How GPA is calculated
Each letter grade converts to a fixed number of grade points, then gets multiplied by the course's credit hours to produce quality points — a heavier course counts for more than a lighter one, exactly as it should. Add up the quality points across every course, divide by total credits, and that's your GPA.
GPA = Total Quality Points ÷ Total Credits Quality Points = Grade Points × Course Credits A 4-credit course you got an A- in contributes more quality points (3.7 × 4 = 14.8) than a 3-credit course with the same grade (3.7 × 3 = 11.1) — credit-weighting is exactly why GPA isn't just a plain average of your letter grades.
Grade points scale
| Letter Grade | Grade Points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 |
| 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 |
| D- | 0.7 |
| F | 0 |
Grading scales vary by school, so treat this as a common reference point — check your registrar's own scale if yours differs.
Projecting your cumulative GPA
"What will my GPA be?" answers a forward-looking question: given your GPA and credits so far, and an expected GPA for a set of upcoming credits, what does your overall cumulative GPA become? It works the same way as the main calculation — your existing GPA and credits already represent a pool of quality points, your projected new semester adds more, and dividing the combined total by combined credits gives the new cumulative figure.
Cumulative GPA = (Current GPA × Current Total Credits + New Semester GPA × New Semester Credits) ÷ (Previous Credits + New Semester Credits) Previous: 3.52 GPA over 17 credits — New semester: 3.9 GPA over 15 credits Cumulative GPA: 3.70 A strong new semester pulls your cumulative GPA toward it, but how much depends on the credit split — 15 new credits against 17 existing ones is a big enough chunk to move the number noticeably; the same semester GPA against 90 existing credits would barely move it at all.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my GPA just the average of my letter grades?
Because courses can carry different numbers of credits. GPA weights each course by its credit hours through quality points, so a 4-credit course has more influence on your GPA than a 1-credit course.
Where do the Previous GPA and Previous Credits fields come from?
They default to whatever your course list above currently calculates to, so you don't have to re-type your own GPA and credit total. You can still edit them freely — useful if you're projecting from your official transcript GPA rather than the course list you've entered here, or modeling a completely different scenario.
Does this use the same grade scale as the Grade Calculator?
Yes, the same 4.3-point scale with plus/minus grades. The difference is scope: this calculator is built specifically around courses and credit hours for a semester or cumulative GPA, while the Grade Calculator handles a single course's weighted assignments (percentage, letter, or points) and includes a "what grade do I need" solver for that course.