GPA Calculator
Calculate your grade point average across courses.
About the GPA Calculator
The GPA Calculator computes a grade point average from a list of courses, each with a credit weight and a letter grade. The standard US 4.0 scale uses A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0, with pluses and minuses adjusting by 0.3 (e.g., B+ = 3.3, B- = 2.7). The 4.3 scale variant awards A+ = 4.3, used by some institutions like Princeton and Columbia.
GPA is a weighted average: GPA = sum(credits * grade_point) / sum(credits). A 4-credit course counts twice as much as a 2-credit course toward the GPA. This is why a single bad grade in a 4-credit science lab can drag down an otherwise strong transcript.
The letter-to-point conversion is the standard US convention codified by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in the 1980s and adopted by most colleges. The plus/minus adjustments vary slightly by institution — some schools use 0.3, others use 0.33; some do not award A+ at all. The conversion table used here is the most common variant; check your registrar’s published scale for the exact figures.
Honors designations follow the Latin honors system used at most US colleges: Cum Laude (‘with praise’) at 3.5+, Magna Cum Laude (‘with great praise’) at 3.7+, and Summa Cum Laude (‘with highest praise’) at 3.9+. The exact thresholds vary by institution; some use 3.5/3.7/3.9, others use 3.4/3.6/3.8.
How It Works
The calculator parses each line of the textarea as a comma-separated triple: course name, credit hours, letter grade. Whitespace is trimmed from each field. Lines that do not parse to three values are rejected with an error.
The letter grade is converted to a grade point using the standard 4.0 (or 4.3) scale table. Letter grades are case-insensitive; a+ and A+ are equivalent. Unknown grades (e.g., E, P for pass) are rejected with an error.
For each course, the ‘grade point contribution’ is credits * grade_point. The GPA is sum(contributions) / sum(credits) — a weighted average where the weights are the credit hours.
The letter-GPA equivalent is computed by reversing the grade-point table: GPA >= 4.0 maps to A, >= 3.7 to A-, and so on. This is for display only; institutions typically report GPA as a number, not a letter.
The honors designation uses the standard Latin honors thresholds: Cum Laude at 3.5, Magna Cum Laude at 3.7, Summa Cum Laude at 3.9. ‘Honors’ (lowercase) is used for 3.0+, which corresponds to dean’s list eligibility at many schools.
Edge cases: an empty input is rejected. Lines with fewer than 3 fields are rejected. Negative or zero credits are rejected. Unknown grades are rejected. All errors are collected and shown together so the user can fix them all at once.
Worked Examples
Default courses: Math 101 (3, A), English 101 (3, B+), Biology 101 (4, A-), History 101 (3, B), CS 101 (3, A), PE 101 (1, A+). Total credits: 17. Contributions: 3*4 + 3*3.3 + 4*3.7 + 3*3 + 3*4 + 1*4 = 12 + 9.9 + 14.8 + 9 + 12 + 4 = 61.7. GPA: 61.7 / 17 = 3.63. Letter: B+ (just under A- threshold). Honors: Cum Laude.
2 courses: 3-credit A and 3-credit F. GPA: (3*4 + 3*0) / 6 = 2.0. The failing grade cuts the GPA in half. Letter: C.
4 courses all 4-credit A. GPA: (4*4) * 4 / (4*4) = 4.0. Letter: A. Honors: Summa Cum Laude.
Using the 4.3 scale: 1 course, 3 credits, A+. GPA: 3*4.3 / 3 = 4.3. Letter: A+. The 4.3 scale rewards the rare A+ with a higher GPA than 4.0.
5 courses with mixed grades: 4-credit B- (2.7), 4-credit C+ (2.3), 3-credit A (4.0), 3-credit A (4.0), 3-credit B+ (3.3). Contributions: 4*2.7 + 4*2.3 + 3*4 + 3*4 + 3*3.3 = 10.8 + 9.2 + 12 + 12 + 9.9 = 53.9. Total credits: 17. GPA: 53.9 / 17 = 3.17. Letter: B. Honors: Honors.
When to Use This Tool
- Calculating semester GPA from a transcript before grades are finalized.
- Projecting cumulative GPA based on expected grades in current courses.
- Determining honors designation eligibility (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude).
- Comparing GPA under different grading scales (4.0 vs. 4.3) to see how A+ grades affect the average.
- Calculating the minimum grades needed in remaining courses to reach a target GPA (set the target, then solve).
- Verifying that an official GPA report matches the calculated value.
- Converting international percentage grades to the US 4.0 scale for graduate school applications.
Limitations & Disclaimer
The calculator uses the standard US 4.0 (or 4.3) scale and the conventional letter-to-point conversion (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0, with +/- adjusting by 0.3). Institutional variations exist — some schools use 0.33 adjustments, some do not award A+, some use different honors thresholds. Weighted GPA (for honors, AP, or IB courses) is not modeled. Pass/fail, audit, and incomplete grades are not supported — exclude them from the input. International grading systems (UK classifications, German 1.0-5.0, French 0-20) require conversion before entry. See our disclaimer for full terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA uses a 4.0 maximum regardless of course difficulty. Weighted GPA awards bonus points for honors, AP, or IB courses — typically +1 for AP/IB (so an A in AP Calculus is 5.0 instead of 4.0). This calculator computes unweighted GPA. For weighted GPA, add the bonus to the grade point in the conversion table.
How is GPA calculated for repeated courses?
Policies vary by institution. Some replace the original grade entirely (the new grade replaces the old in GPA calculation). Some average the two grades. Some keep both grades in the GPA. Check your registrar’s policy. The calculator treats each course entry as independent, so enter only the grade that should count.
What is a good GPA?
For US undergraduate work, 3.5+ is generally considered good (Cum Laude), 3.7+ is strong (Magna Cum Laude), and 3.9+ is excellent (Summa Cum Laude). For graduate school admissions, the threshold is typically 3.0 minimum, 3.5+ competitive, and 3.7+ for top programs. For professional schools (law, medicine), GPAs of 3.6+ are typical at top programs.
How do AP and IB courses affect GPA?
Many US high schools award +1 grade point for AP or IB courses (an A in AP is 5.0 instead of 4.0). This is ‘weighted GPA’. Colleges recalculate GPA on their own scale for admissions, often unweighting or using their own weighting formula. The calculator does not model weighting; add the bonus manually by adjusting the grade letter (e.g., enter A as ‘A+’ to approximate the weighted bonus on a 4.0 scale).
What is the difference between 4.0 and 4.3 scales?
On the 4.0 scale, A+ and A both map to 4.0 (no bonus for the plus). On the 4.3 scale, A+ maps to 4.3, rewarding the highest possible grade with a higher GPA. Schools that use 4.3 include Princeton (undergraduate), Columbia, and a handful of others. Most US institutions use 4.0.
How does the calculator handle pass/fail courses?
It does not. Pass/fail courses do not affect GPA — pass (P) awards credits but no grade points, and fail (F) typically does the same. To handle pass/fail, exclude those courses from the input and add their credits separately. The calculator would reject ‘P’ as an unknown grade.
Last updated: September 9, 2026 · Author: HT99 Tools Editorial Team