How Rice Calculates GPA

Rice calculates GPA by multiplying each GPA-bearing course’s semester credit hours by the grade-point value earned. Add those quality points, then divide by the total GPA-bearing credit hours attempted.

Quick answer: Rice uses a 4.0 scale. A+ does not raise the scale above 4.0; both A+ and A are worth 4.00 grade points per credit hour.

Grade	Grade points
A+	4.00
A	4.00
A-	3.67
B+	3.33
B	3.00
B-	2.67
C+	2.33
C	2.00
C-	1.67
D+	1.33
D	1.00
D-	0.67
F	0.00

For example, a 3-credit A- earns 11.01 quality points, while a 3-credit B earns 9.00. Together, those courses produce 20.01 quality points over 6 GPA hours, or a 3.335 GPA.

Which Rice Grades Count in GPA?

P, S, and U do not enter the GPA calculation. A Pass/Fail course that ends in P is excluded, but a failing outcome is recorded as F and counts at 0.00 grade points with the attempted credit hours in the denominator.

Grade or designation	Rice GPA treatment
A+ through D-	Counts at the published grade-point value
F	Counts at 0.00; attempted credit hours remain in GPA
P	Excluded from GPA
S / U	Excluded from GPA
INC / OT	Temporary; use the final grade after resolution
AUD / NC	Audit-related; no GPA effect
NG	Non-punitive administrative designation; no GPA effect
SA	Study Away placeholder; no GPA points or credit hours
TR	Transfer-credit designation; normally no Rice GPA effect
W	Excluded from GPA

Important: An INC or OT can later become a final grade, including a failing grade if it is not resolved under Rice’s deadlines. For GPA planning, enter the final posted grade rather than treating the temporary designation as a permanent exclusion.

How Repeated Courses Affect Your Rice GPA

Rice does not use ordinary grade replacement for repeated courses. If you take a course more than once for a letter grade, all letter-graded attempts remain on the transcript and count in the term and cumulative GPA.

For a non-repeatable course, you normally receive degree credit only once even though both graded attempts affect GPA. That difference matters: GPA hours and earned degree credit are not always the same thing after a repeat.

Calculator limitation: The shared Repeat Impact estimator is disabled for Rice because it models grade replacement. To estimate a Rice repeat correctly, enter the original attempt and the repeated attempt as separate completed courses.

Repeat example

Suppose you earn an F in a 3-credit course and later repeat it for an A. The first attempt contributes 0 quality points over 3 GPA hours, and the second contributes 12 quality points over another 3 GPA hours. Both attempts affect the cumulative GPA; the A does not erase the F from the GPA calculation.

Does Transfer Credit Count in the Rice GPA?

Usually, no. Ordinary approved transfer work is recorded with transfer credit rather than the external institution’s grade, and those transferred grades normally do not affect the Rice GPA.

There is an important exception: Rice states that external coursework explicitly specified as part of a program’s curriculum can be entered on the transcript and counted in the Rice GPA. Because that depends on the specific program, the calculator sends those cases to manual review instead of assuming every external grade is excluded.

Current, Projected, and Target GPA

For a current or cumulative estimate, enter your previous GPA and GPA-bearing credit hours, then add completed Rice courses. If you leave the previous GPA fields blank, the calculator can also calculate from the courses you enter in the current session.

Planned courses let you estimate a projected GPA. The target GPA tool works backward from your current GPA and the number of future credit hours you expect to take, showing the average grade points per credit hour you would need. If the required average is above 4.00, that target is not mathematically reachable within the number of future hours entered.

Rice GPA Requirements to Keep Separate

A GPA target only makes sense when you know what the number is being used for. Rice publishes different standards for graduation, program coursework, financial aid, honors, transfer admission, and graduate study.

Purpose	Published Rice standard
Undergraduate graduation	At least 1.67 cumulative GPA in Rice coursework
Major/minor/certificate coursework	At least 2.00 cumulative GPA in coursework satisfying those requirements
Undergraduate financial-aid SAP	At least 1.67 cumulative GPA, plus 67% pace and maximum-timeframe rules
Transfer admission	At least 3.2 in the most recent college work to be considered; admitted transfers typically have 3.5+
Graduate admission	In general, at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or equivalent
Graduate good standing / graduation	Generally 2.67 cumulative overall and in required program coursework; good standing also uses a 2.33 term minimum, with programs able to set stricter rules

These thresholds are not interchangeable. For example, meeting the university-wide 1.67 undergraduate graduation minimum does not by itself satisfy the 2.00 requirement for coursework used in a major, minor, or certificate.

President’s Honor Roll and Latin Honors

Rice’s President’s Honor Roll is based on semester performance and recognizes approximately the top 30% of eligible undergraduates. The GPA cutoff changes by semester; Rice lists 4.000 for both Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, so students should check the current term rather than treating that as a permanent threshold.

Latin honors are also not based on one fixed university-wide GPA. Summa, magna, and cum laude eligibility is determined annually within each academic school using percentile bands, so the minimum GPA changes by school and graduating class.

Rice GPA Calculator FAQs

Does Rice use a 4.0 or 4.3 GPA scale?

Rice uses a 4.0 GPA scale. A+ and A are both worth 4.00 grade points, so an A+ does not produce a GPA above 4.0 under the current scale.

Does an A+ count more than an A at Rice?

No. Effective with the current grading scale, A+ and A both carry 4.00 grade points.

Does Pass/Fail affect my Rice GPA?

A P does not affect your GPA. If the Pass/Fail course is failed, however, the F counts at 0.00 and its attempted credit hours count in the GPA denominator.

Do S and U grades affect Rice GPA?

No. Both S and U are excluded from the GPA calculation, although S earns credit and U does not.

Does retaking a class replace my old grade at Rice?

No. Letter-graded attempts are included in the GPA, so a later grade does not ordinarily erase the earlier attempt. Enter both attempts separately in this calculator.

Do transfer grades count in Rice GPA?

Ordinary transfer grades normally do not. Rice records approved transfer credit without using the external grade in the Rice GPA, but explicitly required external coursework in some program curricula can be an exception.

What GPA do I need to graduate from Rice?

Undergraduates need at least a 1.67 cumulative GPA in Rice coursework, along with all other degree requirements. Coursework used for a major, minor, or certificate must meet a separate 2.00 cumulative GPA requirement.

What GPA do I need for Rice’s President’s Honor Roll?

There is no permanent cutoff. Rice calculates a semester-specific threshold based on approximately the top 30% of eligible undergraduate GPAs; the published cutoff was 4.000 for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026.

Official Rice University Resources

This Rice GPA calculator is an unofficial planning tool. Rice University’s Registrar, General Announcements, academic departments, and other official offices control the final treatment of grades, credit, degree requirements, academic standing, honors, and financial aid eligibility.

Table of Contents