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College GPA Calculator

Enter each course's letter grade and credit hours to get your college GPA on the standard 4.0 scale. Credit hours do the weighting — a 4-credit lab moves your GPA twice as far as a 2-credit seminar — and every quality point is shown in the steps.

College GPA formula

US colleges compute GPA as quality points divided by GPA credit hours: each grade maps to points (A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 …), multiplied by the course's credit hours. Most colleges cap at 4.0 (A+ = A); a few use 4.3 — check your registrar.

What counts varies: pass/fail and withdrawals (W) usually carry no grade points; incompletes convert later; transfer credits often add hours but not points. That's why your transcript distinguishes "credits earned" from "GPA hours" — use GPA hours here.

quality points = grade points × credit hours
GPA = Σ quality points ÷ Σ GPA hours

Worked examples

Example 1: a typical 15-credit semester

A in Composition (3 cr), B+ in Calculus (4 cr), A− in Chemistry w/ lab (5 cr), B in Economics (3 cr).

  1. Quality points per course.
    4.0×3 + 3.3×4 + 3.7×5 + 3.0×3 = 12 + 13.2 + 18.5 + 9 = 52.7
  2. Divide by the 15 credit hours.
    52.7 ÷ 15 = 3.51

Semester GPA: 3.51 — dean's list at most schools (3.5 cutoff).

Example 2: how much a heavy course matters

Same semester, but the 5-credit Chemistry drops from A− to C+.

  1. Chemistry's points fall.
    3.7×5 = 18.5 → 2.3×5 = 11.5 (−7 points)
  2. New GPA.
    45.7 ÷ 15 = 3.05

One heavy course drags the semester from 3.51 to 3.05 — half a letter grade.

Example 3: GPA needed for Latin honors

You have 3.42 over 90 credits; cum laude needs 3.5. Can 30 remaining credits get you there?

  1. Points needed in total.
    3.5 × 120 = 420
  2. Points held and the gap.
    3.42 × 90 = 307.8; 420 − 307.8 = 112.2
  3. Required average over the last 30 credits.
    112.2 ÷ 30 = 3.74

A 3.74 average (A−/A mix) over the final year — hard but possible.

FAQ

What's a good college GPA?+

3.0 keeps most scholarships and grad-school doors open; 3.5+ makes dean's list at most schools; 3.7+ is competitive for selective graduate programs. Below 2.0 usually triggers academic probation.

How do credit hours work?+

One credit hour ≈ one classroom hour per week for a semester. Lecture courses are typically 3, labs add 1–2, and full-time is 12–18 per semester. GPA weights every grade by these hours.

Do repeated courses replace the old grade?+

Depends on the school: grade replacement (new grade only), averaging (both count), or first-attempt-only. Check the catalog — under replacement, retaking a 4-credit F is the fastest GPA repair there is.

Does my major GPA differ from my cumulative GPA?+

Often — major GPA counts only courses in your major department, and some programs require a higher major GPA (e.g. 2.5) than the overall 2.0. Run this calculator on just the major courses to get it.

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