GPA Calculator – Semester & Cumulative GPA (4.0 Scale)

How semester and cumulative GPA work

Grade point average (GPA) turns letter grades into a single number schools use for scholarships, academic standing, and applications. On the common 4.0 scale, each letter maps to points (A/A+ = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, and so on down to F = 0). Semester GPA weights each class by credit hours: multiply points by credits, sum those quality points, and divide by total credits. A 3-credit A and a 4-credit B therefore yield (4×3 + 3×4) / 7 ≈ 3.43, not a simple average of 4 and 3. Many high schools also publish a weighted GPA that rewards advanced coursework. This calculator adds +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP/IB on top of the letter value (so an A in AP contributes 5.0 points per credit toward the weighted average) while still reporting the unweighted figure. Cumulative GPA extends the same idea across terms: convert your prior GPA and completed credits into prior quality points, add this term’s quality points and credits, then divide. Because earlier terms may not share the same weighting rules, the cumulative weighted figure applies bonuses only to the courses you enter here and treats the previous GPA as an unweighted baseline—always verify against your transcript. You can edit the letter scale if your school uses different plus/minus values, and course rows are remembered in localStorage when the browser allows it so you can refine a draft schedule without retyping.

Required Inputs & Typical Use Cases

Use this tool to project end-of-semester GPA before finals, compare how dropping a course would change your average, estimate the impact of taking an AP class, or combine a known prior GPA with planned credits when planning for graduation honors. Pair it with a final-exam grade planner when one course still has a big exam left, or with a weighted-grade calculator when a single class uses category weights instead of a flat percentage.

The Formula

Unweighted GPA = Σ (points × credits) / Σ credits
Weighted points = letter points + bonus (Honors +0.5, AP/IB +1.0)
Cumulative GPA = (previous GPA × previous credits + new quality points) / (previous credits + new credits)

• points

  Letter-grade value on your scale (editable)

• credits

  Credit hours (or units) for the course

• bonus

  0, +0.5 (Honors), or +1.0 (AP/IB) for weighted GPA

Worked Example

1. Semester: A (3 cr) and B (4 cr)

   Quality points = 4.0×3 + 3.0×4 = 24. Credits = 7. GPA = 24/7 ≈ 3.43 unweighted (same weighted if both are Regular).

2. Weighted: A in AP (3 cr)

   Unweighted points = 4.0; weighted = 4.0 + 1.0 = 5.0. With only that course, weighted GPA = 5.0.

3. Cumulative example

   Previous GPA 3.0 over 3 credits plus a new 3-credit A → (9 + 12) / 6 = 3.50 cumulative.

Tips, Assumptions & Limitations

• Include every credit-bearing course for the term; leave unused rows blank.
• Match letter points to your school’s catalog—edit the scale if A+ is not 4.0.
• Weighted GPA policies vary widely; this Honors/AP bonus is a common planning model, not a universal rule.
• Common mistake: averaging letter grades without weighting by credits.
• Common mistake: mixing percentage grades into the GPA rows without converting to letters first.
• Confirm withdraw/pass-fail and repeated-course rules with your registrar before relying on a projected GPA.