GPA Calculator

What Is a GPA Calculator?

The Grade Point Average is the universal academic currency in American higher education and many international universities. A single number on a 4.0 scale summarises your academic performance across all courses, weighted by credit hours. Graduate school admissions, scholarships, honours programmes, and many employers use GPA as a primary screening criterion, making it one of the most consequential numbers in a student's academic life.

The 4.0 scale assigns point values to letter grades: 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, and F = 0.0. Each course's grade points are multiplied by its credit hours, creating a weighted total. Dividing by the total credit hours gives your GPA. A 4-credit course affects your GPA twice as much as a 2-credit course, so performing well in high-credit courses is especially important.

This calculator handles both semester GPA and cumulative GPA. Enter your current semester's courses to see your term GPA, then input your existing cumulative GPA and total earned credits to see how this semester changes your overall standing. You can also plan ahead by entering hypothetical grades to determine what you need to achieve your target cumulative GPA.

How Do You Use This GPA Calculator?

Enter each course name, the letter grade received, and the number of credit hours. Click Calculate to see your semester GPA. Enter your existing cumulative GPA and total credits to calculate your updated cumulative GPA.

1. Enter the name of each course you are taking this semester.
2. Select the letter grade received (or expected) for each course.
3. Enter the credit hours for each course as listed in your course catalogue.
4. Click Calculate to see your semester GPA on the 4.0 scale.
5. Optionally enter your prior cumulative GPA and total credit hours earned.
6. View your updated cumulative GPA that includes the current semester.

How Does the GPA Calculator Formula Work?

The formula used: GPA = Σ(Grade Points × Credit Hours) / Σ(Credit Hours); where A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0

What Are Some Example Calculations?

Three courses: English (A, 3 credits), Calculus (B+, 4 credits), History (A−, 3 credits). GPA = (4.0×3 + 3.3×4 + 3.7×3) / (3+4+3) = (12 + 13.2 + 11.1) / 10 = 3.63.

When Should You Use a GPA Calculator?

Use the GPA calculator at the end of each semester to see your updated academic standing. Before registering for courses, use it to plan scenarios: if you take a difficult 4-credit course and earn a B, how does that compare to an easier 3-credit course where you expect an A? The credit-hour weighting means these are not equivalent decisions.

The calculator is essential when you are approaching a GPA threshold that matters — dean's list (often 3.5+), cum laude honours (3.5+), magna cum laude (3.7+), summa cum laude (3.9+), or a scholarship minimum (often 3.0). Knowing exactly where you stand and what grades you need in remaining courses lets you make informed choices about course loads, study priorities, and whether to retake a course.

What Do These Terms Mean?

What Are the Best Tips to Know?

• High-credit courses have the biggest impact on GPA — prioritise studying for 4-credit and 5-credit courses.
• Use the cumulative GPA feature to see how one bad semester affects your long-term average and how many good semesters it takes to recover.
• Check whether your university awards A+ as 4.0 or 4.3 — this varies by institution and significantly affects GPA calculations.
• Pass/fail or credit/no-credit courses typically do not affect GPA, so they can be a strategic choice for courses outside your strength.
• Track your GPA each semester to identify trends — a downward trend may indicate burnout or course difficulty issues that need addressing.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid?

• Forgetting to weight by credit hours — a 1-credit seminar grade should not affect your GPA as much as a 4-credit lecture course.
• Using the wrong grade point values for plus/minus grades at your specific institution.
• Including transfer credits that your university counts as pass/fail and excludes from GPA calculations.
• Assuming a high semester GPA will dramatically change a low cumulative GPA — with many accumulated credits, each new semester has a diminishing effect.