GPA Calculator
Find your semester and cumulative GPA in seconds — unweighted or weighted, high school or college.
Calculate
| Course | Credits | Grade | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cumulative GPA (optional)
Tip: change any grade to see your GPA move — a what-if planner is built in.
How to Use the GPA Calculator
Enter one row per course: the course name (optional), its credit hours, and the grade you earned — a letter grade like B+ works, and so does a percentage like 88. Add or remove rows with the buttons. Your GPA updates live as you type, which makes this a natural what-if planner: change a B to an A and watch exactly how far your GPA moves before you commit to an all-nighter.
If you are taking harder courses, switch to the Weighted tab and set each course's level — Honors or AP/IB — to get the bonus points. And if you want the full picture, fill in your current cumulative GPA and total credits earned; the calculator folds this semester into your all-time average automatically.
How GPA Is Calculated (4.0 Scale)
GPA is a weighted average: every grade becomes "grade points," each course's points are scaled by its credit hours, and the total is divided by total credits.
| Letter grade | Points | Letter grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A / A+ | 4.0 | C | 2.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | C− | 1.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | D+ | 1.3 |
| B | 3.0 | D | 1.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | F | 0.0 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
The key insight: credits are the weights. An A in a 4-credit lab moves your GPA twice as much as an A in a 2-credit elective. That is why a bad grade in a heavy course hurts more than the same grade in a light one — and why protecting your high-credit courses is the single highest-leverage move each semester.
Weighted vs Unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA tops out at 4.0: an A is 4.0 no matter which class it came from. It is the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison, and many colleges recalculate every applicant to unweighted for exactly that reason.
Weighted GPA rewards difficulty. The common US convention adds +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP/IB courses, so an A in AP Chemistry counts as 5.0. Weighted GPAs above 4.0 are normal and expected — a 4.3 weighted GPA simply means you took hard classes and did well in them. One caution: there is no national standard. Some schools weight differently or not at all, so confirm your school's policy with your counselor before quoting your weighted GPA on an application.
Worked Example: One Semester
Four courses, unweighted scale:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Points | Grade points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 3 | A (4.0) | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| English | 3 | B+ (3.3) | 3.3 | 9.9 |
| History | 3 | A− (3.7) | 3.7 | 11.1 |
| Biology | 4 | B (3.0) | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| Total | 13 | 45.0 |
GPA = 45.0 ÷ 13 = 3.46. Notice Biology contributed 12 of the 45 points despite the B — four credits carry real weight. If the student had an A in Biology instead, the total would be 49.0 and the GPA 3.77: a single grade in a heavy course swings the semester by three-tenths.
How to Raise Your GPA
Three levers actually work. First, protect high-credit courses — an hour of study buys more GPA in a 4-credit class than in a 2-credit one. Second, know your math: if you already have 60 credits at 3.0, even a perfect 4.0 semester of 15 credits only lifts you to (3.0×60 + 4.0×15) ÷ 75 = 3.2. The more credits you have banked, the slower your GPA moves — set realistic targets with the what-if planner above rather than hoping. Third, check for grade replacement or forgiveness policies: many schools let you retake a failed course and replace the grade, which is by far the fastest way to repair a GPA. Beyond the math, the usual advice holds: go to office hours early (professors grade borderline cases with participation in mind), and front-load effort into the first half of the term, when each assignment is worth the same but your habits are still forming.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good GPA?
In the US, a 3.0 GPA is roughly a B average and meets the bar for many programs; 3.5+ is considered strong and is often the cutoff for honors and competitive scholarships. "Good" depends on your goals — check the requirements of the schools or programs you are aiming for.
How is GPA calculated?
Each grade converts to grade points on a 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0), multiplied by the course's credit hours, summed up, then divided by total credits. Formula: GPA = total grade points ÷ total credits.
What is a weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA gives harder courses a bonus: typically +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP/IB classes. So an A in an AP course counts as 5.0 instead of 4.0, which is why weighted GPAs can exceed 4.0.
How do I calculate cumulative GPA?
Combine everything: (your old GPA × old credits + this semester's grade points) ÷ (old credits + this semester's credits). Enter your current GPA and total credits earned in the Cumulative section above and it computes automatically.
Can I raise my GPA in one semester?
It depends on how many credits you already have: the more credits banked, the slower your GPA moves. Use the what-if planner — raise one course to an A and watch your GPA change instantly to see what is realistically possible.