What does GPA mean?
GPA stands for grade point average. It is a single number that sums up your grades across all your classes, on a scale that usually runs from 0.0 to 4.0 in the United States. Each letter grade is worth a set number of points (A is 4.0, B is 3.0, and so on), and your GPA is the average of those points across every course you take.
GPA is the standard way US schools and universities report academic performance. Instead of listing every grade, they convert each one to points and average them, so a 3.5 GPA tells an admissions officer or employer roughly how you have done overall. A higher number is better, and 4.0 is the top of the standard scale, meaning straight A grades.
There are two common versions. An unweighted GPA treats every class the same, so an A is 4.0 whether it was an easy elective or a hard honors course. A weighted GPA adds extra points for harder classes, often +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for Advanced Placement or IB. That is why some students report a GPA above 4.0. Your cumulative GPA is the average across all terms, not just one.
If you have studied under a different system, GPA can feel unfamiliar. The German 1 to 6 Notensystem runs the other way, where 1.0 is the best grade. The Spanish 0 to 10 scale puts 10 at the top. GPA flips that intuition: bigger is better, and 4.0 is the ceiling on the standard scale.
| Letter grade | GPA points | 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% |
| D | 1.0 | 60 to 69% |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60% |
- 1List every course and the letter grade you earned in each one.
- 2Convert each letter grade to GPA points using the 4.0 scale (A is 4.0, B is 3.0, C is 2.0, D is 1.0, F is 0.0).
- 3If your courses have different credit values, multiply each grade's points by that course's credits. If they are equal, you can skip this step.
- 4Add up all the points (or all the credit-weighted points).
- 5Divide by the number of courses (or by the total number of credits) to get your GPA.
- 6For a weighted GPA, add the bonus for harder classes before averaging, often +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP or IB.