How to Calculate GPA
GPA is an average where bigger classes count more. Step through a real four-class semester below, then run your own numbers in the GPA calculator.
Step through a semester
Step 1 of 5. Start with each course, its letter grade and its credit hours.
| Course | Grade | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | A- | 4 |
| English | B+ | 3 |
| Spanish | A | 3 |
| Music | C | 1 |
The five steps in writing
- List your courses with the letter grade and credit hours from your transcript or report card.
- Convert letters to points using the GPA scale: A 4.0, A- 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0, and so on.
- Multiply by credits to get quality points for each course.
- Add up quality points and credits separately.
- Divide quality points by credits and round to two decimals.
Cumulative GPA
To fold a new semester into your overall GPA, turn your old GPA back into quality points (old GPA × old credits), add the new term's quality points, and divide by all credits. The college GPA calculator does it for you.
Weighted GPA
Many high schools add 0.5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP or IB classes before step 3. An A in AP Chemistry becomes 5.0 instead of 4.0. Compare both versions in the high school GPA calculator.
How to calculate a class grade
GPA starts from your letter grade in each class. To work that out from assignment scores, divide points earned by points possible, or use category weights, as the grade calculator explains.
Questions students ask
How do you calculate GPA step by step?
1) Convert each letter grade to grade points (A = 4.0, B = 3.0…). 2) Multiply each by the course credits to get quality points. 3) Add all quality points. 4) Add all credits. 5) Divide quality points by credits.
How do I calculate GPA if all classes have the same credits?
Just average the grade points. Four classes with A, B, B and C are (4 + 3 + 3 + 2) ÷ 4 = 3.0.
How do I calculate my grade in a class?
Divide points earned by points possible, or for weighted classes multiply each category average by its weight and divide by the total weight. The grade calculator does both.
How do I calculate weighted GPA?
Add 0.5 to the grade points of Honors classes and 1.0 to AP/IB classes before averaging (failing grades get no bonus). The high school GPA calculator does this automatically.