The full 4.0 GPA scale
| Letter grade | Grade points (4.0 scale) | Typical percentage range | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 (4.3 at some schools) | 97–100% | Exceptional |
| A | 4.0 | 93–96% | Excellent |
| A− | 3.7 | 90–92% | Excellent |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87–89% | Above average |
| B | 3.0 | 83–86% | Good / above average |
| B− | 2.7 | 80–82% | Satisfactory |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77–79% | Satisfactory |
| C | 2.0 | 73–76% | Average / minimum good standing |
| C− | 1.7 | 70–72% | Below average |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67–69% | Poor / passing at some schools |
| D | 1.0 | 63–66% | Poor / minimum passing |
| D− | 0.7 | 60–62% | Poor / barely passing |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60% | Failing |
Percentage ranges are conventions — they are not standardized and vary by institution and instructor. Some professors set their own grading thresholds (e.g., 90–100% = A, 80–89% = B). The letter grade and corresponding grade points are what count for GPA — not the raw percentage.
How GPA is calculated on the 4.0 scale
GPA = Σ (Grade points × Credit hours) ÷ Total credit hours
Each course contributes to GPA proportionally to its credit weight. A 4-credit course has twice the GPA impact of a 2-credit course. This is why earning a C in a high-credit-hour course (like a 4-credit science lecture + lab) damages GPA more than earning a C in a 1-credit elective.
Use our GPA calculator to compute your exact GPA — enter each course's grade and credit hours and the calculator handles the arithmetic.
Scale variations across institutions
While the 4.0 scale is near-universal for US colleges, institutions differ on several points:
- A+ treatment: Most institutions assign 4.0 to A+ (same as A). Some assign 4.3 to A+, allowing GPAs above 4.0. Verify your school's policy.
- No plus/minus scale: Some schools use only A, B, C, D, F (whole numbers: 4, 3, 2, 1, 0) without plus/minus modifiers. Students at these schools have fewer GPA gradations.
- Pass/Fail courses: Courses taken Pass/Fail typically do not affect GPA when passed (P does not enter the GPA calculation). A failing grade in a P/F course may count as 0.0 — check your institution's policy.
- Transfer credit: Most institutions exclude transfer credits from the institutional GPA calculation, though the transferred courses appear on the transcript.
Weighted high school GPA
At the high school level, many schools use a weighted GPA scale that assigns additional grade points for more challenging courses:
| Course type | Unweighted GPA for A | Weighted GPA for A |
|---|---|---|
| Regular / standard | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Honors | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| AP (Advanced Placement) | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| IB (International Baccalaureate) | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Weighted GPAs can exceed 4.0 (a student with all A's in all AP courses may have a 5.0 weighted GPA). This only applies at the high school level — college GPAs use the standard unweighted 4.0 scale.
How colleges recalculate high school GPA
When colleges evaluate high school applicants, most recalculate the GPA using their own methodology rather than accepting the high school's reported GPA. Common approaches include:
- Stripping weighting and recalculating on an unweighted 4.0 scale
- Including only academic (core) courses — excluding physical education, study halls, electives below a certain rigor threshold
- Applying their own weighting scheme (which may differ from the high school's)
This is why the GPA reported by your high school and the GPA a college calculates from your transcript can differ. The college's internal calculation is what matters for admission decisions.