How is GPA calculated?

GPA is calculated as: GPA = Σ(grade points × credit hours) / Σ(credit hours). Each letter grade maps to a point value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.). You multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours, sum all the products, then divide by total credit hours. This calculator does all of this automatically as you type.

What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

An unweighted GPA uses a standard 4.0 scale regardless of course difficulty — an A is always 4.0 points. A weighted GPA rewards harder courses: Honors classes add 0.5 points and AP/IB classes add 1.0 point to the base grade value, allowing GPAs above 4.0 (up to 5.0 on a 5.0 scale). Colleges typically recalculate to unweighted GPA when comparing applicants from different schools.

How do I calculate cumulative GPA?

Cumulative GPA is a weighted average across all semesters: (previous GPA × previous credits + current semester GPA × current credits) / (total credits). Enter your previous cumulative GPA and total credit hours in the "Previous GPA" section of this calculator and it will compute your updated cumulative GPA automatically.

What GPA is needed for a 4.0 scale honor roll?

Honor roll requirements vary by school, but common thresholds are: High Honors (Dean's List at college) typically requires a 3.5 or higher; regular Honors usually starts at 3.0–3.3. A 4.0 GPA means straight A's. In high school, a 3.5+ GPA is generally considered strong for college applications.

How does the India CGPA (10.0) scale work?

The Indian 10.0 CGPA scale assigns grade points from 0–10 (O/Outstanding = 10, A+ = 9, A = 8, down to F = 0). The CGPA is the weighted average of grade points across all courses, weighted by credit hours. To estimate the percentage equivalent, many institutions use the formula: Percentage = CGPA × 9.5 (as per the CBSE and many university guidelines).

GPA Calculator

Calculate semester and cumulative GPA across 4.0, 5.0, and international grading scales — 100% in your browser.

Last updated: April 2026

Grading Scale

Standard US unweighted GPA scale used by most colleges and high schools.

Course	Grade	Credits

Semester GPA

—/ 4.0

Enter at least one course grade and credits to calculate.

lockYour grades never leave your browser. Calculations happen entirely on your device.

What it does

Multiple grading scales

Supports Standard 4.0 (unweighted), Weighted 5.0 (AP/Honors), 4.3 Scale (Canada), India 10.0 CGPA, and raw percentage — switch scales without re-entering courses.

Cumulative GPA tracking

Enter your prior cumulative GPA and credit total to see how this semester updates your overall standing.

Weighted course types

For the 5.0 weighted scale, mark each course as Regular, Honors, AP, or IB to apply the correct grade point bonus.

What-if insights

See how improving one grade would affect your overall GPA — useful for deciding where to focus your study effort.

Privacy-first

All calculations happen in your browser. Your grades are never sent to any server.

How to use GPA Calculator

1
Select your grading scale
Choose from Standard 4.0 (unweighted), Weighted 5.0 (for AP/Honors courses), 4.3 Scale (common in Canada), or India 10.0 CGPA. The scale affects how letter grades convert to grade points.
2
Enter your courses
Type each course name (optional), your grade (letter like "A-" or percentage like "87"), and the credit hours. The calculator starts with 5 blank rows — click "Add course" for more.
3
Set course type for weighted scales
If using the Weighted 5.0 scale, select Regular, Honors, AP, or IB for each course. Honors adds 0.5 points and AP/IB adds 1.0 points to the base grade point value.
4
Add previous GPA for cumulative calculation
Expand "Previous GPA" and enter your cumulative GPA and total credits from prior semesters. The tool calculates your new cumulative GPA automatically.
5
Review your results
Your semester GPA appears as the main result. If you added a previous GPA, your updated cumulative GPA shows below. The grade distribution and what-if insights help you understand where your GPA stands.

How GPA scales compare — 4.0, 4.3, 5.0, and beyond

The most common GPA scale in the United States is the 4.0 unweighted scale, where an A equals 4.0 grade points, a B equals 3.0, a C equals 2.0, and so on. This scale has been the standard for most US high schools and colleges for decades. Its simplicity makes it easy to compare GPAs across institutions, which is why colleges typically recalculate submitted GPAs to this scale.

The 4.3 scale is widely used in Canadian universities and in some US institutions. The key difference is that an A+ earns 4.3 grade points rather than 4.0, providing a small but meaningful distinction between students who achieved A+ versus A. For a student with several A+ grades, this can meaningfully raise their reported GPA above 4.0.

The 5.0 weighted scale was developed to recognize the additional rigor of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Honors courses at the high school level. On a 5.0 scale, an A in an AP course earns 5.0 points instead of 4.0, an A in an Honors course earns 4.5 points, while a regular A remains 4.0. A student who excels in challenging coursework can achieve a GPA above 4.0, which signals academic ambition to college admissions committees.

International scales vary considerably. India uses a 10-point CGPA system at most major universities (CBSE, IITs, NITs), where grades range from 0–10 and the overall CGPA is a credit-weighted average. The approximate percentage equivalent is CGPA × 9.5. The UK uses degree classification bands (First Class, 2:1, 2:2, Third) rather than a numerical GPA. When applying internationally, conversion tools help but always check with the receiving institution for their specific conversion policy.

Strategies for improving your GPA this semester

GPA improvement is a math problem before it becomes a study problem. The first step is understanding the leverage each course gives you. A high-credit course (4 credits) has far more impact on your GPA than a low-credit elective (1 credit). Use the what-if feature in this calculator to see exactly how improving one grade — particularly in your highest-credit courses — would change your semester GPA.

Focus on the boundary grades. The difference between a B (3.0) and a B+ (3.3) is 0.3 grade points per credit hour. In a 4-credit course, that difference contributes 1.2 additional quality points to your semester total. Over multiple courses, these boundary improvements compound significantly. Identify which courses you are currently scoring just below a grade boundary and prioritize those.

Cumulative GPA recovery takes time. A student with a 2.5 cumulative GPA over 60 credits who earns a 4.0 semester GPA in a 15-credit semester will only reach approximately 2.69 — cumulative GPA cannot be raised quickly when there are many prior credits dragging it down. This is why early-semester GPA protection matters: it is far easier to maintain a strong GPA than to recover a damaged one.

Practical study strategies that move the needle include: attending every class (consistent engagement has a well-documented correlation with grades), using office hours before exams rather than after, and focusing extra study time on high-weight assessments (midterms and finals typically account for 50–70% of a course grade).

GPA requirements — grad school, scholarships, and employment

GPA thresholds matter at several key transitions in academic and professional life. Understanding the benchmarks relevant to your goals helps you prioritize the effort needed to clear them.

For graduate school admissions, competitive programs in law (top 14 law schools), medicine (MD programs), and business (top MBA programs) typically look for GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Engineering and STEM master's programs vary widely — many state university programs accept students with a 3.0, while top programs may expect 3.7+. PhD programs often require a minimum of 3.5 in the relevant field, though research experience carries more weight. Check each program's published median GPA for admitted students.

For scholarships, merit-based scholarships commonly use GPA as a primary filter. The National Merit Scholarship, many university endowed scholarships, and departmental awards typically set floors between 3.5 and 4.0. Renewable scholarships may require maintaining a minimum GPA (often 3.0–3.5) each semester to retain the award — dropping below this threshold mid-year can create significant financial stress.

For employment, investment banks and consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) have well-known GPA cutoffs, typically 3.5 for on-campus recruiting. Technology companies (Google, Amazon, Meta) formally have no GPA requirement but campus recruiters often screen below 3.0 for new-grad roles. For most professional roles, GPA becomes irrelevant after 2–3 years of work experience when demonstrated output replaces academic credentials as the primary signal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is GPA calculated?: GPA is calculated as: GPA = Σ(grade points × credit hours) / Σ(credit hours). Each letter grade maps to a point value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.). You multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours, sum all the products, then divide by total credit hours. This calculator does all of this automatically as you type.
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?: An unweighted GPA uses a standard 4.0 scale regardless of course difficulty — an A is always 4.0 points. A weighted GPA rewards harder courses: Honors classes add 0.5 points and AP/IB classes add 1.0 point to the base grade value, allowing GPAs above 4.0 (up to 5.0 on a 5.0 scale). Colleges typically recalculate to unweighted GPA when comparing applicants from different schools.
How do I calculate cumulative GPA?: Cumulative GPA is a weighted average across all semesters: (previous GPA × previous credits + current semester GPA × current credits) / (total credits). Enter your previous cumulative GPA and total credit hours in the "Previous GPA" section of this calculator and it will compute your updated cumulative GPA automatically.
What GPA is needed for a 4.0 scale honor roll?: Honor roll requirements vary by school, but common thresholds are: High Honors (Dean's List at college) typically requires a 3.5 or higher; regular Honors usually starts at 3.0–3.3. A 4.0 GPA means straight A's. In high school, a 3.5+ GPA is generally considered strong for college applications.
How does the India CGPA (10.0) scale work?: The Indian 10.0 CGPA scale assigns grade points from 0–10 (O/Outstanding = 10, A+ = 9, A = 8, down to F = 0). The CGPA is the weighted average of grade points across all courses, weighted by credit hours. To estimate the percentage equivalent, many institutions use the formula: Percentage = CGPA × 9.5 (as per the CBSE and many university guidelines).