GPA Calculator
Calculate your grade point average from total grade points and credits.
How to use this tool
- Enter total grade points and total credits in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your gpa and the full breakdown beneath it.
Calculate your grade point average from total grade points and credits.
⚠ This tool provides general estimates for education only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures may not reflect your situation — verify with a qualified professional.
Formula
GPA = Total Grade Points ÷ Total Credits
How it works
This calculator computes a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) by dividing the sum of all grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted.
Each course's grade points are typically the numeric grade value (e.g., A = 4.0) multiplied by the course's credit weight, and those products are summed before being entered as Total Grade Points. The formula assumes all inputs are already aggregated; it does not weight individual courses internally.
Worked example
- Total grade points earned across all courses = 36.
- Total credit hours attempted = 10.
- GPA = 36 ÷ 10 = 3.6.
GPA = 3.6.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using letter grades directly instead of converting them to grade points (e.g., treating an A- as 4.0 instead of the correct 3.7).
- Forgetting to weight each course by its credit hours — a 4-credit course counts more than a 1-credit seminar.
- Including pass/fail or audit courses in the credit total, which inflates or deflates the denominator.
Key terms
- Grade point
- A numeric value assigned to a letter grade (e.g., A = 4.0, B = 3.0) that represents academic performance in a course.
- Credit hour
- A unit of academic workload, typically representing one hour of instruction per week over a semester.
- Cumulative GPA
- The overall GPA calculated across all completed terms and courses.
- Weighted GPA
- A GPA that assigns higher point values to advanced or honours courses, inflating the scale above 4.0.
- GPA scale
- The maximum GPA value used by an institution, commonly 4.0 in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a W (withdrawal) affect my GPA?
- Generally no. A W is not assigned grade points and is excluded from both the numerator and denominator. Check your school policy to be sure.
- How do I calculate a cumulative GPA across multiple semesters?
- Add all grade points earned across every semester and divide by all credit hours attempted. Do not average the individual semester GPAs, because semesters with more credits carry more weight.
- What is a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale?
- A 3.5 GPA corresponds roughly to a B+/A- average, or about 87-89% depending on your school grading scale.