How to Calculate GPA: Weighted, Unweighted and Cumulative (with Examples)

Short answer: multiply each class's grade points by its credits, add those up, and divide by your total credits. This guide walks through the formula with worked examples for unweighted, weighted and cumulative GPA. To skip the math, enter your classes in our free GPA Calculator.

1. Turn each letter grade into grade points using the table below (an A is 4.0, a B is 3.0 and so on).
2. Multiply the grade points by the class's credits. The result is called quality points. A 4-credit class counts more than a 3-credit class.
3. Add up the quality points for all your classes.
4. Add up the credits for the same classes.
5. Divide the total quality points by the total credits. That is your GPA.

GPA = total quality points ÷ total credits

If your school does not use credits, give every class 1 credit: your GPA is then simply the average of your grade points.

Percentage cut-offs vary between schools, and some count an A+ as 4.3. Check your school's handbook if a grade sits on a boundary.

34.2 quality points ÷ 10 credits = a 3.42 GPA. A plain average of the grade points would give 3.43, because it treats the 4-credit Chemistry class the same as the 3-credit ones.

An unweighted GPA uses the 4.0 scale above for every class, however hard it is. A weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder classes, so it can go above 4.0. A common system, and the one our calculator uses:

An F stays at 0 whatever the level. Schools differ, though: some give Honors a full point, some also weight IB or dual-enrollment classes, and many colleges recalculate your high school GPA unweighted when you apply. Report the version your school puts on your transcript.

Take the same three classes, but English is Honors and Chemistry is AP:

39.7 ÷ 10 = a 3.97 weighted GPA, while the unweighted GPA is still 3.42.

Your cumulative GPA covers every term so far. Do not just average your semester GPAs: a semester with more credits should count more. Instead, turn each GPA back into quality points and divide by all the credits:

cumulative GPA = (old GPA × old credits + new quality points) ÷ (old credits + new credits)

Example: your GPA was 3.40 over 45 credits, which is 153 quality points. This semester you earned 34.2 quality points over 10 credits. Your cumulative GPA is (153 + 34.2) ÷ 55 = 3.40.

In the GPA Calculator, enter this semester's classes and add your prior GPA and credits in the target section to see this number.

To find the average you need in your remaining classes to reach a target GPA:

needed = (target × total credits at the end − quality points so far) ÷ credits still to take

Example: you have 187.2 quality points over 55 credits (a 3.40) and 15 credits left. To finish at 3.50, you need (3.50 × 70 − 187.2) ÷ 15 = 57.8 ÷ 15 = 3.85 in those classes, which means mostly A's. The more credits you already have, the harder your GPA is to move, so it pays to start early.

• High school: classes usually count 1 credit (or 0.5 for a half-year class), and many schools report a weighted GPA with Honors and AP bonuses.
• College: classes count their credit hours (often 3 or 4), and the GPA is almost always unweighted on the 4.0 scale.
• The formula is the same in both: quality points ÷ credits.

Put grade points in column B and credits in column C, one class per row (rows 2 to 8 here). Then:

=SUMPRODUCT(B2:B8,C2:C8)/SUM(C2:C8)

SUMPRODUCT multiplies each grade by its credits and adds the results, which gives the total quality points.

A 3.0 is a B average. Around 3.5 or higher is generally seen as strong, and selective colleges and scholarships often look for 3.7 or more. What counts as good depends on the school and program you are aiming for.

Usually not. A W (withdrawal) earns no grade points, and a pass in a pass/fail class earns credits but no grade points, so most schools leave both out of the GPA. A fail in a pass/fail class counts as an F at some schools.

Only a weighted GPA. On the unweighted 4.0 scale, straight A's give exactly 4.0. With Honors and AP bonuses, a weighted GPA can reach 5.0.

Use only that semester's classes in the formula: their quality points divided by their credits.

Ready to check your own numbers? Open the free GPA Calculator: add your classes, choose weighted or unweighted, and see your GPA, honors standing and the grades you need for your target.