What Is a GPA Calculator?
A Grade Point Average (GPA) calculator is an academic tracking utility designed to compute your average performance score across a set of courses over a semester or multiple years. GPA is calculated by translating letter grades into numerical points, multiplying by course credits, and dividing by total credits.
GPA serves as the primary metric for academic success, college admissions, and scholarship applications. This tool handles unweighted 4.0 scales alongside weighted 5.0 scales (which award bonus weight to advanced Honors or AP/IB classes), giving students a complete view of their academic profile.
Formula
To calculate GPA, the numerical values corresponding to your course grades are weighted by credits and summed:
How to Use This Calculator
- Define Courses: Add rows for each class in your semester. Enter the course name for your records.
- Select Grade & Scale: Choose the letter grade you earned from the dropdown. Set the class scale to "Regular", "Honors", or "AP/IB" depending on the course type.
- Input Credit Hours: Enter the number of credits the class awards (typically 1 to 5 credits).
- Cumulative Prior GPA (Optional): If you want to compute your total cumulative GPA, enter your prior GPA and total cumulative credit hours in the optional fields.
Worked Example
Let's compute the GPA of a student who took three classes: English (3 credits, A), Math (3 credits, B), and AP Biology (4 credits, B, AP weight).
1. Determine grade points: English = 4.0; Math = 3.0; AP Biology = 3.0 + 1.0 weight = 4.0.
2. Compute honor points: English (4.0 × 3) = 12; Math (3.0 × 3) = 9; AP Biology (4.0 × 4) = 16.
3. Sum honor points: 12 + 9 + 16 = 37 points.
4. Sum credits: 3 + 3 + 4 = 10 credit hours.
5. Divide points by credits: 37 ÷ 10 = 3.70 GPA.