GPA calculator — semester, cumulative and weighted
Turn letter grades and credit hours into a 4.0 GPA, add honours and AP weighting, roll it into your cumulative average and solve for a target GPA.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing you enter is sent
- Free, no account
Some universities cap every A at 4.0; others award 4.3 for an A+. Match your registrar.
| Course | Credits | Grade | Points | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 3 | A− | 3.7 | 11.10 |
| CalculusAP / IB | 4 | B+ | 3.3 + 1.0 | 13.20 |
| ChemistryHonours | 4 | B | 3.0 + 0.5 | 12.00 |
| History | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.00 |
GPA = Σ(credits × grade points) ÷ Σ(credits)
= 48.3 ÷ 14
= 3.450- Quality points carried in
- 153.9
- Quality points this semester
- 48.3
- Total credits
- 59
- Cumulative GPA
- 3.427
4.280 is above a straight-A average of 4.0. Either take more credits than 15, or aim at a slightly lower cumulative GPA.
needed = (target × (banked + future) − banked points) ÷ future
= (3.60 × 74 − 202.2) ÷ 15
= 4.280| Letter | Standard points | Honours (+0.5) | AP / IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C− | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| D− | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Weighted bonuses are the most common US convention, not a universal rule. Some districts add 1.0 to honours classes as well, and some cap the weighted GPA at 5.0. The unweighted number is the one nearly every university recalculates for itself.
How to calculate your GPA
- List this semester's courses with their credit hours and the letter grade you earned or expect.
- Mark any honours, AP or IB courses with the level dropdown so the weighted figure picks up the bonus.
- Add your GPA and total credits from before this semester to get the new cumulative figure.
- Use the target solver to find the average you need in your remaining credits to reach a goal.
The GPA formula
GPA = Σ(credits × grade points) ÷ Σ(credits)
Credits × grade points are called quality points. A 4-credit course with a B (3.0) earns 12 quality points; a 3-credit A− (3.7) earns 11.1. Add the quality points, add the credits, and divide:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Points | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 3 | A− | 3.7 | 11.1 |
| Calculus | 4 | B+ | 3.3 | 13.2 |
| Chemistry | 4 | B | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| History | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| Total | 14 | 48.3 |
48.3 ÷ 14 = 3.45 GPA.
Notice that credits, not the number of courses, drive the result. A 4-credit course pulls the average twice as hard as a 2-credit one, which is why dropping a heavy course changes a GPA far more than dropping a light one.
Weighted versus unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA caps every grade at 4.0 regardless of course difficulty. A weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder classes, most commonly +0.5 for honours and +1.0 for AP or IB, so a weighted average can exceed 4.0 — a straight-A student taking all AP courses would sit at 5.0.
Both matter, for different reasons. High schools use the weighted figure for class rank and honour rolls. University admissions offices usually recalculate an unweighted GPA of their own from your transcript, using their own course list and their own scale, so the unweighted number is the more portable one.
| Letter | Regular | Honours (+0.5) | AP / IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Cumulative GPA
Your cumulative GPA is not the average of your semester GPAs — it is the average of every course you have taken, weighted by credits. Recover your banked quality points first:
banked points = old GPA × old credits
new cumulative = (banked points + this semester's points) ÷ (old credits + new credits)
A 3.42 across 45 credits carries 153.9 quality points. Add the 48.3 points and 14 credits above and the cumulative becomes 202.2 ÷ 59 = 3.43. The more credits you have banked, the less any one semester can move the number — which is the honest reason a low first-year GPA is hard to recover from and a strong one is hard to lose.
Solving for a target GPA
needed = (target × (banked credits + future credits) − banked points) ÷ future credits
To lift a 3.43 across 59 credits up to a 3.60 with 15 credits left: (3.60 × 74 − 202.2) ÷ 15 = (266.4 − 202.2) ÷ 15 = 4.28. Above a 4.0, so it is not reachable in one semester — the solver says so plainly rather than returning a number you cannot use. Spread the same goal over 30 credits and the requirement drops to 3.93.
Details that trip people up
- Pass/fail courses normally carry credit but no grade points, so leave them out of the list entirely — including them as an A inflates the result.
- Repeated courses may replace the original grade or average with it, depending on the institution's policy. Enter whichever your registrar actually counts.
- Transfer credits often count towards the degree but not towards the GPA.
- An A+ is 4.0 at many institutions and 4.3 at others. Use the switch to match yours.
- Withdrawals usually carry no credits and no points, so they do not appear in the calculation at all.
Privacy
Your courses, grades and transcript figures stay in this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded, saved to an account or logged.
Questions
How is GPA calculated?
Each letter grade maps to grade points (A = 4.0, B = 3.0 and so on), each course contributes credits × grade points as "quality points", and GPA is total quality points divided by total credits. Credit hours are what make a 4-credit course count double a 2-credit one.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0. Weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder classes — typically +0.5 for honours and +1.0 for AP or IB — so it can exceed 4.0. Universities usually recalculate an unweighted GPA of their own from your transcript.
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your old GPA by the credits it covered to recover your banked quality points, add this semester's quality points and credits, then divide again. Enter your prior GPA and prior credits and the tool does exactly that.
Can I work out what I need next semester?
Yes. The target solver takes the cumulative GPA you want and the credits you have left, and returns the average GPA those credits must earn. If the answer is above 4.0 it tells you plainly that more credits are needed.
Does an A+ count as 4.0 or 4.3?
It depends on the institution. Many cap all A grades at 4.0; others award 4.3 for an A+. There is a switch for it, and the reference table updates to match your choice.