How to calculate your GPA
Quick answer
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours, add those up, then divide by the total credit hours. A 4-credit A (4.0) and a 3-credit B+ (3.3) give (4.0x4 + 3.3x3) / 7 = 3.69.
- 1List each course with its letter grade (or numeric grade point) and credit hours.
- 2Multiply each grade by its credits to get grade points earned.
- 3Add up the grade points earned and the credit hours separately.
- 4Divide total grade points by total credits - that is the GPA.
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A GPA is not a simple average of your grades - it is a credit-weighted average. A 4-credit course affects the number more than a 1-credit course, which is exactly why two students with the same letter grades can end up with different GPAs if their course loads differ.
The arithmetic itself is simple once you see it laid out - the part people usually get stuck on is doing it by hand across eight or ten courses without a mistake creeping in.
Step by step
Convert each grade to grade points
On the standard US scale, A/A+ = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and so on down to F = 0.0.
Multiply by credit hours
Each course's grade points times its credit hours gives that course's grade points earned.
Sum and divide
Add every course's grade points earned, add every course's credits, then divide the first total by the second.
GPA Calculator
Tips
- A GPA calculator with an add-a-course row is far less error-prone than doing this by hand once you are past four or five courses - one missed multiplication changes the final number.
- If your institution uses a 10-point, 5-point or percentage scale instead of the US 4.0 scale, the arithmetic is identical - only the numbers you plug in change.
- A cumulative GPA is calculated exactly the same way, just with every course from every semester included in one list at once.
Common problems
Two people calculate the same courses and get different GPAs.
Check whether both are using the same grade-point scale - some schools use a flat 4.0 for both A and A+, others give A+ a value above 4.0. Use your institution's exact table.
A pass/fail or audited course throws the number off.
Pass/fail courses are usually excluded from GPA entirely rather than counted as a 0 or 4.0 - check your institution's policy before including one.
Frequently asked questions
- Is GPA a simple average of my grades?
- No - it is weighted by credit hours, so a course worth more credits affects the GPA more than one worth fewer, even with the same letter grade.
- What is a good GPA?
- It depends entirely on context - a 3.5 is strong at one institution and average at another. Compare against your own program's typical range rather than a universal number.
- Does this work for a 10-point CGPA scale?
- Yes - the calculator has a "grade points" mode for any numeric scale, including a 10-point CGPA, alongside the standard US letter-grade mode.
Related related tools
- GPA CalculatorAdd each course's grade and credit hours to get your credit-weighted GPA - letter grades or any numeric scale.
- Percentage CalculatorFive percentage calculations in one place, with the answer explained in plain English.