Answer: Enter your values and the GPA Calculator returns the exact result instantly — formula, worked example, and a plain-English explanation are included below the tool.
Calculate your Grade Point Average
Add your courses one by one — course name, letter grade or points, and credit hours — and the calculator computes both term GPA and a cumulative GPA when you include prior totals. The method is weighted averaging: GPA = Σ (grade points × credits) ÷ Σ credits. A four-credit A and a one-credit B average to (4.0×4 + 3.0×1) ÷ 5 = 3.8, not 3.5 — credits are the weights. Everything runs locally in your browser; nothing is saved or sent.
The table below shows the most common American conversion. There is no national standard: percent cutoffs vary by institution, plus/minus grades are not used everywhere, and some schools cap A+ at 4.0 while others award 4.3. Always prefer your own institution's published scale.
| Letter grade | 4.0 scale | Percent (typical) | Percent (alternate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 (or 4.3 where used) | 97-100 | — |
| A | 4.0 | 93-96 | 90-100 |
| A- | 3.7 | 90-92 | — |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87-89 | 87-89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83-86 | 83-86 |
| B- | 2.7 | 80-82 | 80-82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77-79 | 77-79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73-76 | 73-76 |
| C- | 1.7 | 70-72 | — |
| D | 1.0 | 60-69 (varies) | 70-72 / 67-69 |
| F | 0.0 | 0-59 | 0-66 |
Other scales exist deliberately: many high schools weight honors or AP courses an extra point (making a 5.0 possible), and international systems — the German 1.0-5.0, the UK class system, percentage-based marks — convert to the US 4.0 scale only through credential-evaluation services with their own published tables.
One transcript can carry several GPAs. The cumulative GPA covers every course taken at the institution; the major GPA covers only courses in the declared major; and transfer credit usually appears on the transcript with grades but is excluded from the institutional GPA — the receiving school typically counts transfer credits toward graduation requirements only. Repeat policies vary: many institutions replace the original grade in the GPA, some average attempts, and professional programs often count both.
This is why our calculator takes a prior-GPA and prior-credits input: your term GPA is exact on its own, but a true cumulative must be merged with your institution's rules on repeats and transfers.
GPA is a screening threshold more than a ranking. Graduate admissions committees commonly quote successful-applicant averages (many master's programs fall in the 3.0-3.7 range, with doctorates higher, varying enormously by program), scholarships set hard cutoffs, and some employers filter by GPA early in a career — though its weight fades quickly once work experience exists. Academic standing (dean's list, probation, honors at graduation: commonly cum laude from about 3.5, magna from about 3.7, summa from about 3.9, institution-dependent) is likewise GPA-driven.
For raising a GPA, the arithmetic favors early action: with few credits accumulated, each new grade moves the average sharply, while a 3.0 built over 90 credits barely budges without a stack of high grades or grade replacements.
An unweighted GPA measures only your grades on the 4.0 scale, so it cannot exceed 4.0 no matter how hard your course load is. A weighted GPA adds extra points for advanced coursework — commonly one additional point for AP, IB, or honors classes — which is why some high school transcripts show GPAs above 4.0. The two numbers answer different questions: unweighted GPA compares students on grades alone, while weighted GPA rewards course rigor. Colleges recalculate GPA their own way during admissions, often stripping school-specific weighting and re-computing on their own scale, which is another reason to check each institution's published method rather than assuming any single number is "the" GPA.
A term GPA covers only the courses of one semester or quarter; a cumulative GPA folds every graded course together. To merge a new term into a cumulative average by hand, multiply the prior GPA by prior credits, add the new term's total grade points, and divide by the combined credit count. For example, a 3.2 over 60 credits followed by a 3.8 term of 15 credits gives (3.2 × 60 + 3.8 × 15) ÷ 75 ≈ 3.32. Small terms move a large cumulative only slightly — that cuts both ways: one bad semester is survivable, but late-course corrections are slow. Recomputing your cumulative after each term, using the same method your registrar publishes, keeps surprises out of graduation-honors and scholarship-renewal decisions, both of which are typically checked at fixed cumulative thresholds.
Is a 3.5 GPA good? It sits between B+ and A- average — typically dean's-list territory and competitive for many graduate programs, though selective programs look higher.
Do credit hours matter? Yes — GPA weights each grade by credits, so a four-credit course moves your average four times as much as a one-credit course.
Do pass/fail courses count? Pass grades usually carry zero grade points and are excluded from GPA while still granting credits.
Does an A+ count as 4.3? Only at schools that use that convention; many cap all A-level grades at 4.0.
How do I convert a percentage to GPA? Use a published conversion table for the target system — there is no universal mapping, and credential evaluators exist precisely because conversions are institution-specific.