GPA Calculator

You type one course per line, so the list can be as long as you need. The box starts with five sample courses that you can overwrite.

1. In the Courses box, write each course on its own line as grade, credits, for example A-, 3. You can put a name first, as in Calculus, A, 4.
2. Use letter grades from A+ down to F, with plus and minus where your school uses them. A number such as 3.5 also works.
3. Choose the Grade scale: the 4.0 scale, where A+ counts as 4.0, or the 4.3 scale, where A+ counts as 4.3.
4. To include earlier work, fill in Current cumulative GPA (optional) and Credits already earned (optional). Both must be filled in.
5. Read the semester GPA at the top, the credits and quality points, and the course table. A cumulative GPA appears when both optional fields are used.

Lines the tool cannot read are skipped and counted in the result, and courses with 0 credits are ignored.

A GPA is a weighted average. Each grade is converted to grade points, multiplied by the course credits to give quality points, and the total is divided by the total credits: GPA = sum of (grade points x credits) / total credits. The 4.0 scale uses these points:

Now the sample semester. Calculus A with 4 credits gives 16.0 quality points. Chemistry B+ with 3 credits gives 9.9, English A- with 3 gives 11.1, History B with 3 gives 9.0 and PE A with 1 gives 4.0. That is 14 credits and 50.00 quality points, so the GPA is 50 / 14 = 3.571, shown as 3.57.

For a cumulative figure, suppose you already have a 3.2 GPA over 60 credits. Multiply to get 192 quality points, add this term's 50 for 242, and divide by 74 credits. The cumulative GPA is 3.27. Notice that a heavy 4 credit course moves the result more than a 1 credit one, which is why credits matter as much as the letter.

The same weighting shows how little a small course can change. If the PE grade dropped from an A to a C, the quality points would fall from 4.0 to 2.0 and the GPA would move only from 3.57 to 3.43, while a C in Calculus would cost far more.

Schools do not all calculate GPA the same way, so treat the result as a close estimate. The two scales differ only for A+: it is worth 4.0 on one and 4.3 on the other, so a 3 credit A+ adds 12.0 or 12.9 quality points. Some schools ignore plus and minus completely, and a few use different values, so check your own transcript policy.

Weighted GPAs for honors or AP classes are not built in. If your school gives 5.0 for an A in an AP course, type the points as a number, for example AP Biology, 5.0, 4. Numbers up to 5 are accepted.

It also helps to know what the tool leaves out:

• It keeps no history, so each semester is a separate calculation and nothing is saved.
• The optional cumulative result needs both a GPA and a credit total above zero.
• Pass or fail courses usually carry no grade points, so leave them out or enter 0 credits.

To find what you need in a single class, use the grade calculator for a weighted course grade, or the final grade calculator for the exam score that reaches a target. Use the average calculator for a plain average, and the percentage calculator to turn a raw mark into a percent. The result is an estimate for general information, not an official academic record.