GPA Calculator — Semester GPA on a 4.0 Scale
Add your courses below — one row per course, with its letter grade and credit hours — and this free GPA calculator instantly works out your semester GPA on the standard 4.0 scale. Already have a cumulative GPA? Use the optional second section to combine it with this semester and see your new cumulative GPA. No sign-up, nothing is stored — everything runs in your browser.
Combine with your current cumulative GPA (optional)
Enter your GPA and total credits earned so far, and we will combine them with this semester's courses to show your new cumulative GPA.
Leave pass/fail courses out — they carry no grade points and do not count toward your GPA. Rows with no grade or no credit hours are ignored.
How GPA works
Your GPA (grade point average) is a single number that summarises your academic performance. Each letter grade is converted into grade points on the 4.0 scale, and each course is weighted by its credit hours — so a 4-credit course pulls your average twice as hard as a 2-credit course. The steps:
- Convert each grade to points. An A is worth 4.0, a B is worth 3.0, and so on (see the full table below).
- Multiply by credit hours. Grade points × credit hours gives each course's quality points: an A in a 3-credit course is 4.0 × 3 = 12 quality points.
- Add everything up and divide. Total quality points ÷ total credit hours = your GPA.
To calculate GPA by hand you only need the table below and a calculator — or use the tool above and let it do the arithmetic.
The 4.0 GPA scale
This GPA calculator on the 4.0 scale uses the standard US unweighted mapping. An A+ is treated as 4.0, because most schools cap the scale at 4.0. If your school awards 4.3 for an A+, or uses a different plus/minus value, check your transcript — the calculator's numbers follow the standard mapping below.
| Letter grade | Grade points | Typical percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 93–100 |
| A− | 3.7 | 90–92 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87–89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83–86 |
| B− | 2.7 | 80–82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77–79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73–76 |
| C− | 1.7 | 70–72 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67–69 |
| D | 1.0 | 63–66 |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60 |
Percentage bands vary by school and even by teacher, so treat that column as typical rather than exact — the grade-point values are the standard mapping. If you only have percentages, convert them with the grade conversion table first.
Worked examples, step by step
Example 1: three courses — A (3 credits), B (3 credits), C (4 credits)
| Course | Grade → points | Credit hours | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | A → 4.0 | 3 | 4.0 × 3 = 12.0 |
| Course 2 | B → 3.0 | 3 | 3.0 × 3 = 9.0 |
| Course 3 | C → 2.0 | 4 | 2.0 × 4 = 8.0 |
| Total | 10 | 29.0 |
Notice the C counts more than the A here, because it carries 4 credits against the A's 3. That is the whole point of credit weighting: heavier courses matter more. Try these exact three courses in the calculator above — it returns 2.90.
Example 2: four courses with plus and minus grades
A student takes A− (4 credits), B+ (3 credits), B (3 credits) and A (2 credits):
| Course | Grade → points | Credit hours | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | A− → 3.7 | 4 | 3.7 × 4 = 14.8 |
| Course 2 | B+ → 3.3 | 3 | 3.3 × 3 = 9.9 |
| Course 3 | B → 3.0 | 3 | 3.0 × 3 = 9.0 |
| Course 4 | A → 4.0 | 2 | 4.0 × 2 = 8.0 |
| Total | 12 | 41.7 |
The simple average of the four grade points (3.7 + 3.3 + 3.0 + 4.0) ÷ 4 = 3.50 would be wrong — the 4-credit A− counts more than the 2-credit A, so the true GPA is 3.48, not 3.50.
Semester GPA vs. cumulative GPA
This semester GPA calculator covers only the courses in one term — that is what the main calculator above gives you. A cumulative GPA covers every graded course across all your terms, weighted by credit hours.
To combine a semester with your past record, treat your existing cumulative GPA as one line item: multiply it by your total credits earned so far to get your past quality points, add the new semester's quality points, add the credit hours together, and divide. The optional section in the calculator does exactly this. For example, a 3.00 over 30 credits plus a 2.90 semester over 10 credits gives (90 + 29) ÷ 40 = 2.98.
The anchor effect. Every completed term anchors your cumulative GPA. With 60 credits already earned at 3.0, even a perfect 4.0 across 15 new credits lifts you only to 3.2. That is not a reason to give up — it is a reason to set targets the math supports. To work with whole semesters instead of individual courses, use the cumulative GPA calculator.
Weighted vs. unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA — what this page calculates — caps every course at 4.0, no matter how hard the class was. An A is a 4.0 whether it is a regular class or an honors class.
Weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder classes — typically up to 5.0 for honors, AP, or IB courses. Two students with identical letter grades can have different weighted GPAs if one took harder classes. Colleges often recalculate your GPA from the transcript and strip local weighting, so they usually compare applicants on the unweighted 4.0 scale.
If your school weights certain courses, use our weighted grade calculator to work out individual course grades, and read how to calculate a weighted grade for the full method.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Taking a simple average of grades. A plain average ignores credit hours. A 4-credit C hurts more than a 2-credit A helps — always weight by credits.
- Including pass/fail courses. Pass/fail, incomplete and withdrawn courses carry no grade points and their credits are excluded. Leave them out entirely.
- Mixing weighted and unweighted grades. A 4.5 from a weighted AP class does not belong in a 4.0-scale calculation. Keep one scale for the whole GPA.
- Counting A+ as 4.3. Most schools cap A+ at 4.0. Unless your transcript says otherwise, an A+ is 4.0.
- Forgetting retake rules. Some schools replace the old grade, some average both attempts, some keep both. Use the GPA your transcript actually shows for any term containing a retake.
- Rounding too early. Round only the final GPA to two decimals. Rounding each course's quality points first can shift the answer.
Want to combine whole semesters into one cumulative GPA?
Open the Cumulative GPA Calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my GPA?
Convert each letter grade to grade points on the 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0), multiply each grade's points by its credit hours to get quality points, add up all the quality points, add up all the credit hours, and divide. For example, an A (3 credits), a B (3 credits) and a C (4 credits) give (12 + 9 + 8) ÷ 10 = 2.90.
What is a good GPA on the 4.0 scale?
On the standard 4.0 scale, a 3.0 is a B average and is generally considered good, a 3.5 or above is strong and competitive for most colleges and scholarships, and a 3.7 or above is excellent. What counts as good also depends on your school, major and goals — check the average GPA for the programs you are applying to.
What's the difference between semester GPA and cumulative GPA?
Semester GPA covers only the courses in one term. Cumulative GPA covers every graded course across all your terms, weighted by credit hours. This calculator gives you the semester GPA from your courses, and the optional second section combines it with your current cumulative GPA to show your new cumulative GPA.
Do pass/fail courses count toward my GPA?
No. Pass/fail (pass/no pass) courses, incompletes and withdrawals carry no grade points and their credit hours are excluded from the GPA calculation. Leave them out of this calculator — only include courses where you earned a letter grade.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0, no matter how hard the class was. Weighted GPA adds bonus points — often up to 5.0 — for honors, AP or IB classes. This page uses the standard unweighted 4.0 scale; our weighted grade calculator explains how weighting works for individual courses.
Is an A+ worth more than an A?
On the standard 4.0 scale used here, no — an A+ and an A are both worth 4.0 points, because most schools cap the scale at 4.0. A small number of schools award 4.3 for an A+, so check your school's scale if your transcript uses A+ grades.
Why is my GPA different from my school's official GPA?
Schools differ in the details: some use a different plus/minus scale, some weight honors or AP classes, some replace retaken grades and some average both attempts. This calculator uses the standard 4.0 scale, so a small difference from your transcript is normal — your official transcript GPA is always the one that counts.
Related calculators
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How to Calculate a Weighted Grade — the formula plus a worked example.
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