How to Calculate Your GPA Online
Calculate your Grade Point Average (GPA) accurately with our free Grade Calculator. Supports weighted and unweighted GPA on 4.0 and 5.0 scales.
Steps
Select your GPA scale
Choose the GPA scale used by your school: 4.0 is the most common in the US. Some high schools use a 5.0 weighted scale for AP/IB courses. International schools may use different scales. Check your school's grading policy if unsure.
Enter each course
For each course, enter the course name (optional), the grade you received (letter grade or percentage), and the credit hours (units) the course is worth. Most courses are 3–4 credit hours; labs and seminars are typically 1. More credit-heavy courses have more impact on your GPA.
Add weighted courses (if applicable)
For weighted GPA calculations, mark AP, IB, or honors courses. These typically add 0.5 or 1.0 to the grade point value (an A in AP class = 5.0 instead of 4.0 on a weighted scale) to reflect their higher difficulty.
View your GPA
The calculator shows your semester GPA, cumulative GPA if you have entered multiple semesters, and the distribution of grade points. It also shows your standing (Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Cum Laude) if applicable.
Model scenarios
Use the scenario planner to see what GPA you need in the remaining courses to achieve a target cumulative GPA. This helps plan how much focus to put on each course to reach academic goals.
How GPA is Calculated
GPA is a weighted average of grade points, where the weight is the number of credit hours for each course. Convert each letter grade to a point value (A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, B=3.0, B-=2.7, C+=2.3, C=2.0, etc.). Multiply each grade point value by the course's credit hours to get quality points. Sum all quality points and divide by the total credit hours attempted. Example: a 4-credit A (4.0 × 4 = 16 quality points) plus a 3-credit B (3.0 × 3 = 9 quality points) gives 25 quality points over 7 credit hours = 25/7 = 3.57 GPA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unweighted GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale regardless of course difficulty: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0. Weighted GPA gives extra points for honours, AP, and IB courses to recognise their higher difficulty. An A in an AP class might count as 5.0 on a 5.0 weighted scale. Colleges vary in how they consider weighted vs unweighted GPA — many recalculate applicants' GPAs on their own scale for consistent comparison.
Competitiveness varies by institution. Top universities (Ivy League, MIT, Stanford) typically admit students with unweighted GPAs above 3.9. Competitive universities typically look for 3.5–3.8. Many universities accept students with 3.0–3.5. GPAs below 3.0 are only competitive at less selective institutions. GPA is one factor among many: standardised test scores, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations all matter. Focus on improvement trends as much as the absolute number.