GPA Calculator

Calculate your semester or cumulative GPA from letter grades and credit hours. Supports full plus/minus grading scales.

Calculate Your GPA

Add each course with its letter grade and credit hours. The calculator weights your GPA by credit hours automatically.

Grade Scale: A+/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 = 1.0, F = 0.0

Understanding GPA: The Complete Student Guide

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the standard measure of academic performance at high schools, colleges, and universities across the United States and many institutions worldwide. It distills your academic performance across multiple courses into a single weighted number on a 4.0 scale, where 4.0 represents straight-A performance. Understanding how to calculate, interpret, and strategically improve your GPA is fundamental to academic success and career preparation.

How GPA is Calculated: The Weighted Average

GPA is not a simple average of your letter grades — it's a weighted average based on credit hours. A course worth 4 credit hours has twice the impact on your GPA as a 2-credit elective. This reflects the amount of time and academic rigor associated with each course.

The formula is: GPA = Sum of (Grade Points × Credit Hours) ÷ Total Credit Hours

For example: If you earn an A (4.0) in a 3-credit course and a B (3.0) in a 4-credit course, your GPA is: (4.0×3 + 3.0×4) / (3+4) = (12 + 12) / 7 = 24/7 = 3.43

The 4.0 Grade Scale Explained

Letter Grade Grade Points Percentage Range Academic Standing
A+ / A 4.0 90–100% Excellent
A– 3.7 87–89% Excellent
B+ 3.3 84–86% Above Average
B 3.0 80–83% Good
B– 2.7 77–79% Good
C+ 2.3 74–76% Average
C 2.0 70–73% Satisfactory
C– 1.7 67–69% Below Average
D 1.0 60–66% Poor
F 0.0 Below 60% Failing

GPA Benchmarks and What They Mean

Latin Honors for Graduation

  • Summa Cum Laude — Typically requires 3.9+ GPA (top honor)
  • Magna Cum Laude — Typically 3.7–3.89 GPA
  • Cum Laude — Typically 3.5–3.69 GPA
  • Good Academic Standing — 2.0+ (minimum to avoid academic probation at most schools)

Graduate School Admissions

Most competitive graduate programs (MBA, law school, medical school) require a minimum GPA, typically 3.0–3.5, with highly competitive programs preferring 3.7+. A strong GPA paired with relevant experience and test scores (GRE, GMAT, MCAT) creates the most competitive application.

Employer Screening

Many large employers, particularly in finance, consulting, and technology, use a GPA cutoff (often 3.0 or 3.5) to screen entry-level candidates. A GPA below 3.0 may filter you out of automated application systems. This makes every grade during college potentially impactful on hiring prospects for years after graduation.

Strategies to Improve Your GPA

Course Selection Strategy

Because GPA is credit-hour weighted, taking more high-credit courses that you perform well in has an outsized positive effect. Conversely, failing a 4-credit course damages your GPA significantly more than failing a 1-credit elective.

Grade Replacement Programs

Many institutions allow students to retake courses in which they received poor grades, with some offering GPA recalculation that replaces the original grade. This can be an effective repair strategy for early academic struggles.

Withdrawals vs. Failing

If you're struggling in a course, withdrawing before the deadline (receiving a W on your transcript) is far better than failing with an F. A W does not affect GPA, while an F (0.0) can substantially lower it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dean's List requirements vary by institution, but typically require a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher while completing at least 12 credit hours. Some schools set the threshold at 3.7 or the top 10% of students in your department. Check your school's academic affairs page for the exact criteria.
A 3.0 GPA is generally considered "good" — it represents a B average and places a student in good academic standing. For employment at most companies, 3.0 meets the minimum threshold. For highly competitive graduate programs or employers, 3.5+ is preferred. Context matters; a 3.0 in a difficult major like engineering or pre-medicine carries more weight than in some other fields.
Raising a low GPA requires many credit hours of high-grade performance because all prior grades are included in the cumulative average. A student with a 2.0 GPA after 60 credit hours would need to earn straight A's (4.0) in 60 more credit hours to reach approximately 3.0. This illustrates why preventing low grades early is much easier than recovering from them later.
Yes, with some caveats. The unweighted GPA calculated here (where A = 4.0 regardless of course difficulty) works for standard high school GPA. However, many high schools use a weighted GPA where honors and AP courses earn extra grade points (e.g., A = 5.0 for AP courses). If your school uses a weighted scale, this calculator will not reflect that weighting.
An incomplete (I) grade is typically temporary and does not affect GPA until it is resolved. Once the coursework is completed, it converts to the earned letter grade and is then factored into the GPA calculation. If not resolved within the school's deadline (usually the following semester), it may convert to an F, which would then negatively impact GPA.