The GPA formula
GPA is a credit-weighted average: multiply each course's grade point value by its credit hours, add those up across all courses, then divide by the total credit hours. A student with an A (4.0) in a 4-credit course and a B (3.0) in a 3-credit course has a GPA of (4.0×4 + 3.0×3) ÷ (4+3) = 25 ÷ 7 ≈ 3.57 — noticeably closer to the 4-credit course's grade than a simple average of 4.0 and 3.0 (which would be 3.5) would suggest, because that course carries more weight.
The standard 4.0 scale
The most widely used scale converts letter grades as: 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+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0.0. This is the default most U.S. colleges use, but it's not universal — always check your specific institution's official grading policy if you need a figure that matches your transcript exactly.
Calculate your GPA
Weighted vs. unweighted, explained
An unweighted GPA treats every course identically regardless of rigor — an A is 4.0 whether it's in a standard class or an AP class. A weighted GPA adds bonus points for more rigorous courses (commonly an extra 0.5 or 1.0 for honors, AP, or IB classes), which is why some students report a weighted GPA above 4.0. High schools far more often report weighted GPAs than colleges do, which is the most common reason a student's own unweighted calculation doesn't match what's printed on an official transcript.
Cumulative GPA matters more than a single term
Because credit weighting means a bad grade in a high-credit course drags the average down more than the same grade in a low-credit course, it's worth calculating your cumulative GPA — every completed course across every term — rather than judging standing from a single semester in isolation. Cumulative GPA is typically the figure that matters for scholarships, academic standing, and graduate school applications, so it's the number worth tracking over time, not just each term's individual result.