How to Calculate Your GPA (Step by Step)
Published June 7, 2026
Your GPA is just a weighted average. Once you see the arithmetic, you can calculate it in your head, spot which classes move the needle most, and plan your semester with real targets.
- Convert each letter grade to a grade point (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, and so on).
- Multiply each grade point by the number of credit hours for that course.
- Divide the total grade points by the total credit hours.
- Semester GPA covers one term; cumulative GPA covers every term so far.
- Weighted GPA (used in high school) adds extra points for AP or honors courses.
The 4.0 scale at a glance
Most schools in the United States use the 4.0 scale. Each letter grade maps to a fixed number of grade points.
Many schools also use plus/minus grades. A+ and A both earn 4.0 at most institutions. A- typically maps to 3.7, B+ to 3.3, B- to 2.7, and so on down the scale. Check your school’s registrar page for their exact table.
The formula
“Total grade points” means each course’s grade-point value multiplied by its credit hours, then all of those products added together. Credit hours simply reflect how many hours per week a class meets, which is usually 3 or 4 for a standard course.
Worked example, step by step
Say you took four classes last semester.
Biology (4 credits, A), English (3 credits, B+), History (3 credits, A-), Math (4 credits, B).
A = 4.0, B+ = 3.3, A- = 3.7, B = 3.0.
Biology: 4.0 × 4 = 16.0. English: 3.3 × 3 = 9.9. History: 3.7 × 3 = 11.1. Math: 3.0 × 4 = 12.0.
Total grade points: 16.0 + 9.9 + 11.1 + 12.0 = 49.0. Total credits: 4 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 14.
49.0 ÷ 14 = 3.50. That's your semester GPA.
Notice that the 4-credit Biology and Math courses pull the average harder than the 3-credit courses. Heavier courses have more weight, which is exactly what the credit-hour system is designed to do.
Semester GPA vs. cumulative GPA
Covers only the current term. Calculated fresh each semester from that term's courses alone.
Best for tracking recent performance and spotting trends.
Covers every graded term since you enrolled. Calculated from the combined totals of all semesters.
What transcripts, employers, and graduate schools see.
To compute a cumulative GPA, you don’t average your semester GPAs. You add up all grade points from all semesters, then divide by all credit hours from all semesters. A single weak semester in a sea of strong ones matters less than you think because the denominator grows every term.
Weighted vs. unweighted GPA (high school)
High school adds one more layer: course difficulty.
Uses the plain 4.0 scale for every course. An A in gym and an A in AP Chemistry both earn 4.0.
Max possible: 4.0. Treats all courses equally.
Adds a bonus to the grade-point value for honors, AP, or IB courses. Common bonuses: +0.5 for honors, +1.0 for AP/IB.
Max possible: 5.0. Rewards rigor.
An A in an AP class earns 5.0 on a weighted scale instead of 4.0. A B in the same class earns 4.0 weighted instead of 3.0. Colleges receive both numbers and consider the rigor of your schedule alongside the GPA itself.
Colleges usually recalculate your GPA on their own scale anyway, so a weighted 4.7 from one school is not automatically better than a 4.5 from another. Curriculum rigor, course selection, and grade trends carry weight too.