How this instrument works
GPA — grade point average — condenses a semester's or a lifetime's worth of grades into one number by weighting each class's grade points by its credit hours, rather than simply averaging every grade equally. Three classes worth 4.0, 3.0 and 3.7 grade points across 3, 4 and 3 credit hours combine to (4.0x3 + 3.0x4 + 3.7x3) / 10 = 35.1/10 = 3.51, a figure that leans toward whichever classes carry the most credit hours rather than treating every grade as equally influential.
'Weighted' has two different meanings that are easy to mix up. Here, weighting refers to credit hours — a 4-credit class counts more than a 1-credit class in the average. Some high schools use a different kind of weighting, where honors or AP classes earn grade points above the usual 4.0 ceiling (a 5.0 for an A in an AP class, for instance) to reward harder coursework. This instrument performs credit-hour weighting only; if your school reports weighted grade points above 4.0 for advanced classes, enter that higher value directly as the grade points for that class.
Because you control exactly which classes go into the calculation, this instrument works equally well for a single term's GPA, a full year, or a running cumulative GPA across your entire transcript — just enter the grade points and credit hours for every class you want included, and leave any unused class rows at their 0/0 default.
- For each class, enter its grade points on the 4.0 scale (for example, 4.0 for an A, 3.0 for a B) into the Grade points field.
- Enter that class's credit hours into the matching Credit hours field.
- Add more classes as needed, up to five — leave any unused rows at their 0/0 default and they won't affect the result.
- Cumulative GPA updates automatically as the credit-weighted average of everything entered.
- If your school reports weighted grade points above 4.0 for honors or AP classes, enter that higher value directly rather than the standard 4.0-scale figure.
Worked example — three classes across 10 credit hours
Enter an A (4.0 grade points) for a 3-credit class, a B (3.0) for a 4-credit class, and an A- (3.7) for another 3-credit class, leaving the remaining two class rows at their 0/0 default. The weighted total is 4.0x3 + 3.0x4 + 3.7x3 = 12 + 12 + 11.1 = 35.1 grade points across 3+4+3 = 10 credit hours. Cumulative GPA reads 35.1 / 10 = 3.51.
Add a fourth or fifth class later — a new semester's grades, for instance — and the same running total keeps working: fold the new class's grade points and credit hours into the remaining entries, and the cumulative figure recalculates across everything you've included so far.
Questions
How is GPA calculated?
Multiply each class's grade points by its credit hours, add those products together, then divide by the total credit hours across all classes. For an A (4.0) worth 3 credits, a B (3.0) worth 4 credits and an A- (3.7) worth 3 credits, that's (4.0x3 + 3.0x4 + 3.7x3) / (3+4+3) = 35.1/10 = 3.51. Credit hours act as weights, so a class worth more credits pulls the average toward its grade more strongly.
What's the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
This calculator's 'weighting' refers to credit hours — a 4-credit class influences the average more than a 1-credit class. That's separate from the 'weighted GPA' many high schools report, where honors or AP classes earn grade points above the normal 4.0 ceiling (often 5.0 for an A) to reward harder coursework. If your school uses that kind of weighted scale, just enter the higher grade-point value for that class rather than the standard 4.0 figure.
Does this calculate a semester GPA or a cumulative GPA?
Whichever you want — the calculation is the same either way, it just depends which classes you enter. Include only this term's classes for a semester GPA, or every class you've ever taken (credit hours and all) for a full cumulative GPA. The credit-weighted formula doesn't care whether the classes span one term or your whole academic career.
Can I use this for high school GPA as well as college GPA?
Yes. The credit-hour-weighted formula is the same at both levels — only the grade-point scale and how many credit hours a typical class is worth tend to differ by school. Check your school's specific grading scale for the exact grade-point values to enter, since high schools in particular vary in how many credits a year-long versus semester-long class is worth.
What happens if I leave a class row at its 0/0 default?
It contributes nothing to either the numerator or the denominator of the formula, so it has no effect on the result — 0 grade points times 0 credit hours adds 0 to the weighted total, and 0 credit hours adds nothing to the credit total either. Fill in only the class rows you're actually using; the rest can safely stay at their default.