GPA Calculator

To calculate your GPA from letter grades, first convert each letter grade to its point value on the 4.0 scale (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0). Next, multiply each grade point by the course's credit hours to get quality points for that course. For example, if you earn an A (4.0) in a 3-credit course, that contributes 12 quality points (4.0 × 3 = 12). Add up all quality points from all courses and divide by the total credit hours to get your GPA. If you have 24 quality points and 7 total credits, your GPA is 3.43 (24 ÷ 7 = 3.43).

Your cumulative GPA combines all courses from all semesters throughout your entire academic career. First, convert your previous cumulative GPA to quality points by multiplying it by your total previous credit hours (for example, 3.5 GPA × 30 credits = 105 quality points). Then calculate your current semester quality points (grade points × credit hours for each course). Add your previous quality points to your current semester quality points, then divide by the total combined credit hours. For example, if you had 105 previous quality points (30 credits) and earned 15 new quality points (5 credits), your new cumulative GPA is 120 ÷ 35 = 3.43.

Weighted GPA calculation adds extra points for honors, AP, or IB courses, often resulting in GPAs above 4.0. Many high schools add 0.5 points for honors courses and 1.0 point for AP/IB courses (making an A worth 5.0 in AP classes instead of 4.0). For example, if you earn an A in a 3-credit AP course, it could contribute 15 quality points (5.0 × 3) instead of 12. However, college admissions offices often recalculate weighted GPAs back to an unweighted 4.0 scale, so be sure to check your target institution's requirements. Most college GPA calculators, including ours, use the standard unweighted 4.0 scale unless otherwise specified.

Quality points (also called grade points) are the result of multiplying your grade point value by the number of credit hours for that course. They represent the weighted value of your grade based on the course's credit load. For example, an A (4.0) in a 4-credit course earns 16 quality points (4.0 × 4), while an A in a 1-credit course only earns 4 quality points (4.0 × 1). This system ensures that higher-credit courses have more impact on your GPA than lower-credit courses. Your GPA is calculated by dividing total quality points by total credit hours, giving you an average that accurately reflects the relative importance of each course.

Semester GPA is calculated using only the courses from one specific term (fall, spring, or summer semester), while cumulative GPA includes all courses from all semesters throughout your entire academic career. For example, if you earn a 3.8 GPA in your current semester but had a 3.2 GPA previously, your new cumulative GPA will fall somewhere between these two numbers depending on how many total credits you have. Semester GPA shows your recent academic performance, while cumulative GPA reflects your overall academic achievement. Graduate programs and employers typically focus on cumulative GPA, though a strong upward trend in semester GPAs can demonstrate improvement.

To calculate the grades needed for a target GPA, first determine how many quality points you need total by multiplying your target GPA by your future total credits (including both completed and planned courses). Then subtract your existing quality points from this target total to find the additional quality points needed from upcoming courses. For example, if you have 105 quality points from 30 completed credits and want a 3.6 GPA after 45 total credits (15 more credits), you need 162 total quality points (3.6 × 45 = 162). Subtract your current 105 points: 162 - 105 = 57 points needed from 15 credits, which equals a 3.8 GPA (57 ÷ 15) in your remaining courses. You can also use our date calculator to plan your study schedule and semester deadlines, or our age calculator to track your academic timeline and graduation date.

Your GPA may be lower than expected for several reasons: higher-credit courses have more impact on your GPA than lower-credit ones, so a poor grade in a 4-credit course hurts more than in a 1-credit course. Additionally, many students forget that minus grades (A-, B-, C-) count for less than straight letter grades (A- = 3.7 instead of 4.0). For example, earning a B- (2.7) instead of a B (3.0) in a 3-credit course costs you 0.9 quality points (3.0 - 2.7 = 0.3, multiplied by 3 credits). Cumulative GPA also changes slowly once you have many credits, so one strong semester won't dramatically raise a low cumulative GPA if you already have 60+ credits. Finally, ensure you're using the correct grading scale for your institution, as some use different grade point values.

Pass/fail courses (also called credit/no-credit) typically do not factor into your GPA calculation at most institutions. If you pass, you receive the credit hours toward graduation requirements, but the course contributes zero quality points to your GPA calculation. For example, if you take a 3-credit pass/fail course and pass, those 3 credits count toward graduation but are excluded from both your total quality points and total GPA credit hours. However, some graduate programs recalculate GPAs and may treat "pass" as a C grade, so check specific program requirements. Using pass/fail strategically for difficult elective courses can protect your GPA while still earning necessary credits, but too many pass/fail courses may raise concerns for competitive graduate programs or employers.

Yes, calculating your GPA for graduate school applications works the same way as undergraduate GPA calculation, but graduate programs often have additional requirements. Many programs calculate a separate "major GPA" using only courses in your major field (for example, only biology courses for biology grad school). Some programs also recalculate your GPA to remove pass/fail courses or to standardize grades from different institutions. Graduate programs typically require a minimum 3.0 GPA, with competitive programs expecting 3.5 or higher. You should calculate both your overall cumulative GPA and your major GPA using the same method: add up quality points from relevant courses and divide by total credit hours. Some programs may also weight junior and senior year courses more heavily than freshman and sophomore grades.

The 4.0 scale is the standard unweighted GPA scale where A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, while the 5.0 scale is used for weighted GPAs where honors courses add 0.5 points and AP/IB courses add 1.0 point (making an A in AP worth 5.0). To convert from 5.0 to 4.0 scale, divide by 5 and multiply by 4 (for example, a 4.5 weighted GPA becomes 3.6 unweighted: 4.5 ÷ 5 × 4 = 3.6). However, most colleges prefer to recalculate GPAs on their own 4.0 unweighted scale for fairness, since high schools use different weighting systems. When applying to colleges, always report both your weighted and unweighted GPA if your school provides both. Our GPA calculator uses the standard 4.0 unweighted scale, which is what most colleges use for admissions decisions.