Your GPA is your total quality points divided by your total credit hours, where each course's quality points are its grade points times its credits. Enter up to 10 courses on the US 4.0 scale, and add your previous record for a cumulative GPA.
The formula
Quality points
quality points = grade points × credit hoursGPA
GPA = total quality points ÷ total credit hoursCumulative GPA
cumulative = (previous GPA × previous credits + quality points) ÷ (previous credits + credits)The scale
A+ 4.0 · A 4.0 · A− 3.7 · B+ 3.3 · B 3.0 · B− 2.7 · C+ 2.3 · C 2.0 · C− 1.7 · D+ 1.3 · D 1.0 · D− 0.7 · F 0This is the common US scale; schools differ, and the page says so on the result.
Worked example
With a previous record of 3.5 over 60 credits, the cumulative GPA is (3.5 × 60 + 55) ÷ (60 + 17) = 265 ÷ 77 = 3.44.
When to use it, and the mistakes to avoid
Use it to see where you stand after a term, to plan what grades a coming term needs, or to check a transcript.
- Averaging the grade points without the credits. Weight them: big courses count for more.
- Using the wrong scale. If your school gives an A+ 4.3 or has no minus grades, this will not match.
- Counting a pass-fail course. It usually carries no grade points, so give it zero credits here.
- Mixing up term and cumulative GPA. Switch on the previous record for the cumulative figure.
- Forgetting repeated courses. Schools handle a repeated course differently; follow your school's rule.
FAQ
How is GPA calculated?
Turn each grade into grade points (an A is 4.0, a B is 3.0, and so on), multiply by the course's credit hours to get quality points, add those up, and divide by the total credit hours. A 3-credit A is 12 quality points and a 3-credit B is 9, so the two courses together give 21 ÷ 6 = 3.5.
What are the grade points for A−, B+ and the rest?
On the usual US scale: A+ and A are 4.0, A− is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B− is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, C is 2.0, C− is 1.7, D+ is 1.3, D is 1.0, D− is 0.7 and F is 0. Some schools differ: an A+ may be 4.3, or there may be no plus and minus grades at all. Check your school's own scale.
How do I work out my cumulative GPA?
Add your previous record: multiply your GPA so far by the credit hours it covers, add this term's quality points, and divide by the total credit hours. A 3.5 over 60 credits plus a term of 55 quality points over 17 credits is (210 + 55) ÷ 77 = 3.44. Switch on 'Include my previous record' and enter the two figures.
Why do bigger courses count for more?
Because the GPA is weighted by credit hours. A 4-credit course moves it twice as much as a 2-credit one with the same grade, which is why a C in a big course hurts more than an A in a small course helps. A course with no credit hours, like some pass-fail courses, does not count at all.
Is it rounded or cut off?
This calculator rounds to two places, with half rounding up: 2.525 becomes 2.53. Some schools cut the GPA off at two places instead, which would give 2.52. If your transcript shows a figure that differs by a hundredth, that is usually why. For admissions and scholarships, use the figure your school reports.