Letter Grade to GPA Converter
Welcome to the comprehensive and simple **Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculator**. This tool helps students, parents, and educators quickly convert traditional letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) and their corresponding credit hours into a standard unweighted 4.0 GPA scale. GPA is a critical measure of academic performance, often used for college admissions and scholarship eligibility. Use the fields below to input your course grades and credit hours, then click "Calculate" for an instant result.
Your Calculated GPA:
Understanding the GPA Conversion Scale
The Grade Point Average (GPA) is a numeric representation of your letter grades. The most common system is the **4.0 scale**, where an 'A' typically corresponds to 4.0 grade points. This is the foundation for almost all unweighted GPA calculations. Different schools may use slightly adjusted scales (like 4.3 or 5.0), but the fundamental conversion rules remain consistent.
Standard 4.0 GPA Grade Points
The following table illustrates the widely accepted grade points assigned to each letter grade, which our calculator uses for the conversion:
| Letter Grade | Numeric Range | Unweighted GPA Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 93–100% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89% | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79% | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69% | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66% | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62% | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 |
The Unweighted vs. Weighted GPA Comparison
The conversion above yields the **unweighted GPA**. A **weighted GPA** is calculated by adding "weight" (extra points) to grades earned in advanced courses like **Honors, Advanced Placement (AP),** or **International Baccalaureate (IB)** classes. For example, an 'A' in an AP course might be worth 5.0 points instead of 4.0. Our tool provides the unweighted result, which is the baseline academic measure.
How GPA is Calculated (The Formula)
The GPA calculation follows a simple, yet crucial, formula:
$$ \text{GPA} = \frac{\sum (\text{Grade Points} \times \text{Credit Hours})}{\sum \text{Credit Hours}} $$In simple terms, you multiply the GPA point value of each grade by the credit hours for that course, sum all these products (Total Grade Points), and divide by the sum of all credit hours (Total Credits). This process ensures that courses with more credit hours have a proportionally greater impact on your final average.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Unweighted GPA is based on a standard 4.0 scale, where an A is always 4.0. Weighted GPA factors in the difficulty of a course, granting extra points (often up to 5.0) for AP, IB, or Honors classes. Our calculator provides the standard Unweighted GPA.
Yes, most institutions use a full 4.0 scale that incorporates plus (+) and minus (-) grades to provide a more granular assessment. For example, a B+ might be worth 3.3 points while a B- is 2.7 points. If your school doesn't use these, simply select the nearest full letter grade (e.g., B for B+ or B-).
This calculator is specifically designed for the standard Unweighted 4.0 GPA scale. While the conversion concept is similar, the assigned point values for the letter grades would be different on a 5.0 scale. Consult your school's official documentation for 5.0 scale conversions.
The calculator includes validation to prevent non-numeric input in the credit hour fields. If you attempt to enter letters or invalid characters, an error message will appear, and the calculation will be blocked until the field is corrected. Credit hours must be entered as a positive number.
School-specific grading variations, such as different point values for +/-, the inclusion of Pass/Fail classes, or specific policies for weighted courses, can cause discrepancies. Always consider this result an estimate and rely on your school's official transcript for your precise GPA.