Checked 15 October 2026. What was checked. How these pages are maintained.
How GPA is calculated
Each letter maps to points: A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B− = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C− = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, F = 0. GPA = sum(points × credits) ÷ sum(credits). A 3-credit A and a 3-credit B is 3.5.
Schools differ on A+, plus/minus, and whether they use 4.3 or 4.0. This page uses a common 4.0 plus/minus scale. Check your registrar if you need an official number.
Worked example
One 3-credit A (4.0) and one 3-credit B (3.0) average to 3.5. A 4-credit A and a 3-credit C (2.0) average to (16 + 6) ÷ 7 ≈ 3.14.
Some schools treat A+ as 4.3, some cap at 4.0. Failed courses may stay in the GPA. Use the scale on your transcript if this 4.0 chart disagrees.
Credits change the average
This page maps letters to a common 4.0 plus/minus scale: A is 4.0, A− is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B− is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, C is 2.0, C− is 1.7, D+ is 1.3, D is 1.0, and F is 0. There is no A+ key. A school that awards 4.3 for A+ will not match until you decide how to enter that course.
A 3-credit A− is 3 × 3.7 = 11.1 quality points. A 4-credit B is 4 × 3.0 = 12. A 2-credit C+ is 2 × 2.3 = 4.6. The total is 27.7 quality points over 9 credits, and 27.7 ÷ 9 = 3.08. The 4-credit B pulls more than the 2-credit C+. Treating every course as one unit would give (3.7 + 3.0 + 2.3) ÷ 3 = 3.00 and would be the wrong transcript.
What to leave off
Pass/fail courses usually stay out of the GPA. Do not add them with a fake letter. A failed course that remains on the transcript stays in with an F and its credits. A school that replaces the F when you retake the course has a rule this page does not apply. Transfer credits sometimes count and sometimes do not. Use the scale printed on the transcript if A− is not 3.7 at that school. Term GPA and cumulative GPA are the same math on different sets of rows. Add only the courses in the set you want. A course percent, before it becomes a letter, belongs on the weighted grade calculator.
Common questions
What about pass/fail?
Leave those courses out. They usually do not enter GPA.
Can I mix 3-credit and 4-credit classes?
Yes. That is why you enter credits for each row.