AbraCalc

High School Weighted GPA Calculator

Calculate your weighted high school GPA including AP and Honors bonus points. Standard 4.0 scale with +1.0 for AP, +0.5 for Honors.

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How to use this tool

  1. Enter course 1 grade, course 1 level, course 2 grade, course 2 level, course 3 grade and course 3 level in the fields above.
  2. Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
  3. Read your weighted gpa and the full breakdown beneath it.

Calculate your weighted GPA the way most high schools compute it — AP and IB courses get a +1.0 bonus, Honors courses get +0.5, on top of the standard 4.0 grade-point scale.

Formula

Weighted GPA = (Σ (Base GPA + Level Bonus)) ÷ Number of Courses

Unweighted GPA = (Σ Base GPA) ÷ Number of Courses

Base GPA points: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0. Level bonus: AP = +1.0, Honors = +0.5, Regular = +0.0.

How it works

This calculator converts each letter grade to a base 4.0-scale GPA point value, then adds a level bonus of +1.0 for AP courses and +0.5 for Honors courses. It averages the weighted point values across all three courses for the weighted GPA, and averages the base values alone for the unweighted GPA. Each course is treated as carrying equal credit; the tool does not account for varying credit hours or semester length.

Worked example

Worked example

  1. Course 1: A in AP → base 4 + bonus 1.0 = 5.0 weighted, 4 unweighted.
  2. Course 2: B in Honors → base 3 + bonus 0.5 = 3.5 weighted, 3 unweighted.
  3. Course 3: C in Regular → base 2 + bonus 0.0 = 2.0 weighted, 2 unweighted.
  4. Weighted GPA = (5.0 + 3.5 + 2.0) ÷ 3 = 10.5 ÷ 3 = 3.5.
  5. Unweighted GPA = (4 + 3 + 2) ÷ 3 = 9 ÷ 3 = 3.0.

Weighted GPA: 3.5 — Unweighted GPA: 3.0

Key terms

Weighted GPA
A grade point average that awards extra points for rigorous courses such as AP and Honors, typically on a scale above 4.0.
Unweighted GPA
A grade point average calculated on the standard 4.0 scale that treats all courses equally regardless of difficulty.
AP (Advanced Placement)
College-level courses offered in high school by the College Board; typically receive a +1.0 bonus in weighted GPA calculations.
Honors course
A more rigorous high-school course above the standard level; typically receives a +0.5 bonus in weighted GPA calculations.
4.0 scale
The standard US grading scale where A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, and F = 0.0.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA uses a straight 4.0 scale for all courses. Weighted GPA rewards AP, IB, and Honors courses with bonus points, so it can exceed 4.0.
Do colleges prefer weighted or unweighted GPA?
Most colleges recalculate your GPA on their own scale. However, taking AP/Honors courses still signals rigor, which is valued in admissions.

References & sources