How college GPA is calculated
College GPA is calculated by multiplying each course’s grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, adding them up, and dividing by the credit hours of graded courses. Courses with no grade points, such as pass/fail, withdrawals and incompletes, are left out of both totals.[1][2][3]
GPA = Σ(grade points × credit hours) ÷ Σ(graded credit hours)
| Course | Grade | Points | Credit hours | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus I | B+ | 3.3 | 4 | 13.2 |
| English Composition | A− | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Intro to Psychology | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| General Chemistry | B | 3.0 | 4 | 12.0 |
| Chemistry lab | P | – | 1 (not graded) | – |
| Total | 14 | 48.3 |
48.3 ÷ 14 = 3.45. Notice that the 4-credit B+ in Calculus pulls harder than the 3-credit A in Psychology: credit hours are the weights.
College GPA calculator on a 4.0 scale: plus/minus and A+
Almost every U.S. college uses the 4.0 scale with A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 and so on, but they differ at the top. Berkeley and Michigan count an A+ as 4.0; Stanford uses a 4.3 scale.[1][2][3] A few do not use plus/minus grades at all. Set both menus in the calculator to match your registrar’s published scale, which is usually on the registrar’s or catalog’s “grading system” page.
Pass/fail, withdrawals and repeated courses
- Pass/fail (P/NP, S/U, CR/NC): a pass earns credit toward graduation but carries no points and stays out of the GPA. A failing pass/fail grade can still count: Stanford’s NP carries 0.0 and is calculated into the GPA.[3] Pick “P” in the calculator to see a pass excluded, or “F” for a failing grade that counts.
- Withdrawal (W): no grade points and no GPA hours. It can still affect financial aid and progress rules.
- Incomplete (I): left out until a final grade replaces it.
- Repeated courses: policies vary. Some colleges replace the first grade with the new one; others average both. If your college replaces grades, enter only the newer attempt.
Semester vs. cumulativeThis page gives the GPA for the courses you enter, usually one semester. To combine it with your existing college GPA, use the cumulative GPA calculator with the credit hours from your transcript.
Semester GPA calculator: planning the term
Before grades come out, enter the grades you expect to see the semester GPA they would produce. Swap one grade at a time to see which course matters most: in the example, raising Calculus from B+ to A− adds 0.4 × 4 = 1.6 quality points, more than raising Psychology from A to A+ ever could. For a course still in progress, get the expected letter from the final grade calculator or the weighted grade calculator.
College grade calculator vs. high school GPA
College GPAs are normally unweighted: there is no honors or AP bonus, and the course’s credit hours do all the weighting. High school GPAs often add +0.5 or +1.0 for harder courses; the high school GPA calculator handles that. Applying to graduate or professional school? Programs usually use the GPA printed on your transcripts, but some application services recalculate it with their own rules; medical school applicants can estimate the AMCAS version with the science GPA calculator, and law school applicants the LSAC version with the LSAC GPA calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my college GPA?
Multiply each grade’s points by the course’s credit hours, add the results, and divide by the total credit hours of graded courses. Leave out pass/fail, W and I grades.
Do pass/fail classes affect GPA?
Usually not. A pass earns credit but no grade points, so it is left out of the GPA. A failing grade in a pass/fail course is counted differently by different colleges; check your registrar.
What is a semester GPA?
The GPA of the courses taken in one term. Your cumulative GPA combines every term, weighted by credit hours.
Is an A+ a 4.0 or 4.3 in college?
It depends on the college. UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan count it as 4.0; Stanford counts it as 4.3. The registrar’s grading page says which.