Understanding the GPA Scale: How Grade Points Really Work
September 18, 2026
On the standard US scale, an A is worth 4.0 grade points, a B is worth 3.0, a C is worth 2.0, and so on — GPA is the credit-hour-weighted average of those grade points across all your courses, not a simple average of letter grades.
Skip the math and get your answer instantly:
Open the GPA Calculator →The Standard 4.0 Scale
Most US schools use some version of this scale, though exact percentage cutoffs and plus/minus values (like whether A− is 3.7 or 3.67) vary by institution — check your school's specific catalog for exact values.
| Letter Grade | Grade Points | Typical Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 93-100 |
| A- | 3.7 | 90-92 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87-89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83-86 |
| B- | 2.7 | 80-82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77-79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73-76 |
| C- | 1.7 | 70-72 |
| D | 1.0 | 60-69 |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60 |
How Credit Hours Weight Your GPA
GPA isn't a plain average of your letter grades — a 4-credit course affects your GPA more than a 2-credit course. Take three courses: a B (3.0) worth 3 credits, an A (4.0) worth 4 credits, and a C+ (2.3) worth 2 credits.
- Total grade points: (3.0 × 3) + (4.0 × 4) + (2.3 × 2) = 9 + 16 + 4.6 = 29.6
- Total credit hours: 3 + 4 + 2 = 9
- GPA: 29.6 / 9 ≈ 3.29
Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA caps at 4.0 regardless of course difficulty. Weighted GPA adds extra points — often 0.5 to 1.0 — for honors, AP, or IB courses, which is why some high school students report GPAs above 4.0. Colleges often recalculate applicants' GPA on their own unweighted or standardized scale for fair comparison across different high schools' weighting systems, so a reported weighted GPA isn't always the number that's actually used in admissions decisions.
Calculating Cumulative GPA Across Semesters
Cumulative GPA uses the exact same formula as a single term, just with every course from every semester included: sum (grade points × credit hours) across all terms, then divide by total credit hours across all terms. A strong new semester moves cumulative GPA less than it moves that semester's own term GPA, simply because it's now averaged against a much larger pool of credit hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA does a B+ average correspond to?
A straight B+ average is a 3.3 GPA on the standard 4.0 scale, assuming equal credit hours across courses.
How do I calculate my GPA by hand?
Convert each course's letter grade to grade points, multiply by that course's credit hours, add up all the results, then divide by your total credit hours.
Does a college recalculate my weighted high school GPA?
Many colleges recalculate applicants' GPA on their own standardized scale (often unweighted, and sometimes excluding non-academic electives) to compare students fairly across high schools with different weighting systems — so your reported weighted GPA may not be the exact number used in the admissions decision.
What's the difference between term GPA and cumulative GPA?
Term GPA includes only the courses from one semester or quarter; cumulative GPA includes every course from every term you've completed, weighted by each course's credit hours.
Can my GPA go above 4.0?
On a standard unweighted 4.0 scale, no — 4.0 (all A's) is the maximum. On a weighted scale that adds bonus points for honors, AP, or IB courses, GPA can exceed 4.0, sometimes up to 5.0 depending on the school's system.