TidyToolsHow is GPA calculated?
GPA is a credit-weighted average of your grades. Each letter grade maps to a number of grade points (on the common 4.0 scale, A = 4.0, B = 3.0, and so on). For every course you multiply its grade points by its credit hours to get "quality points", add up all the quality points, and divide by the total credit hours. Weighting by credits matters because a 4-credit course affects your GPA twice as much as a 2-credit one.
Enter each course's grade and credits above and the calculator keeps a running GPA. It uses the standard scale with pluses and minuses; if your school uses a different scale, treat the result as a close estimate.
A worked example
Three courses: an A (4.0) worth 3 credits, a B+ (3.3) worth 4 credits, and a C (2.0) worth 3 credits. Quality points = 12 + 13.2 + 6 = 31.2, over 10 credits, giving a GPA of 3.12.
The standard 4.0 scale
- 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 · F = 0.0
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credits to get quality points, add them all up, and divide by the total credits.
Why weight by credit hours?
Because courses aren't equal — a higher-credit course should influence your GPA more than a lower-credit one, so grades are weighted by credits.
Does this use a weighted (5.0) scale?
No, it uses the standard unweighted 4.0 scale. Honors/AP weighted scales vary by school, so adjust if yours differs.