GPA Calculator
A GPA is a credit-weighted average, which means a four-credit course counts twice as much as a two-credit one.
The weighted formula
The weighting by credits is the part people skip. Consider an A (4.0) in a 1-credit seminar and a C (2.0) in a 4-credit core course. The unweighted average is 3.0; the correct weighted GPA is (4×1 + 2×4) ÷ 5 = 2.4. Heavy courses dominate, which is why they deserve proportionally more effort.
| Letter | Points | Letter | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A / A+ | 4.0 | C | 2.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | C− | 1.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | D+ | 1.3 |
| B | 3.0 | D | 1.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | F | 0.0 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
Scales vary more than you would expect
The 4.0 scale is standard in the US, but the details are not:
- A+ handling. Some institutions award 4.3 for an A+, making a GPA above 4.0 possible on an unweighted scale; many cap at 4.0.
- Weighted high school GPAs. Advanced Placement and honours courses often carry an extra point, so a 5.0 scale applies and GPAs above 4.0 are routine.
- Other countries. India uses a 10-point CGPA, Germany a 1–5 scale where 1 is best, the UK a degree classification system with no GPA at all.
- Retakes, pass/fail and withdrawals are handled differently everywhere — some replace the original grade, others average both attempts.
Always check your own institution's published policy before relying on any calculation, this one included.
The arithmetic of raising a GPA
A cumulative GPA becomes progressively harder to move, because each new term is a smaller fraction of the total. With 30 credits at 2.5, a perfect 4.0 over the next 15 credits lifts you to 3.0 — not 3.25.
This is worth knowing early. Recovering from a poor first year is arithmetically possible but takes sustained performance across many terms, and the earlier a problem is addressed the cheaper it is to fix. Most institutions also offer grade replacement for retaken courses, which can be far more efficient than trying to outweigh a failure with new credits.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good GPA?
Context dependent. 3.0 is the common minimum for graduate programme applications, 3.5 is competitive, and 3.7 and above is strong. Many employers never ask. A GPA in a demanding programme is not comparable to the same number in an easier one, and admissions committees generally know this.
Do pass/fail courses affect GPA?
Usually not — they earn credit without grade points and are excluded from the calculation. That means a pass/fail course neither helps nor harms your GPA, which is precisely why students use the option for risky electives.
How do I convert my GPA to another country's system?
There is no universal conversion, and institutions publish their own equivalence tables. Credential evaluation services exist for exactly this reason. Any informal conversion should be treated as indicative only.