What a GPA measures, and where the arithmetic goes wrong
A grade point average is a weighted mean. Each letter grade becomes a number of grade points, and each class counts in proportion to its credits, so a four-credit lecture moves the average more than a one-credit lab.
quality points = grade points × credits
GPA = total quality points ÷ total credits
Stanford's student services page works one through: a B- in 3 units, an A- in 4 units and a B+ in 3 units is 8.1 + 14.8 + 9.9 = 32.8 quality points, divided by 10 units, for a 3.28. Load those three rows above and you get the same number.
Three slips are easy to make. Averaging the letters without the credits treats every class as the same size. Averaging semester GPAs, instead of pooling the credits, lets a light term count as much as a heavy one. And counting a class that carries no grade points, such as a pass or a withdrawal, changes the divisor. A fourth problem is not arithmetic at all: using a scale that is not your school's.
Which GPA you were asked for
- Semester GPA: this term's classes only. It is the first figure, and the one a dean's list or an academic standing check often looks at.
- Cumulative GPA: everything so far. Add your prior GPA and the credits behind it, and the second figure becomes the projected cumulative GPA after this term.
- Unweighted GPA: every class on the same 4.0 scale, whatever its level. It is the common ground when two schools are compared.
- Weighted GPA: the same grades with a bonus for Honors, AP and IB classes. North Carolina's transcript standard, for one, gives every student both and bases class rank on the weighted one. Both are shown here together, so you never have to guess which one a form wants.
- The GPA you need: the planning question. Given where you are and where you want to be, the second tab returns the term GPA that gets you there.
How to calculate your semester and cumulative GPA
- Replace the four sample rows with your own classes. The course name is optional and only labels the working.
- Pick each letter grade. For a class that is not letter graded, choose P, NP or W: the row stays on the list but out of the average.
- Type the credits from your schedule. College classes are often 3 or 4 credit hours. High school transcripts often give 1 for a full-year class and 0.5 for a semester class, but copy what yours shows.
- For high school, leave Weighted ticked and set each class to Regular, Honors or AP or IB. For college, untick it and the level column disappears.
- For a cumulative GPA, enter your prior GPA and prior credits from your transcript. Leave both blank to see this term alone.
- Open Grade scale and bonuses if your school counts an A- as 3.67, an A+ above 4.0, or uses different bonuses.
- Read the three figures, then open Quality points for each course to check the working line by line.
How to find the GPA you need this term
- Open the GPA I need tab.
- Enter your current cumulative GPA and the graded credits you have completed.
- Enter the GPA you are aiming for and the credits you are taking this term.
- Read GPA needed this term. It is rounded up, so earning the number shown is always enough, and the hint places it between two letter grades.
- If the needed GPA is above 4.00, the target is out of reach in one term. Best case this termshows how far straight A's would take you, and the third figure shows how many credits of A's the target really takes.
- Change the credits to see why a heavier term helps: more credits give the same grades more pull on the average.
Taking the numbers with you
- Copy results puts the GPA, the credits and one line per course on the clipboard as plain text, ready for an email to an advisor or a note to yourself.
- In a spreadsheet, with grade points in column B and credits in column C, the same sum is
=SUMPRODUCT(B2:B6,C2:C6)/SUM(C2:C6). - On an application, report the GPA and scale printed on your transcript unless the form asks for something else. Use this page to check that figure and to plan.
- Sharing the link shares the calculator, not your grades. Nothing you type is written into the address.
How schools count differently
There is no single official 4.0 scale. These are the rules six published sources use, each checked October 5, 2026:
- UC Berkeley: A+ and A are both 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, down to D- at 0.7. Pass and Not Pass are left out.
- Stanford: a 4.3 scale. A+ is 4.3, A- is 3.7, and NP counts in the GPA as 0.0.
- University of Illinois: A+ and A are 4.00, A- is 3.67, B+ is 3.33, in thirds down to D- at 0.67.
- Arizona State: A+ is 4.33 and A- is 3.67, but the cumulative GPA is capped at 4.00.
- North Carolina public high schools: any grade from 90 to 100 is a 4.0 with no plus or minus steps, Honors adds 0.5 and AP or IB adds 1.0.
- University of California admissions: pluses and minuses do not count, each honors-level semester adds one point up to eight, and the result is not rounded.
The College Board's general chart is coarser still: an A of 90 to 100 is 4.0, a B of 80 to 89 is 3.0 and a C of 70 to 79 is 2.0, with a note that your school may calculate GPA differently.
What this calculator cannot know
- Your registrar's scale wins. The defaults are a common scale, not yours. If the transcript key says something else, change the settings to match it.
- Repeated classes. Schools differ on whether a retake replaces the old grade or counts alongside it. Enter the attempts your policy counts.
- Rounding. The page rounds to two decimals and shows the cut-off value in the formula section, because offices differ on which one they print.
- Weighting is local. The bonus is added to passing grades only, and an F stays at 0. A college reading your application may strip the weighting out and apply its own.
- The target tab assumes the unweighted 4.0 scale and that every credit this term is letter graded.
- It is not a transcript. Only the school that issued the grades can state your official GPA.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my GPA?
Turn each letter grade into grade points (A is 4.0, B is 3.0, C is 2.0, D is 1.0, F is 0), multiply each by the credits for that class to get quality points, add the quality points up and divide by the total credits. Stanford's own example: a B- in 3 units, an A- in 4 units and a B+ in 3 units is 8.1 plus 14.8 plus 9.9, which is 32.8 quality points over 10 units, for a 3.28 GPA.
What is the difference between a weighted and an unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA treats every class the same: an A is 4.0 whether the class is regular or AP, so it tops out at 4.0. A weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder classes, which is how a transcript can show a 4.3 or a 4.6. This calculator shows both from the same list. With the four sample classes, a 3.45 unweighted becomes a 3.88 weighted once the Honors and AP rows get their bonus.
How much do Honors and AP classes add to a GPA?
It depends on the school. A common setup, and the statewide standard in North Carolina, adds half a point for an Honors class and one full point for an AP or IB class, so an A is worth 4.5 or 5.0. The University of California's admission GPA instead adds one point for any approved honors-level course, for up to eight semesters, and nothing for a D or an F. Both bonuses are editable here, so set them to what your handbook says.
Is an A+ worth 4.0 or 4.3?
Usually 4.0. UC Berkeley's registrar, for example, states that an A+ earns no grade point credit beyond an A. Some schools do count it higher: Stanford uses a 4.3 scale on which an A+ is 4.3, and Arizona State lists an A+ as 4.33 while capping the cumulative GPA at 4.00. This calculator counts an A+ as 4.0 until you tick the box in the grade scale settings.
Is an A- a 3.7 or a 3.67?
Both are in use. Berkeley and Stanford publish 3.7 for an A- and 3.3 for a B+. The University of Illinois and Arizona State publish 3.67 and 3.33, which are thirds of a point. Over a full transcript the difference is a few hundredths, but that can matter next to a 3.50 cutoff, so pick the steps your school prints in its transcript key.
How do I calculate my cumulative GPA?
Do not average your semester GPAs, because a semester with more credits should count for more. Multiply your prior GPA by the credits behind it to get back your quality points, add this term’s quality points and divide by all the credits together. A 3.2 over 60 credits is 192 points. Add a 14-credit term worth 48.3 points and you have 240.3 points over 74 credits, which is a 3.25.
What GPA do I need this semester to raise my cumulative GPA?
Multiply your target by the total credits you will have after this term, subtract the quality points you already have, and divide what is left by this term’s credits. To move a 3.2 over 60 credits to a 3.3 with a 15-credit term: 3.3 times 75 is 247.5, minus 192 leaves 55.5, and 55.5 divided by 15 is a 3.70 term. The GPA I need tab does this and says so when a target is out of reach in one term.
Do pass/fail and withdrawn classes count toward GPA?
Generally no. A P, an NP or a W carries no grade points, so the class is left out of both the points and the credits. Berkeley's registrar says Pass and Not Pass are not included in grade-point computation. There are exceptions: Stanford lists NP at the bottom of its letter scale and counts it in the GPA as 0.0. If your school counts a grade like that, enter it as an F so that it pulls the average down the way your transcript will.
Do colleges look at weighted or unweighted GPA?
Often neither exactly as printed. The College Board notes that colleges may recalculate your GPA with their own criteria: some drop non-core classes, and some remove or replace the weighting for AP and Honors so that applicants from different schools can be compared. Report the GPA your transcript shows, on the scale your school uses, and ask the admissions office how they read it if a cutoff is involved.
Does a 3.496 round up to a 3.5?
That is up to the school. This calculator rounds to two decimals, so 3.496 shows as 3.50, and the formula section also shows the cut-off value, 3.49. Some offices do not round at all: the University of California tells applicants not to round their GPA up or down. For honors, scholarships and eligibility lines, the number your registrar prints is the one that counts.
Sources
- College Board BigFuture, How to Calculate Your GPA on a 4.0 Scale: the whole-letter chart, the note that schools differ, and how colleges recalculate GPAs (checked October 5, 2026).
- UC Berkeley Office of the Registrar, Grades & Grading: the default plus and minus steps, A+ counting as 4.0, and Pass and Not Pass left out (checked October 5, 2026).
- Stanford Student Services, How Do I Calculate My Grade Point Average (GPA)?: the 4.3 scale, the formula and the worked example (checked October 5, 2026).
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign registrar, Explanation of Grades: the 3.67 and 3.33 steps (checked October 5, 2026).
- Arizona State University registrar, Grades and grading policies: A+ at 4.33 with the cumulative GPA capped at 4.00 (checked October 5, 2026).
- North Carolina State Board of Education, Policy GRAD-009, High School Grading and Transcript Standards: the 0.5 Honors and 1.0 AP or IB weights, and both GPAs on the transcript (checked October 5, 2026).
- University of California Admissions, GPA requirement: the honors point, its eight-semester cap and the no rounding rule (checked October 5, 2026).
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Privacy: the GPA is worked out in your browser. Your courses, grades and credits are never uploaded, never stored and never written into the URL. Pressing a copy button sends an anonymous event recording only that a copy happened on this tool, never the grades or the result.