is to move your cumulative GPA. Someone with a 3.00 over 90 credits who earns a perfect 4.0 across 15 credits reaches 3.14, not 4.0. That same 15 credits at a 2.0 would drop it to 2.86.
Enter a goal cumulative GPA, and the calculator solves for the semester GPA you need across the credits you have entered. With a 3.20 GPA over 60 credits and 15 credits this semester, a goal of 3.30 requires a semester GPA of 3.70, since (3.30 x 75 - 192) / 15 = 3.70. If you take only 12 credits, you would need 3.80. A goal of 3.40 with 15 credits would require 4.20, which is impossible on a 4.0 scale, and the calculator tells you so. When a goal is out of reach in one semester, it may still be reachable over several.
Many high schools add extra points for harder classes. Tick the weighted option and each course gets a level menu: regular adds nothing, honors adds 0.5, and AP, IB or dual-credit adds 1.0. The bonus applies only when you pass the course, so an F stays at zero. For example, consider four one-credit courses: an A in an AP class (5.0), an A- in an honors class (4.2), a B+ (3.3) and a B (3.0). The unweighted GPA is (4.0 + 3.7 + 3.3 + 3.0) / 4 = 3.50, and the weighted GPA is (5.0 + 4.2 + 3.3 + 3.0) / 4 = 3.88. Schools weight courses differently, so use your school's rule if it differs. Many colleges also recalculate GPA on their own scale, and some look only at the unweighted number.
To work out the score you need on a final exam to hit a target course grade, use the grade calculator. To turn an amount such as 87 out of 95 into a percentage, use the percentage calculator. Planning your finances while you study? Try the budget calculator and the savings calculator.
How is GPA calculated?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, add them up across all courses, and divide by the total credit hours. The result is a credit-weighted average of your grades.
What is the difference between semester and cumulative GPA?
Semester GPA covers the courses from one term, and cumulative GPA covers every course you have taken across all terms. To combine them, add the previous quality points and credit hours to this semester's, then divide the total points by the total credits. This calculator does that when you fill in the optional cumulative fields.
Does this use plus and minus grades?
Yes, by default. It uses a common plus/minus 4.0 scale, and you can switch to a scale where an A+ is 4.3, or to letter grades with no plus or minus. If your school uses a different scale, its official numbers take priority.
How do I calculate a weighted GPA?
Tick the weighted option and choose each course's level. Honors adds 0.5 grade points and AP, IB or dual credit adds 1.0, and the bonus applies only to passing grades. Your school's own weighting may be different, so check its policy if you need an exact match.
How many courses can I add?
Up to 20. Use the add button to create more rows and the remove button to delete the last one. For a longer record, enter your cumulative GPA and completed credit hours in the optional section instead of listing every course.
What if I have a pass/fail, withdrawn or incomplete course?
These usually carry no grade points and are excluded from GPA at most schools. Set that course's credit hours to 0 so it does not affect the result, and confirm your school's policy.
Can I use this for a high school GPA?
Yes. Choose the weighted option if your school gives extra points for honors and AP classes, and enter each course as one credit, or use the credit values your school assigns. Colleges may recalculate your GPA using their own method.
What is a good GPA?
It depends on your goals. A 3.0 (a B average) is often the minimum for many scholarships and programs, and 3.5 or above is generally considered strong. Competitive graduate programs commonly look for 3.5 or higher, though requirements vary widely by school and field.