How to Calculate Your GPA (Weighted and Unweighted)

Your GPA (grade point average) turns all of your class grades into one number, usually on a 4.0 scale. Colleges, scholarships, and honor societies all use it, so it helps to know exactly how yours is calculated, and how to tell your weighted and unweighted GPA apart.

Step 1: Convert each grade to grade points

Most US high schools use this 4.0 scale. Each letter grade is worth a set number of points:

• A (93–100) = 4.0, A- (90–92) = 3.7
• B+ (87–89) = 3.3, B (83–86) = 3.0, B- (80–82) = 2.7
• C+ (77–79) = 2.3, C (73–76) = 2.0, C- (70–72) = 1.7
• D+ (67–69) = 1.3, D (65–66) = 1.0
• F (below 65) = 0

Schools differ. Some don't use plus/minus grades, some start an A at 90, and some use a 5.0 or 100-point scale. Check your student handbook for your school's exact scale.

Step 2: Weight each class by its credits

Not every class counts equally. A full-year class might be worth 1 credit and a semester class 0.5. Multiply each class's grade points by its credits. If every class is worth the same, you can skip this step.

Step 3: Add it up and divide

Add together all of the grade points (after multiplying by credits), then divide by your total number of credits. That's your unweighted GPA.

What makes a GPA "weighted"?

A weighted GPA gives extra points for harder classes, so taking a tougher schedule doesn't hurt your average. A common system adds:

• +0.5 for Honors classes
• +1.0 for AP, IB, and dual-enrollment classes
• +0 for regular classes

With that system, an A in an AP class counts as 5.0 instead of 4.0, which is why weighted GPAs can go above 4.0.

A worked example

Say you take four 1-credit classes:

• English (regular): A = 4.0
• AP Biology: B+ = 3.3, or 4.3 weighted
• Honors Algebra II: A- = 3.7, or 4.2 weighted
• History (regular): B = 3.0

Unweighted GPA: (4.0 + 3.3 + 3.7 + 3.0) ÷ 4 = 3.50. Weighted GPA: (4.0 + 4.3 + 4.2 + 3.0) ÷ 4 = 3.88.

Which GPA do colleges use?

Both appear on your transcript at many schools, but a lot of colleges recalculate GPA with their own rules, often using only core academic classes. What they consistently look at is the trend in your grades and how challenging your schedule was. A slightly lower GPA in harder classes usually reads better than a perfect GPA in the easiest ones.

How to raise your GPA

• Focus on the classes with the most credits; they move your GPA the most.
• Know what you need on each final before you walk in, so you can prioritize.
• Catch slipping grades early. A C at midterm is much easier to fix than a C on the report card.
• Turn in every assignment. Zeros drag averages down far more than a few low scores.