How do you calculate your GPA?
To calculate your GPA, give each course a grade point on the 4.0 scale (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0), multiply each by the course's credit hours to get quality points, add up all the quality points, then divide by the total credit hours. The result, usually rounded to two decimals, is your GPA.
GPA stands for grade point average. It is the US system for turning your letter grades into a single number from 0.0 to 4.0. Two things go into it: the grade point for each course and how many credit hours that course is worth. A heavier course counts more, so a 4-credit class moves your GPA more than a 1-credit class with the same grade.
Plus and minus grades add detail. On the standard scale an A- is 3.7, a B+ is 3.3, a B- is 2.7, and so on. Some schools use a straight letter scale with no plus or minus, and a few cap an A+ at 4.0 while others give it 4.33. Weighted GPAs for honors or AP classes can also go above 4.0. Always check your school's own scale, because the bands vary.
A cumulative GPA covers every course you have taken. A semester or term GPA covers just that term. To go from a term GPA to a new cumulative GPA, work in quality points: add the new term's quality points to your existing total, then divide by your new total credit hours. You cannot simply average two GPA numbers unless both terms carry the same credits.
| Letter grade | Grade points (GPA) | Typical percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 93 to 100 |
| A- | 3.7 | 90 to 92 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87 to 89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83 to 86 |
| B- | 2.7 | 80 to 82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77 to 79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73 to 76 |
| C- | 1.7 | 70 to 72 |
| D | 1.0 | 60 to 69 |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60 |
- 1Write down each course, its letter grade, and its credit hours.
- 2Convert each letter grade to its grade point on your school's scale (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0).
- 3For each course, multiply the grade point by the credit hours. This gives the quality points for that course.
- 4Add up the quality points from all your courses.
- 5Add up the total credit hours of all your courses.
- 6Divide total quality points by total credit hours. That number, rounded to two decimals, is your GPA.
- 7Example: an A (4.0) in a 3-credit class and a B (3.0) in a 4-credit class give (4.0 x 3) + (3.0 x 4) = 24 quality points over 7 credits, so 24 / 7 = 3.43 GPA.