Weighted and unweighted GPA for high school or college, plus your cumulative GPA and what you need to hit your goal.
Written and maintained by Christin Bowles, founder of TidyCalcs.
Weighted GPA adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP/IB classes. High school classes usually count as 1 credit each; college classes are often 3 or 4.
Starts from your new cumulative GPA above, including this term's classes.
Each letter grade turns into grade points: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0 and F = 0, with pluses and minuses in between. Multiply each class's grade points by its credits, add them up, and divide by your total credits.
For example, an A in a 4-credit class (16 points) and a B in a 3-credit class (9 points) gives 25 points over 7 credits, a 3.57 GPA. Because the A class has more credits, it pulls your GPA up more than the B pulls it down.
| Grade | Percent | GPA | Honors | AP/IB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A | 93–96 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 90–92 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 83–86 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B− | 80–82 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 73–76 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C− | 70–72 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 67–69 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 65–66 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| F | Below 65 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
An unweighted GPA treats every class the same, so it tops out at 4.0. A weighted GPA gives a bonus for harder classes, usually half a point for honors and a full point for AP or IB, so a straight-A student taking AP classes can have a 4.5 or higher. Colleges see both and often recalculate GPA their own way, so take the classes that challenge you rather than chasing the number.
The average U.S. high school graduate finishes with roughly a 3.0, a B average. A 3.5 or above is strong, and selective colleges often look for 3.7 or higher along with challenging coursework. In college, a 3.0 is the usual cutoff for many scholarships and graduate programs, and 3.5 and up often earns Dean's List.
Your GPA is an average of every credit you've taken, so the earlier you start, the more each term counts. Going from a 2.8 to a 3.0 after 30 credits takes a 3.4 over your next 15 credits. After 90 credits, the same jump would take 45 credits of 3.4. Focus on high-credit classes first, ask whether your school replaces grades for retaken classes, and use the "What GPA do I need?" tool above to set a realistic target.
Convert each letter grade to grade points (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0), multiply each by the class's credits, add those up, and divide by your total credits.
Unweighted GPA uses a 4.0 scale for every class. Weighted GPA adds extra points for harder classes, commonly 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB, so it can go above 4.0. Schools set their own weighting rules.
Multiply your current GPA by the credits you've already earned, add this term's grade points, and divide by your total credits. A 3.2 GPA over 30 credits plus a 3.8 semester over 15 credits gives (96 + 57) ÷ 45 = 3.4.
A 3.0 (a B average) is roughly the national average for U.S. high school graduates. A 3.5 or higher is considered strong, and selective colleges often look for 3.7 and above, though they also weigh course difficulty.
On the standard scale, an A+ counts as 4.0, the same as an A. Some colleges count an A+ as 4.33, so check your school's policy.
Your GPA is an average of every credit you've taken, so each new term carries less weight as your total credits grow. Raising a GPA is fastest early on, and in classes with more credits.