On This Page
- A weighted average, not a simple one
- Grade points on each scale
- Which mode to use
- Why one great semester moves the needle so little
- Percentage grades to GPA
- Special GPAs: BCPM, LSAC and UC
- How the calculator is verified
- FAQ
A Weighted Average, Not a Simple One
A 4-credit course counts four times as much as a 1-credit course with the same grade. A semester with English (3 credits, A), Biology (4, B+), History (3, A−) and Art (2, B) works out as 12.0 + 13.2 + 11.1 + 6.0 = 42.3 quality points over 12 credits, a 3.53 GPA. For the same reason, never average semester GPAs: a 15-credit term has to outweigh a 9-credit one.
Grade Points on Each Scale
| Grade | Standard US | International |
|---|---|---|
| A+ / A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | n/a |
| B+ / B / B− | 3.3 / 3.0 / 2.7 | 3.5 / 3.0 / n/a |
| C+ / C / C− | 2.3 / 2.0 / 1.7 | 2.5 / 2.0 / n/a |
| D+ / D / D− | 1.3 / 1.0 / 0.7 | 1.5 / 1.0 / n/a |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Weighted scales add a bonus for harder classes, commonly +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP or IB, so an A in AP counts as 5.0. Some schools score A+ as 4.3, and weighting rules vary by district, so check your school's official scale before quoting a weighted GPA on an application. Many admissions offices recalculate unweighted, which is why a 4.4 weighted is not automatically stronger than a 3.9 unweighted from harder classes.
Which Mode to Use
- College GPA with credits: enter each course's credit hours. For a major GPA, enter only courses in your major. A semester GPA is just that term's courses.
- High school / no credits: every class counts as 1, so the result is a plain average of grade points. This also covers middle school and junior high.
- Cumulative GPA: enter your current GPA and completed credits, then this term's courses, to see where you will land before the term starts.
Why One Great Semester Moves the Needle So Little
A student with a 3.10 after 60 credits who earns a perfect 4.0 over 15 credits has 186 + 60 = 246 quality points over 75 credits, a 3.28, not the 3.55 that averaging the two GPAs would suggest. A 3.20 after 45 credits plus 48 quality points over 15 credits stays exactly at 3.20. The more credits you already have, the less any single term can move the total. What GPA you need this semester to hit a target runs the formula backward. To express a GPA move as a percentage, use the Percentage Increase Calculator or, for a drop, the Percentage Decrease Calculator.
Percentage Grades to GPA
If your school reports percentages, convert each one to a letter first, using this common US scale (schools set their own boundaries):
93–100% A (4.0) · 90–92 A− (3.7) · 87–89 B+ (3.3) · 83–86 B (3.0) · 80–82 B− (2.7) · 77–79 C+ (2.3) · 73–76 C (2.0) · 70–72 C− (1.7) · 67–69 D+ (1.3) · 63–66 D (1.0) · 60–62 D− (0.7) · below 60 F (0.0).
To turn a raw score such as 47 out of 60 into a percentage first, use the Percentage Calculator.
Special GPAs: BCPM, LSAC and UC
- Science GPA (BCPM) for medical school uses only Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math, counting every attempt at every college, with no grade forgiveness. Six courses (Biology I 4 cr A, Chemistry I 4 cr B+, Chemistry II 4 cr B, Organic I 3 cr A−, Physics I 4 cr B+, Calculus I 3 cr A) give 77.5 quality points over 22 credits: 3.52. AMCAS calculates the official figure from your transcript.
- Law school (LSAC) includes every undergraduate school you attended and every retake, excludes graduate courses, and generally excludes pass/fail. This calculator gives an estimate; LSAC's report is final.
- University of California uses only A-G courses from grades 10 and 11, with the honors bonus capped at eight semesters. Weighted mode here does not enforce that cap, so check it yourself.
How the Calculator Is Verified
Switching the mode dropdown to equal-weight overrides every course's credit value to 1 before the totals are summed, so the denominator becomes a straight count of classes no matter what credit numbers sit in the input boxes. Cumulative mode instead reads each course's actual credit value, multiplies current GPA by current credits to reconstruct prior quality points, and adds that to the term's quality points before dividing by the combined credit total. A course only enters either calculation once its grade dropdown and credit field both have values; empty rows are filtered out before the totals run.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can one semester realistically move my GPA?
Much less than most students expect, and it shrinks the more credits you've already completed. The section on why one great semester moves the needle so little works through the numbers above; see what GPA you need this semester to hit a target for the reverse formula and a full ceiling table by credits completed.
If I retake a course, does the original grade get replaced?
Depends on your school's policy. Grade forgiveness replaces the original grade for your school's GPA. Other schools average both attempts. LSAC includes every attempt regardless of your school's forgiveness policy. Check your registrar before assuming a retake will move your GPA the way you expect.
Does pass/fail count toward GPA?
Usually not, a pass earns credits without grade points and does not affect GPA. A fail may earn neither credits nor grade points, though some schools record it as a 0. LSAC excludes most pass/fail coursework from its calculation. Pass/fail courses still appear on transcripts visible to graduate programs.
References
- College Board BigFuture: college admissions guidance including how admissions offices interpret weighted and unweighted GPA across different high schools.
- AAMC AMCAS, Medical School Application: official source for how BCPM science GPA is calculated and verified for medical school applications.
- LSAC, Law School Admission Council: official source for how LSAC recalculates undergraduate GPA, including all-attempts policy and institutional coverage rules.