GPA Calculator: Weighted, Unweighted and Cumulative GPA
Our GPA calculator turns your letter grades and credit hours into a weighted and an unweighted GPA. Add each course, enter your earlier record and see your new cumulative result. You can also set a goal and see the average you need, so you never have to calculate GPA by hand.
What Is a GPA Calculator?
It finds your grade point average from the grades and credit hours of your courses. Each letter grade has a point value, and each course counts in proportion to its credits. The tool does the weighting for you, so a five credit lab moves the result more than a one credit seminar.
Students open it for many reasons. Some use it to calculate GPA before grades post, and others plan which course to retake. High school students use it for college forms and class rank.
Our version handles letters with plus and minus, letters only, honors and AP courses, and your earlier record. It can also work backward from a goal. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How to Use the GPA Calculator
- Pick a grade scale. Plus and minus is the default, and letters only drops the plus and minus steps.
- Enter each course with its grade and credit hours.
- Mark honors or AP and IB courses if your school adds bonus points.
- Type your GPA so far and the credits completed to see the cumulative result.
- Add a target GPA and the credits you still have to take.
The results show your weighted GPA, your unweighted GPA, total credits and grade points. A new row takes one click, and the cross button removes a course. You do not need to calculate GPA by hand, and the optional boxes can stay empty.
How to Calculate GPA
Learning the method takes three steps. First, turn each letter into points using your school's scale. Next, multiply those points by the credit hours of the course. Add up the results and divide by the total credits, because GPA = total grade points ÷ total credits.
| Letter | Grade points |
| A+ and 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 | 0.0 |
Some schools give an A+ extra weight, but most keep it at 4.0. Your own handbook has the final say. The tool offers plus and minus or letters only, so you can match the common scales.
Weighted and Unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA treats every course the same, so the top score is 4.0. A weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder classes. Honors courses usually add 0.5 and AP or IB courses add 1.0. Schools set their own bonus rules, so check yours.
| Course type | Bonus | An A becomes | A B becomes |
| Regular | 0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Honors | 0.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| AP or IB | 1.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
The bonus goes only to passing grades, which is common practice. An F stays at zero. A weighted GPA calculator like this one also shows the unweighted number, because many colleges recalculate on their own scale.
Worked Examples
A Typical Semester
A student takes five courses worth 3 credits each. The grades are A, B+, A-, B and C+. The points are 4.0, 3.3, 3.7, 3.0 and 2.3, so the total is 48.9 after each is multiplied by 3. Divide that by 15 credits and the GPA is 3.26.
Weighted GPA with AP and Honors
A junior takes AP English with an A for 4 credits, Honors History with a B+ for 3 credits, Biology with a B for 4 credits and Spanish with an A- for 3 credits. The unweighted total is 49 grade points over 14 credits, which gives 3.50. With the bonus, AP English counts as 5.0 and Honors History as 3.8, so the total becomes 54.5 and the weighted GPA is 3.89.
Cumulative GPA Explained
Your cumulative GPA covers every term, including the latest one. It equals all grade points earned divided by all credits attempted. Averaging two semester GPAs works only when both terms have the same credits. A cumulative GPA calculator handles the uneven cases for you.
Say you have 3.40 over 60 credits and add the 3.26 term from above. The grade points are 204 plus 48.9, or 252.9, across 75 credits. Your cumulative GPA becomes 3.37.
Setting a Goal GPA
A goal works backward from the GPA you want, so you can calculate GPA targets for each term. The tool finds the average you must earn in your remaining credits. If the answer is above the top score, the goal cannot be reached in that time. A lower target or more credits can fix that.
Take a cumulative GPA of 3.37 on 75 credits and a goal of 3.50 over 30 more credits. The need is (3.50 × 105 − 252.9) ÷ 30, which is 3.82. That means mostly A and A- grades, so the goal is hard but possible.
Ways to Raise Your GPA
- Retake low grade courses if your school replaces the old grade.
- Spend extra effort on high credit courses, because they carry the most weight.
- Ask for feedback early, while there is still time to improve a grade.
- Pair one lighter course with a hard one to protect your average.
Small gains add up slowly because a long record has many credits behind it. Lifting 3.0 over 90 credits to 3.1 takes a 3.7 average over a full 15 credit term. Use the tool each term so you can calculate GPA changes before you register.
Common GPA Mistakes
- Averaging grade points without the credit hours, which treats every course as equal.
- Forgetting that a failed course still counts its credits.
- Mixing a weighted number with an unweighted one in the same record.
- Using plus and minus values when your school only gives whole letters.
Most errors come from skipping the weights. If you calculate GPA by averaging a 4.0 in a 1 credit class and a 2.0 in a 5 credit class, you get 3.0 when the real answer is 2.33. Checking one course at a time in the tool shows where a number went wrong.
GPA and College Applications
Admissions offices often recalculate a high school GPA on their own scale. Some drop the bonus points, and others count only core subjects such as math, science, English and history. Scholarship programs may also set a minimum GPA that you must hold each term. Being able to calculate GPA the way they do removes a surprise at decision time.
Why Use Our GPA Calculator
It covers plus and minus grades, honors and AP bonuses, earlier credits and goals in one place. Every number updates as you type, so you can test a retake in seconds. Enter your courses to calculate GPA now.
Frequently asked questions
Is this GPA calculator free?
Yes, it is free with no sign up and runs in your browser.
How to calculate GPA without credit hours?
Treat every course as one credit, then average the grade points.
Do colleges use a weighted GPA calculator?
Many recalculate on their own scale, so ask the admissions office.
What is a good GPA?
Many schools treat 3.0 as solid and 3.5 or higher as strong, though programs and employers differ.
Does the cumulative GPA calculator include old credits?
Yes, enter your GPA so far and the credits completed.
Do plus and minus grades change the result?
Yes, a B+ counts 3.3 and a B counts 3.0 on the standard scale.
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