GPA Calculator

Q: What counts as a good GPA?

3.5+ is the usual *cum laude* range, 3.7+ *magna*, and 3.9+ *summa* — but those thresholds vary by institution, and honors are awarded by your school, not by this page. A 3.0 is a B average; below 2.0 can trigger academic warning.

What are you solving for?

This term's courses

Grade

Credits

Current cumulative GPA

First term? Leave this blank and set graded credits to 0 — there's no history to fold in.

Graded credits so far

Only credits that earned a letter grade. Exclude transfer, AP/IB, and pass-fail credit — they carry no quality points.

Your GPA after this term

3.27

This term only: 3.52
Before this term: 3.2
Credits counted: 13 this term, 45 before
Quality points this term: 45.7
Standing: Solid standing (B average or better)

Standard 4.0 scale with plus/minus steps (A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3). A+ counts as 4.0 here — some schools award 4.3, and weighted honors/AP points follow each school's own rules. Honor thresholds (3.5 / 3.7 / 3.9) are the common ranges, not your registrar's policy.

The four default courses here — A (3 credits), B+ (3), A− (4), and B (3) — come to a 3.52 term GPA: 45.7 quality points over 13 credits. Rolled into a 3.2 average over 45 previous credits, your cumulative GPA becomes 3.27. Switch to the target mode and it works the other way: reaching a 3.3 cumulative would take a 3.65 this term, which means nothing lower than an A−.

How GPA is actually calculated

GPA is credit-weighted, not a plain average of your grades — a 4-credit A moves you more than a 1-credit A:

course points     = grade points × credits
term GPA          = Σ course points ÷ Σ credits
cumulative GPA    = (old GPA × old credits + term points) ÷ (old credits + term credits)
required term GPA = (target × total credits − old GPA × old credits) ÷ term credits

Worked example — the page default:

Course	Grade	Points	Credits	Quality points
Course 1	A	4.0	3	12.0
Course 2	B+	3.3	3	9.9
Course 3	A−	3.7	4	14.8
Course 4	B	3.0	3	9.0
Total			13	45.7

45.7 ÷ 13 = 3.52 for the term. Add the existing record — 3.2 over 45 credits — and the cumulative becomes (3.2 × 45 + 45.7) ÷ 58 = 3.27.

Grade points on the 4.0 scale

Grade	Points	Grade	Points
A+ / A	4.0	C+	2.3
A−	3.7	C	2.0
B+	3.3	C−	1.7
B	3.0	D+	1.3
B−	2.7	D	1.0
		F	0.0

Two conventions worth knowing before you trust any number: A+ is 4.0 here, not 4.3, and there is no weighting for AP, IB, or Honors. Some schools award 4.3 for an A+ and some cap weighted GPAs above 4.0 entirely — if yours does, use the school's own chart instead.

Working backward from a target GPA

The target mode answers a different question: what do I need this term? With a 3.2 average over 45 credits and 13 credits this term:

To reach 3.3 cumulative: you need 3.65 this term — an A− average at minimum.
To reach 3.5 cumulative: you'd need 4.54, which is impossible on a 4.0 scale. The calculator says so rather than showing a number you can't hit.

That second line is the useful one, and it's the reason to run the numbers before the semester rather than after: a target that needs more than a 4.0 isn't a motivation problem, it's a two-semester plan. Raise the number of credits you take, or move the goalpost to next year.

How to use this calculator

Term mode: enter each course — letter grade plus credits. Add or remove rows as needed.
Read the term GPA and the total quality points.
To fold it into your record, enter your current cumulative GPA and your graded credits — the combined figure updates live. Graded means credits that earned a letter grade; transfer, AP/IB, and pass-fail credit carry no quality points and must be left out.
Target mode: enter your current GPA, current credits, this term's credits, and the GPA you want; read the required term GPA and the lowest letter that gets you there.
Courses with 0 credits are skipped, so incomplete rows don't skew the average.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my GPA?

Convert each letter grade to points (A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 …), multiply by the course credits, add them up, and divide by total credits. The default four courses here give 45.7 points over 13 credits = 3.52.

What GPA do I need this term to reach a 3.5?

Starting from 3.2 over 45 credits with 13 credits this term, you'd need 4.54 — above the 4.0 maximum, so it can't be done in one term. A 3.3 target needs 3.65 (an A− average); a 3.2 target needs 3.20.

Does an A+ count as a 4.3?

Not here — this calculator uses the most common convention, A+ = 4.0. Schools that award 4.3 produce higher (sometimes above-4.0) GPAs, and weighted AP/IB/Honors scales are separate again. Check your school's scale.

How do I add this term to my cumulative GPA?

Multiply your old GPA by your old credits, add this term's quality points, and divide by the combined credits: (3.2 × 45 + 45.7) ÷ 58 = 3.27. The calculator does this in the combined line.

Why does it refuse to show a combined GPA?

Because the starting point can't be true. Credits with no GPA to go with them would have to mean every one of those credits was an F — the arithmetic is valid, but the result says nothing about you. The page shows this term's GPA and asks you to fix the starting point instead of printing a scary number. Typing 45 graded credits and leaving the GPA at 0 is the usual way to land there; transfer and pass-fail credit is the other.

What counts as a good GPA?

3.5+ is the usual cum laude range, 3.7+ magna, and 3.9+ summa — but those thresholds vary by institution, and honors are awarded by your school, not by this page. A 3.0 is a B average; below 2.0 can trigger academic warning.

Do pass/fail or withdrawn courses affect my GPA?

Generally no: pass/fail grades carry no points and withdrawn courses carry no credits, so both are excluded from a GPA calculation. Some schools count a failed pass/fail as an F — check the policy before you elect it.

Data sources: The 4.0 scale and credit-weighting formulas on this page are the standard US convention; Latin honors thresholds (3.5 / 3.7 / 3.9) are common but set by each institution. This calculator uses A+ = 4.0 and does not weight AP, IB, or Honors courses — if your school uses a different scale, use its chart, since the arithmetic here will differ. Every figure on this page was produced by this page's own engine and can be reproduced by loading the same grades and credits (the four default courses are pre-filled). Related tools: percentage calculator, percentage increase calculator, all everyday calculators, all math calculators.