MyGradePlanFREEYour grades. Your device.
MYGRADEPLAN GUIDE

How to calculate your GPA

To calculate GPA, multiply each course’s grade points by its credit hours, add those up, and divide by total credit hours. Step-by-step, with a worked example on the 4.0 scale.

Written and reviewed by the MyGradePlan editorial team · Updated October 2026 · How we calculate

GPA =total quality points ÷ total credit hours,where quality points = grade points (A = 4.0, …) × credit hours.

GPA is a credit-weighted average of your grade points. The steps are the same for one term or a whole degree.

Step by step

  1. Turn each letter into grade points

    A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, down to F = 0.0. See the full letter-to-points table.

  2. Multiply by credit hours

    Each course’s quality points = its grade points × its credit hours. A 4-credit A is 16 quality points; a 3-credit B is 9.

  3. Add and divide

    Add all quality points, add all credit hours, and divide. That’s your GPA.

Worked example

A (4.0) in a 3-credit class, B (3.0) in a 4-credit class, A− (3.7) in a 3-credit class: quality points = (4.0×3) + (3.0×4) + (3.7×3) = 12 + 12 + 11.1 = 35.1, over 10 credits = 3.51.

If every class is worth the same

When all courses carry equal credits (common in high school), GPA is just the simple average of the grade points. The GPA calculator handles equal or unequal credits automatically.

Weighted and cumulative

For a weighted GPA, add the Honors/AP bonus to each grade before weighting. For a cumulative GPA, combine every term — or use your prior GPA and prior credits as a shortcut.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING

Questions about this

How do you calculate GPA by hand?
Multiply each course’s grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, add them, and divide by total credit hours. The example above works out to 3.51.
Do credit hours change my GPA?
Yes. A higher-credit course moves your GPA more than a lower-credit one with the same grade, because each grade is weighted by its credits.
How do I calculate GPA if all classes are equal?
When every class carries the same credits, GPA is simply the average of the grade points — add them and divide by the number of classes.