How to calculate your GPA

Step 1: turn grades into points

Most US high schools use this 4.0 scale (a few count an A+ as 4.3):

• ✓ A or A+ = 4.0, A- = 3.7
• ✓ B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7
• ✓ C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7
• ✓ D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0

Step 2: weight by credits and average

Multiply each course's points by its credits (usually 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester), add the results, and divide by the total credits.

Example: English A (1 credit), AP Chemistry B+ (1), Honors History A- (1), Spanish B (0.5) and PE A (0.5). Points: 4.0 + 3.3 + 3.7 + (3.0 x 0.5) + (4.0 x 0.5) = 14.5. Total credits: 4. Unweighted GPA: 14.5 / 4 = 3.63.

Step 3: weighted GPA

Many schools add 0.5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP, IB or dual-enrollment courses. In the example, AP Chemistry becomes 4.3 and Honors History 4.2, so the total is 16.0 and the weighted GPA is 16.0 / 4 = 4.00.

Colleges often recalculate GPA their own way and judge course difficulty separately, so the unweighted figure and the courses you took both matter.

Cumulative GPA

To combine semesters, multiply your previous GPA by the credits it covered, add this semester's grade points, and divide by all the credits together. A 3.40 over 12 credits plus a 3.63 over 4 credits gives (40.8 + 14.5) / 16 = 3.46.

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