Grade & GPA
GPA Calculator (4.0 Scale)
The standard unweighted 4.0 scale — from letter grades or straight from percentages.
GPA Calculator (4.0 Scale)
About the GPA Calculator (4.0 Scale)
The 4.0 scale is the default grading system across United States colleges and most high schools. An A is worth 4.0, a B is 3.0, a C is 2.0, a D is 1.0 and an F is nothing. This calculator applies that scale exactly, weighting each course by its credit hours the way a registrar does.
You can enter a letter grade or a raw percentage for each course. Percentages get mapped to the standard plus/minus bands automatically, so an 88% becomes a B+ at 3.3 points without you having to look it up. Mix the two if your transcript does — some courses report letters, others report marks.
This is the unweighted scale, which means it caps at 4.0 regardless of how demanding the course was. An A in AP Physics and an A in a standard elective both score 4.0 here. If you need the honours and AP bonus, switch to the 5.0 scale calculator.
How to use the GPA Calculator (4.0 Scale)
- Choose whether to enter letter grades or percentages.
- Enter each course with its credits.
- Percentages are mapped to the standard plus/minus bands.
- Select Calculate GPA.
- Honour roll is flagged at 3.5 and above, the common threshold.
The 4.0 scale in full
These grade points and percentage bands are the ones this calculator uses, and they match what most US registrars publish.
| Letter | Percentage | Grade points | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100% | 4.0 | Excellent |
| A | 93–96% | 4.0 | Excellent |
| A− | 90–92% | 3.7 | Very good |
| B+ | 87–89% | 3.3 | Good |
| B | 83–86% | 3.0 | Good |
| B− | 80–82% | 2.7 | Above average |
| C+ | 77–79% | 2.3 | Average |
| C | 73–76% | 2.0 | Average |
| C− | 70–72% | 1.7 | Below average |
| D+ | 67–69% | 1.3 | Poor |
| D | 63–66% | 1.0 | Poor, still passing |
| D− | 60–62% | 0.7 | Minimum pass |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 | Fail |
A minority of schools award 4.3 for an A+, and some drop plus/minus grading altogether so that every A is 4.0 and every B is 3.0. Your student handbook is the authority. The method does not change — only the point values do.
How the calculation runs
GPA = Σ(grade points × credits) ÷ Σ(credits)
Worked example
Chemistry A− (3.7) over 4 credits, English B (3.0) over 3 credits, Maths 91% over 3 credits, Art C+ (2.3) over 2 credits.
The 91% maps to A−, so it scores 3.7 points.
Chemistry 14.8, English 9.0, Maths 11.1, Art 4.6. Quality points total 39.5 across 12 credits.
39.5 ÷ 12 = 3.29 GPA
Converting other scales to 4.0
Applying to a US institution from elsewhere usually means converting first. The rough rules below get you close, but they are approximations.
| Coming from | Rough conversion | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage out of 100 | percentage ÷ 25 | 85% → 3.4 |
| 10-point CGPA (India) | CGPA × 9.5 ÷ 25 | 8.2 → 3.12 |
| 5.0 weighted scale | use the unweighted base grade | 4.5 weighted → 3.5 |
| 20-point scale (France) | value × 5 ÷ 25 | 14/20 → 2.8 |
Straight division is the crude method. The banded method — map the percentage to its letter, then take that letter's points — is what US registrars actually do, and it gives a different answer. Our percentage to GPA converter shows both side by side so you can see the gap.
Admissions offices and credential evaluators run their own conversions and are not bound by any calculator. Treat a converted GPA as an estimate for planning, never as a figure to put on an application unless your institution issued it.
GPA thresholds worth knowing
- 3.9–4.0 — summa cum laude range at most institutions.
- 3.7–3.9 — magna cum laude, and typically dean's list.
- 3.5–3.7 — cum laude, and the common honour roll cutoff.
- 3.0 — the usual minimum for scholarships and graduate applications.
- 2.0 — the line for good academic standing. Below it, expect probation.
Exact cutoffs vary by school, and many set honours by class rank rather than a fixed number. Use the GPA planner to work out what you need from here to clear one.
How to convert GPA to 4.0 scale
The best method depends on what you start with.
- From letter grades — enter them above. This is the most accurate route.
- From a 100-point percentage — convert each course through the letter bands (93+ = 4.0, 90–92 = 3.7, and so on), then average.
- From another GPA scale — a quick estimate is: 4.0 GPA = your GPA ÷ your scale's maximum × 4.
Estimated 4.0 GPA = (your GPA ÷ scale maximum) × 4
Example: 8.2 on a 10-point scale → 8.2 ÷ 10 × 4 = 3.28. Treat this as rough. Admissions offices often recalculate using their own tables.
Convert a 5.0 weighted GPA to 4.0
A 5.0-scale GPA usually includes honors and AP bonuses. Dividing by 5 and multiplying by 4 understates it — a 4.5 weighted GPA would become 3.6, which is often too low.
The better way: take the bonus off each weighted class (usually 1 point for AP, 0.5 for honors), then average again on the 4.0 scale. Or simply re-enter your letter grades here, without any weighting.
Related guides
Other ways to use this calculator
- 4.0 GPA calculator — the GPA scale 4.0 is used by most US colleges and high schools.
- College GPA and US GPA calculator — enter grades and credits for a term or degree GPA.
- Honor roll GPA — many schools set honor roll at 3.0 to 3.5 and high honors at 3.5 to 3.75.
- GPA converter 100 to 4.0 — see the conversion section above for percentage to GPA 4.0 scale.
- Convert GPA from 5.0 to 4.0 scale — see the weighted GPA section above.
Frequently asked questions
A 3.5 or above is strong, and puts you in honours territory at most institutions. A 3.0 clears the bar for the majority of scholarships and graduate programmes. A 2.0 keeps you in good academic standing. Below 2.0 usually triggers probation. Context counts too — a 3.2 carried through a heavy science load reads differently from a 3.2 on a light one, and admissions committees do notice.
On the standard plus/minus system, 93–100% is an A at 4.0, 90–92% an A− at 3.7, 87–89% a B+ at 3.3, and 83–86% a B at 3.0, continuing in roughly three-point bands down to 60%. Anything below 60% is an F. Enter a percentage in this calculator and it applies these bands automatically, so you do not need the table to hand.
Most schools set honour roll at 3.5, and dean's list at 3.5 or 3.7 depending on the institution. Latin honours generally run cum laude at 3.5, magna cum laude at 3.7 and summa cum laude at 3.9. Some universities award honours by class rank instead of a fixed GPA, so the required number shifts each year. Check your registrar's published criteria.
No. An unweighted 4.0 scale caps at 4.0, because an A is the highest grade available and it is worth exactly 4.0. The one exception is schools that award 4.3 for an A+. To exceed 4.0 you need a weighted scale, which adds a bonus for honours, AP or IB courses — that is what the 5.0 scale calculator does.
The accurate method is to remove the honors or AP bonus from each class and recalculate on the 4.0 scale. A quick estimate is GPA ÷ 5 × 4, but this usually understates a weighted GPA.
Sources and further reading
- College Board — How to calculate GPA on a 4.0 scale — the standard unweighted 4.0 scale
- Indiana University Registrar — Grading system — plus/minus grade point values
- Stanford University — Calculating your grade point average — the credit-weighted method
- Academic grading in the United States — variation between institutions, including 4.3 for A+