GPA Calculator.

Guide

How to use the GPA Calculator

The calculator has three parts: a course table for this term, a cumulative section that blends it with your record so far, and a target section for what you need going forward. Use just the first part, or all three.

1. Fill in one row per class. The Course name is optional. Pick the letter grade from the Grade menu (A+ down to F) and enter the Credits the class is worth, usually 3 or 4 in college and 1 or 0.5 in high school.
2. Set the Weight for each class: Regular, Honors +0.5, or AP / IB +1.0. Leave everything at Regular for an unweighted GPA.
3. Use + Add a course to add rows and the × button to remove one. A row with 0 credits adds nothing to the average.
4. Set A+ counts as to 4.0 or 4.3. Most schools cap at 4.0; check your transcript or handbook.
5. Read the This term's GPA headline and the credits and grade points underneath it.
6. To see where this term leaves your overall record, fill in Current GPA and Credits completed so far in the Cumulative section. The result appears as New cumulative GPA.
7. To plan ahead, enter a Target GPA and the Credits you'll take next in the Target section. The calculator shows the GPA you would need to average across those credits.

How the math works

A GPA is a weighted average. Each letter grade becomes a number of points, that number is multiplied by the class's credits, and the results are added up and divided by the total credits. A 4-credit class counts more than a 2-credit class, which is why you cannot just average the letter grades.

Weighting adds a bonus for harder classes before the multiplication: half a point for honors, a full point for AP or IB. An F gets no bonus; zero stays zero.

The cumulative GPA is the same average over a bigger pile of classes. The calculator rebuilds your prior grade points by multiplying Current GPA by Credits completed so far, adds this term's points, and divides by the combined credits. The target calculation runs that in reverse: find the total points the target requires, subtract what you have, and spread the gap across the credits you plan to take.

Worked example

Four unweighted classes this term: an A worth 3 credits, a B+ worth 4, an A− worth 3 and a C worth 2.

Grade	Points	Credits	Grade points
A	4.0	3	12.0
B+	3.3	4	13.2
A−	3.7	3	11.1
C	2.0	2	4.0
Total		12	40.3

This term's GPA: 40.3 ÷ 12 = 3.358, which displays as 3.36. A plain average of the four grade values (4.0, 3.3, 3.7, 2.0) would be 3.25; the 4-credit B+ pulls the real number up and the 2-credit C drags it down less than it looks.

Cumulative: say you came into the term with a 3.20 over 45 credits, which is 3.20 × 45 = 144.0 grade points. Add this term's 40.3 and you have 184.3 points over 57 credits, so the new cumulative GPA is 184.3 ÷ 57 = 3.23.

Target: you want a 3.50 and plan to take 30 more credits on top of the 57 you now have. A 3.50 over 87 credits requires 3.50 × 87 = 304.5 grade points. You have 184.3, so you need 120.2 more across 30 credits: 120.2 ÷ 30 = 4.007, displayed as 4.01. That is above a perfect unweighted score, which is the calculator's way of saying a 3.50 is not realistic in 30 credits.

What moves your GPA most

Credits, not grades. A bad grade in a high-credit class costs more than the same grade in a one-credit elective. If the C in the example were a 4-credit class instead of 2, the semester GPA would fall from 3.36 to 3.16; bump the B+ to an A and it only rises to 3.59. Protect the heavy classes.

Weighting is a big lever where it exists. Make the same B+ an AP class and it becomes a 4.3, lifting the semester GPA to 3.69. That is why weighted GPAs above 4.0 are normal at schools that use them, and why a weighted GPA from one school cannot be compared with an unweighted one from another. The A+ setting is smaller: count the A as an A+ at 4.3 and the semester GPA moves to 3.43.

Your record gets heavier every term. With 45 credits banked, a 12-credit term at 3.36 moves the cumulative number only from 3.20 to 3.23. The more credits you have, the harder the average is to move, which is the math behind "start strong."

Reading the target number honestly

Any Needed figure above 4.0 (or above your weighted ceiling) means the target is out of reach in the credits you entered. In the example, straight 4.0 grades across 30 credits land at 3.4977, which only rounds to 3.50; it takes 31 credits of perfect grades to clear it cleanly. A very low number means the opposite: you have slack to spend on a harder course load.

Spreading the goal over more credits always lowers the required average. From the same 3.23-over-57 start, a 3.50 takes a 4.01 average over 30 credits, 3.84 over 45, and 3.75 over 60. Lower the target to 3.40 and 30 credits at a 3.72 average will do it. The target section is as much a timeline tool as a grade tool.

What this calculator doesn't do

It uses the standard 4.0 scale and the common honors and AP bonuses, but schools vary: some use different plus and minus values, some skip plus and minus grades entirely, some use different weighting bonuses, and some use a 100-point or 5.0 scale. Your transcript is the official number; this is a planning estimate.

It does not handle pass/fail classes, withdrawals, incompletes, repeated courses or grade replacement, and it does not distinguish between GPAs computed for admissions, scholarships and athletic eligibility, which can differ. Check with your registrar or counselor for anything official.

Frequently asked questions

Results are computed in your browser from the numbers you enter; nothing is sent to us. Double-check anything you rely on. See the terms of use.