How to Calculate Your GPA (Step by Step)

Your GPA is just a credit-weighted average of your grades - but the "credit-weighted" part trips a lot of students up. Here's exactly how it works, with a worked example you can follow.

Step 1: Convert each grade to grade points

On the standard US 4.0 scale, every letter grade is worth a number of points:

If your school reports percentages, convert them first with the Percentage to GPA converter.

Step 2: Multiply by credit hours

Each course is worth a number of credit hours (units). Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points.

Say you took:

• Calculus - A (4.0) - 4 credits → 16.0 quality points
• Chemistry - B+ (3.3) - 3 credits → 9.9 quality points
• English - A- (3.7) - 3 credits → 11.1 quality points

Step 3: Divide by total credits

Add up the quality points (16.0 + 9.9 + 11.1 = 37.0) and divide by total credits (4 + 3 + 3 = 10):

37.0 ÷ 10 = 3.70 GPA

That's it. Notice how Calculus pulled more weight because it was worth more credits - that's the whole point of a weighted average.

If you are trying to calculate one class grade instead of your term GPA, use the same idea with assignment weights. This guide on calculating a weighted grade walks through that version.

Skip the math

You don't have to do this by hand. The free GPA Calculator does all three steps as you type, and the MyGrades app keeps your GPA live all semester as you log results.

What's a good GPA?

A 3.0 is solid, 3.5+ is strong, and 3.7+ is excellent. But "good" depends on your goals - some scholarship and honors programs want 3.5 or higher, while a passing GPA is usually 2.0. Know your target, then track toward it.