How is GPA calculated?

The three steps

1. Turn each letter grade into grade points using the scale below. An A is 4.0, a B is 3.0 and so on.
2. Multiply by the class's credit hours. This gives its quality points, so a 4-credit class counts for more than a 3-credit one.
3. Add up the quality points and divide by the total credit hours. The answer is your GPA.

Grade points for each letter

This is the usual 4.0 scale. Some schools count an A+ as 4.3, or use slightly different percentages for each letter, so check your syllabus and your school's rules.

Worked example: one term

45.7 quality points divided by 13 credits gives a term GPA of 3.52. A plain average of the four grade points would be 3.50; the 4-credit A- in Biology pulls it up a little.

Term GPA and cumulative GPA

Your term (or semester) GPA counts one term's classes. Your cumulative GPA counts every class you've finished, using the same steps on all of them together.

To add a new term to a GPA you already have, turn your GPA so far back into quality points first. With a 3.30 GPA over 30 credits, that's 3.30 × 30 = 99.0 quality points. Add the term above: (99.0 + 45.7) ÷ (30 + 13) = 144.7 ÷ 43 = 3.37 cumulative.

The more credits you have, the slower your GPA moves, which is why one great term lifts a first-year GPA far more than a senior's.

Weighted GPA in high school

Many high schools also give a weighted GPA, which adds extra points for harder classes. A common system adds 0.5 for Honors classes and 1.0 for AP, IB or dual-enrollment classes, so an A in an AP class counts as 5.0 and a B+ in an Honors class as 3.8. An F stays at 0. Your unweighted GPA leaves the extras out, so it stays on the 0 to 4.0 scale.

Schools weight differently (some add 1.0 for Honors too, some cap weighted GPAs), and colleges often recalculate GPAs their own way, so treat these as typical rules.

What usually counts and what doesn't

• Classes with a letter grade from A to F count, weighted by credit hours.
• Pass/fail classes, withdrawals and incompletes usually don't count towards your GPA.
• A retaken class often replaces the old grade, but rules differ, so check your school's policy.
• Dean's List usually needs a term GPA of 3.5 or higher on at least 12 credits; cum laude is often 3.5, magna cum laude 3.7 and summa cum laude 3.9. Cut-offs vary by school.

Work out your own GPA

Put your grades into the free GPA calculator, or see how many credits of As it takes to raise your GPA. To keep it up to date every term, the PredictMyGrade GPA tracker does these sums for you, including your weighted GPA, what your current grades are heading for, and the score you need on each final.