How to Calculate Your GPA: Grades, Credits, and the Formula
Calculate your GPA from letter grades and credit hours: the formula, a worked example, weighted vs unweighted, and a free GPA calculator to do it instantly.
Your GPA is the number every transcript, scholarship form, and grad-school application leads with, and it is just a weighted average of your grades. Once you know the formula, you can work it out in a couple of minutes.
What GPA actually measures
GPA, or grade point average, converts your letter grades into points and averages them, weighted by the credit hours of each course. On the common 4.0 scale an A is 4.0, a B is 3.0, and a C is 2.0. A heavier course (more credits) moves the average more than a light one, which is why credit hours matter.
The GPA formula
GPA = Σ (grade points × credit hours) ÷ Σ (credit hours)
In plain terms: multiply each course's grade points by its credits, add those up, and divide by the total credits.
A worked example
- Biology: A (4.0) over 4 credits = 16.0
- History: B (3.0) over 3 credits = 9.0
- Math: B+ (3.3) over 3 credits = 9.9
Add the points: 16.0 + 9.0 + 9.9 = 34.9. Add the credits: 4 + 3 + 3 = 10. Divide: 34.9 ÷ 10 = a 3.49 GPA.
Weighted vs unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0. A weighted GPA gives harder courses (honors, AP, IB) extra points, often on a 5.0 scale, so an A in an AP class can count as 5.0. If your school weights grades, use the weighted points in the same formula.
Calculate it instantly
Skip the arithmetic with the GPA calculator: enter each course's grade and credits and it applies the weighting for you. To combine several semesters into one cumulative figure, the CGPA calculator does that next, and our guide on how to calculate CGPA walks through it.
How to raise a GPA
Because grades are weighted by credits, your highest-credit courses move the number most, so protect those first. Retaking a failed class helps if your school replaces the original grade, and strong results in future heavy semesters lift the average faster than light ones. The earlier you act, the more credits you have left to shift it.