GPA Scale and Letter Grade Points

A GPA scale assigns a numerical point value to each letter grade. Those points are multiplied by course credits to calculate a semester or cumulative average. The table below is the exact unweighted scale used by this calculator. It is a useful reference for estimating GPA, but your school's official scale and transcript rules take priority when they differ.

The calculator's letter-grade table

Plus and minus grades create steps between whole letters. For example, B+ is 3.30, B is 3.00, and B- is 2.70. The gaps are not all mathematically identical: moving from A to A- changes by 0.30, while moving from A- to B+ changes by 0.40. Use the listed point values rather than trying to generate them with a shortcut.

Is an A+ worth 4.00 or 4.33?

The calculator treats A+ as 4.00 by default, the same as an A. If your school assigns 4.33 to A+, select the A+ option in the calculator. That changes the base value of A+ in both unweighted and weighted calculations. With the option selected, an Honors A+ becomes 4.83 and an AP, IB, or dual-enrollment A+ becomes 5.33 under this tool's weighting rules. No other letter value changes.

Neither A+ choice is correct for every school. Some schools do not use plus and minus grades, and others use them with different values. Match the setting to the policy governing the record you are estimating. If the policy is unclear, the registrar or official academic handbook is a better authority than a general-purpose calculator.

How course weighting changes the scale

The displayed table gives base, unweighted points. For a weighted result, this calculator adds 0.50 to a non-failing Honors grade and 1.00 to a non-failing AP, IB, or dual-enrollment grade. Regular classes receive no bonus, and an F stays at 0.00 regardless of course level. Schools differ in the bonuses they use and in which courses qualify. Read the weighted versus unweighted guide before comparing a weighted result with an official figure.

From percentages to letter grades

This calculator asks for letter grades because percentage cutoffs vary by school, program, course, and instructor. It does not automatically convert a percentage to a letter. Before entering a grade, consult the scale that applies to that course. A score of 89 percent, for example, should not be assumed to have the same letter value everywhere.

The following is one commonly used example of a simple whole-letter percentage scale. It is not a standard, and it intentionally does not supply plus or minus cutoffs. Your school may use different boundaries or may define A-, B+, and other intermediate grades.

How the scale becomes a GPA

Grade points alone are not the final GPA when courses have different credits. Multiply each course's point value by its credit hours, total those products, and divide by all included credits. An A in a four-credit course therefore contributes 16.00 quality points, while an A in a one-credit course contributes 4.00. The calculator keeps exact hundredths for entered grades and credits, then rounds the final result to two decimal places using conventional half-up rounding.

Blank credit fields count as one credit in this tool, which makes each listed course count equally. Enter the actual credit hours when they differ. A blank grade is ignored, and invalid or nonpositive credit entries are not counted. Pass/fail and withdrawn courses are usually excluded from GPA calculations, but you should check your school's policy because inclusion rules vary.

Using the table responsibly

Keep one scale throughout a calculation. Do not combine an earlier GPA based on one system with new work based on another without understanding the difference. Transfer, repeated, remedial, and incomplete courses may be handled differently by different institutions. The estimate here can help you check arithmetic and explore scenarios, but it does not replace an official transcript.

Next, follow the step-by-step GPA formula, compare weighted and unweighted GPA, or return to the GPA calculator to use this scale with your courses.