GPA Calculator

What is GPA?

Your Grade Point Average is a single number that summarises your academic performance across a set of courses. It is calculated by converting each letter grade to a numeric value, weighting it by the credit hours of the course, summing the weighted values, and dividing by total credits. GPA is the standard academic metric in the US and is used by universities, scholarship programs, and many employers as a quick read of academic strength.

The 4.0 grade-point scale

On the standard 4.0 scale, A and A+ are worth 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B- is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, C is 2.0, C- is 1.7, D+ is 1.3, D is 1.0, D- is 0.7, and F is 0. Most US universities and many international programs use this scale exactly. Some schools allow A+ to count as 4.3 (Stanford and a handful of others), but 4.0 is the common cap.

The GPA formula

GPA equals the sum of (grade points times credits) divided by total credits. For example, an A in a 3-credit class contributes 4.0 * 3 = 12 grade points, and a B in a 4-credit class contributes 3.0 * 4 = 12 grade points. Total grade points are 24, total credits are 7, and the GPA is 24 / 7 = 3.43. The calculator does this for any number of courses you enter.

Credits versus credit hours

A credit hour usually represents one hour of class per week for a 15-week semester. A typical 3-credit course meets for about 3 hours a week. Lab classes often carry an extra credit for the lab session. Online and asynchronous courses still carry credit values, even though contact time looks different. Use the credit value listed on your course schedule, not the time you actually spend on the class.

What counts as a good GPA?

Above 3.5 is generally considered very good and is competitive for graduate school and most scholarships. 3.0 to 3.5 is solid. Below 3.0 still passes most programs but limits some opportunities. Highly competitive graduate programs (medicine, top law schools) often require a 3.5 or above as an effective floor. Standards vary widely by country, program, and even employer, so compare against the specific requirements that matter for your goals.

Semester GPA versus cumulative GPA

Semester GPA covers just one term. Cumulative GPA (CGPA) is the weighted average across every semester you have completed, computed by combining all credits and all grade points from every term. Most transcripts show both. If you want the cumulative number, use our CGPA calculator, which takes semester GPAs and credit totals as input.

Weighted versus unweighted GPA

US high schools often compute a weighted GPA that gives extra points for AP, IB, and honours courses, so a B in an AP class might count as 4.0 instead of 3.0. This produces a number that can go above 4.0. Universities almost always use unweighted GPA on the 4.0 scale, which is what this calculator computes. If you need a weighted high-school GPA, add a fixed bonus (typically 0.5 or 1.0) to the grade-point value of each weighted course before entering it.

Improving GPA over time

Because GPA averages over all your credit hours, raising it gets harder as you complete more credits. Each new course nudges the average by less and less. The most effective improvements come from strong grades in heavy credit-hour terms, and from grade-replacement policies where retaking a failed course removes the original grade from the average. If your school has such a policy, use it strategically on your weakest one or two grades.

What to do with the GPA number

Use it on graduate-school applications, scholarship forms, and any place that asks for academic standing. Pair it with the trend (rising, flat, or falling) when telling your story; a strong trend can offset a lower number. Combine it with stronger softer signals like research projects, internships, and recommendations, since those carry weight that pure GPA cannot capture.