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GPA calculator
A grade point average squeezes a whole transcript into a single number by turning each letter grade into points and weighting it by how much the course counted.
Your GPA is the total quality points divided by the total credit hours, so each course counts in proportion to its credits, not equally.
This tool runs that on the unweighted 4.0 scale used by most US colleges and by the international programmes that copy it, where an A is worth 4 points, a B worth 3, a C worth 2, a D worth 1 and an F nothing, with the plus and minus steps in between. The part people get wrong by hand is the weighting. A GPA is not the plain average of your grades; it is the average weighted by credit hours, so a four-credit lab course pulls on the figure four times as hard as a one-credit seminar. Earn an A in a one-credit elective and a C in a four-credit core class and your GPA sits much nearer the C, because the heavier course carries more of the weight. To handle that, each course contributes quality points, which are its grade point multiplied by its credit hours: that same B in a four-credit class earns 12 quality points (3.0 times 4), while a B in a one-credit class earns 3. Add up every course quality points, add up every course credit hours, and divide the first total by the second. That ratio is the GPA. Enter a grade and the credit hours for up to six courses and the calculator returns the average together with the totals behind it, the number of courses counted, the combined credit hours and the quality points, so you can see where the figure comes from rather than read a number with no working. Leave a course on zero credit hours to drop it from the sum, which is how you run a term with fewer than six classes or model dropping one. The result updates as you change a grade, which makes it useful for what-if questions: see how much an A in the heaviest remaining course would lift the term, or how far a slip to a C in a core class would pull it down, before the marks are final. Two caveats keep the number honest. First, this is the unweighted scale, so it caps every A at 4.0; schools that run a weighted scale add half a point or a full point for honours, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, and a transcript GPA on that basis can run above 4.0 and will not match this. Second, the plus and minus point values are the common convention but not universal: some institutions treat an A and an A-minus as the same 4.0, some grade an A-plus above 4.0, and some use a different decimal for the minus grades. For a borderline figure that affects a scholarship, an honour roll or graduation, always check your own institution published scale and credit-hour rules. People reach for this to track a running average across a degree, to project a term before results post, to work out the cumulative GPA after a transfer, or to see what a future term needs to lift the overall figure to a target.
How it works
- Pick the letter grade for each course from the 4.0-scale menu.
- Enter the credit hours that course is worth, usually 3 or 4 for a full class.
- Leave any course you are not taking on zero credit hours to skip it.
- The tool multiplies each grade point by its credit hours to get quality points.
- It divides the total quality points by the total credit hours to give the GPA.
GPA = sum( grade point x credit hours ) / sum( credit hours )
Each course earns quality points equal to its grade point on the 4.0 scale multiplied by its credit hours. Adding the quality points across every course gives the numerator; adding the credit hours gives the denominator. Dividing one by the other returns the credit-weighted average, so heavier courses pull the figure toward their grade more than lighter ones. Courses with zero credit hours add nothing to either total and so drop out of the average.
- grade point
- the 4.0-scale value of a letter grade, A = 4.0 down to F = 0.0
- credit hours
- the weight of the course, usually 3 or 4 for a full class
- quality points
- grade point times credit hours for one course
Letter grades on the 4.0 scale
| A / A+ | 4.0 | A- is 3.7 |
| B+ / B / B- | 3.3 / 3.0 / 2.7 | B range |
| C+ / C / C- | 2.3 / 2.0 / 1.7 | C range |
| D and F | 1.0 to 1.3 / 0.0 | F earns no points |
Worked example
Three courses: an A (4.0) worth 3 credits, a B (3.0) worth 4 credits, and a C (2.0) worth 3 credits: the quality points are 12, 12 and 6, which total 30 across 10 credit hours, so the GPA is 30 divided by 10, or exactly 3.0. Notice the plain average of 4, 3 and 2 is also 3.0 here only because the credits are close; swap the C onto a 1-credit elective and the A and B dominate, lifting the average above 3.3.
Key facts
- A GPA is weighted by credit hours, not a plain average of letter grades.
- Quality points are a course grade point times its credit hours.
- The unweighted scale caps every A at 4.0; weighted scales can exceed it.
- A failed core course counts as 0.0 over its credits and hits the average hard.
Tips
- Enter the real credit hours, since they decide how much each grade pulls.
- Leave a pass/fail or skipped course on zero credits so it drops out.
- For a cumulative figure, fold earlier terms into combined quality-point totals.
- Check your school published scale before trusting a borderline tenth of a point.
Frequently asked questions
Is a GPA just the average of my grades?+
No, it is the average weighted by credit hours. Each course counts in proportion to its credits, so a four-credit course moves the figure four times as much as a one-credit one. Only when every course carries the same credits does the GPA match the plain average of the grade points.
What are quality points?+
Quality points are a single course grade point times its credit hours. A B (3.0) worth 4 credits is 12 quality points; the same B worth 1 credit is 3. Summing quality points across all courses and dividing by total credits gives the GPA, which is why the calculator shows the quality-point total as well as the average.
Does this work for a weighted GPA?+
Not directly. This is the unweighted 4.0 scale, which caps every A at 4.0. Weighted scales add points for honours, AP or IB courses and can run above 4.0. If your school weights grades, add the bonus to the grade point before entering it, or use your school own tool for the official figure.
How do I find my cumulative GPA?+
Enter every course across all terms with its credit hours, not just the latest term, and the average it returns is the cumulative GPA. With more than six courses, total the quality points and credits for the earlier terms first, then treat each running total as one combined entry, since the maths is the same however many courses you fold in.
What grade points do plus and minus grades use?+
The common scale used here is A and A+ at 4.0, A- at 3.7, B+ at 3.3, B at 3.0, B- at 2.7, and so on down in steps of about 0.3 and 0.4 to F at 0.0. Some institutions vary these, treat A+ above 4.0, or ignore plus and minus entirely, so check your own published scale where a tenth of a point matters.
Do failed or pass/fail courses count?+
A failed course usually counts as 0.0 across its credit hours, which drags the GPA down hard, so enter it as an F with its real credits. Pass/fail courses normally sit outside the GPA entirely: leave them on zero credit hours here so they neither add nor subtract, matching how most registrars treat them.
Things to watch
- Weighted, honours and AP scales differ and can run above 4.0; this does not.
- Plus and minus point values vary by institution, so confirm yours.
- Round only at the end; rounding each course first distorts the average.
Last updated: 2026
This is an estimate for general guidance, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Figures can change and individual circumstances vary. Always confirm with an official source before making decisions.
Built and maintained by Vikas Dulgunde. Editorial standards.