GPA Calculator

GPA is a credit-weighted average, not a grade average

Each course contributes grade points equal to its grade value multiplied by its credit hours. GPA is the total grade points divided by total credit hours. This means a four-credit course affects your GPA twice as much as a two-credit one, which is why an A in a one-credit seminar barely offsets a C in a four-credit core subject. Averaging the letter grades directly gives a different and wrong answer.

The standard 4.0 scale

A is 4.0, B is 3.0, C is 2.0, D is 1.0 and F is 0. Institutions using plus and minus typically add or subtract 0.3, making A− 3.7 and B+ 3.3. Many cap A+ at 4.0 rather than 4.3, and some do not use it at all. The scale in your institution's handbook is the one that counts, since these variations change a transcript GPA by a tenth or more.

Weighted versus unweighted

An unweighted GPA caps at 4.0 regardless of course difficulty. A weighted GPA adds a point for honours, AP or IB courses, so an A in AP counts as 5.0 and the total can exceed 4.0. Schools weight differently and some not at all, which makes weighted GPAs almost useless for comparing students across schools — one reason many universities recalculate applicants' GPAs on their own scale.

Why a low GPA is hard to raise later

The denominator only grows. After 60 credits at 2.5, pulling to 3.0 requires 60 further credits at a perfect 4.0 — mathematically possible, practically not. The same arithmetic in reverse is the good news: a strong start is durable, since later stumbles are diluted by everything already banked. This is the single most useful thing to understand about GPA early rather than late.

Cumulative, semester and major GPA

Semester GPA covers one term. Cumulative covers everything. Major GPA covers only courses in your discipline and is often what graduate programmes and employers actually examine, since it is the more relevant signal. They can differ substantially, and a student with a modest cumulative and a strong major GPA should be presenting the latter.

Retakes, withdrawals and pass/fail

Policies vary sharply. Some institutions replace the original grade on a retake, others average both, others keep both on the transcript while counting only the higher. A withdrawal usually does not affect GPA but does appear. Pass/fail courses normally earn credit without grade points, which removes them from the calculation entirely — useful for protecting a GPA, and visible to anyone reading the transcript.

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