GPA Calculator

GPA = total grade points / total credits, where grade points = the point value of the letter x the credits for that course. A four credit A is 16 points; a three credit B is 9. Add all the points, add all the credits, divide. That is why one bad grade in a four credit class hurts more than the same grade in a one credit class. Weighted GPA adds a bonus to the grade point before multiplying: 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP, which is the most common convention. An F gets no bonus.

What is a good GPA?

A 3.0 is a B average and is the usual floor for admission anywhere selective. A 3.5 is competitive at most state universities, and the most selective schools see unweighted averages above 3.9. Context matters more than the number: a 3.7 in hard classes reads better than a 4.0 in easy ones.

What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

Unweighted caps every class at 4.0 no matter how hard it was. Weighted adds a bonus for honors and AP classes, so it can go above 4.0. Colleges usually recalculate your GPA themselves using their own rules, so both figures are estimates of what they will see.

How do I raise my GPA?

The math is unforgiving once you have a lot of credits behind you. Each new credit moves the average by less, because it is one more item in a bigger divisor. Retaking a failed class helps most where the school replaces the old grade rather than adding to it, which is worth checking before you plan around it.

Does an A+ count as more than an A?

At most schools, no: both are 4.0 on an unweighted scale. A few use 4.3 for an A+. This calculator treats them the same, which is the more common rule and the more conservative one.

Do pass/fail classes count?

Usually not toward the GPA, though they still count toward credits for graduation. Leave them out of the list here. A failed pass/fail class does often count as an F at some schools, which is the asymmetry to watch for.