What is GPA?
Grade point average (GPA) converts every course's letter grade into a numeric grade point, multiplies each by the course's credit hours, and averages the result across a term or an entire transcript. Unlike a single percentage grade, GPA summarizes performance across many courses at once, which is why colleges, scholarship committees, and academic advisors rely on it.
Weighted vs. unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0, regardless of difficulty. A weighted GPA adds bonus points for more rigorous courses — typically +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB classes — so a B in an AP class can carry the same grade points as an A in a regular class. High schools commonly report both figures; most colleges use only unweighted GPA.
The standard 4.0 GPA scale
| Letter grade | GPA points | Weighted (AP/IB) |
|---|---|---|
| A / A+ | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| D | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 |
How credit hours change the average
GPA is credit-weighted, not a simple average of grade points. Multiply each course's GPA points by its credit hours to get quality points, add the quality points across every course, then divide by total credit hours. A 4-credit A contributes more to the final GPA than a 1-credit A, so heavier courses influence the result more than lighter ones.
Use the right calculator for your situation
This calculator handles a single term. For GPA across multiple semesters, transfer credits, or an entire high school career, use the cumulative GPA calculator instead — it combines each term's GPA and credit total into one running average.