A GPA scale assigns a number to each letter grade. On a common 4.0 scale, an A earns 4.0 points, a B earns 3.0, a C earns 2.0, a D earns 1.0 and an F earns 0.0. Use the chart and converter below to look up a class grade, then compare how different GPA scales change the same set of grades.
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4.0 GPA scale chart: letter grades, percentages and points
Find a letter grade or percentage in the chart to see its grade points. Plus and minus grades fall between the whole letters: an A− earns 3.7 points and a B+ earns 3.3 on this example scale.
A+ and A both earn 4.0 points. An F earns 0.0; that is a counted failing grade, not an excluded class.
One class or your overall GPA?
Pick a letter grade to see its percentage range and grade points on this page’s example scale. An overall GPA does not reveal your original course grades or one exact percentage. To calculate an overall GPA, convert each class separately and account for its credits.
| Letter grade | Percentage range | Grade points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100% | 4.0 |
| A | 93% to below 97% | 4.0 |
| A− | 90% to below 93% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87% to below 90% | 3.3 |
| B | 83% to below 87% | 3.0 |
| B− | 80% to below 83% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77% to below 80% | 2.3 |
| C | 73% to below 77% | 2.0 |
| C− | 70% to below 73% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67% to below 70% | 1.3 |
| D | 63% to below 67% | 1.0 |
| D− | 60% to below 63% | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 |
This chart caps A+ at 4.0, so an A+ and an A count the same. Other schools may award more points for an A+, omit plus/minus grades or use different percentage cutoffs.
Full guide: What is a GPA? →
GPA lookup: what your GPA means on a 4.0 scale
Once you’ve calculated your average, choose a GPA below to explore its grade-point benchmarks, what it means for your goals and ways to improve it.
A GPA of 3.5, for example, falls between B+ and A− grade points on this scale. That comparison does not mean every class had the same letter grade or that your overall percentage was one particular number.
Above 4.0 doesn’t always mean weighted
An unweighted scale can award 4.3 or 4.33 points for an A+. A weighted scale can add points for advanced classes. Check the grading rules behind the number before comparing two GPAs.
How to convert percentage and letter grades to GPA
Convert each course separately: percentage to letter grade, then letter grade to grade points. Use your school’s rules for both conversions.
GPA formula
GPA = total of (grade points × class credits) ÷ total counted credits. Quality points are a course’s grade points multiplied by its credits. When every course counts equally, simply average the grade points.
Example: convert five equal-credit classes to GPA
Suppose these five classes each count as 1 credit. Using the example 4.0 GPA scale above:
| Class | Percentage | Letter grade | Grade points |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 98% | A+ | 4.0 |
| Algebra II | 95% | A | 4.0 |
| AP Biology | 91% | A− | 3.7 |
| Honors History | 88% | B+ | 3.3 |
| Spanish | 87% | B+ | 3.3 |
Example result
18.3 grade points ÷ 5 classes = 3.66 GPA. AP Biology and Honors History receive no difficulty bonus in this unweighted calculation.
The percentages average 91.8%. Converting that average once would give an A− and 3.7 points on this chart, rather than the correct course-by-course GPA of 3.66.
Common mistake
Don’t average your percentages and convert the result to GPA. Convert each class to grade points first, then calculate the GPA using its credits.
Example: courses with different credits
| Class | Grade points | Credits | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|
| English: A | 4.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Art: B | 3.0 | 1 | 3.0 |
| Total | 4 | 15.0 |
15.0 quality points ÷ 4 credits = 3.75 GPA. Averaging 4.0 and 3.0 directly would give 3.50, because it would ignore that English counts three times as much as Art.
Full guide: How to Calculate GPA →
GPA scales compared: 4.0, 4.3, 4.33 and no plus/minus
Keep the same five letter grades and equal class weights from the first example. Changing the grade-point system changes the GPA—even before any Honors or AP bonus is added.
| GPA scale | A+ | A− | B+ | Example GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 4.0 example | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.66 |
| Stanford: A+ = 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.72 |
| Columbia SPS: A+ = 4.33 | 4.33 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3.73 |
| Whole-letter points used in UC admission GPA | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.60 |
If you start with percentages instead of reported letters, apply each school’s percentage cutoffs first. Columbia SPS, for example, starts A+ at 98%, while this page’s chart starts it at 97%.
Unweighted GPA can still account for credits
Unweighted means no bonus for course difficulty. It does not necessarily mean that every course counts equally: a 4-credit course may still influence GPA more than a 1-credit course.
Why removing plus/minus changes this example
The A− gains 0.3 points when it counts as an A. Each of the two B+ grades loses 0.3 when it counts as a B. The net loss is 0.3 points across five classes, so 3.66 becomes 3.60.
What does GPA scale mean on an application?
It asks for the scale your school reports, not the GPA you earned. If your transcript lists a GPA of 3.66 on a 4.0 scale, enter 3.66 as your GPA and 4.0 as the scale. Report weighted or unweighted status separately when requested.
Follow the application’s instructions and your transcript. Ask your counselor if the reported scale is unclear; don’t infer it only from whether your GPA exceeds 4.0.
Full guide: College GPA Calculator →
5.0 weighted GPA scale: regular, Honors and AP/IB grades
A weighted GPA scale adds points for eligible advanced courses. The example below adds 0.5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP or IB, with no bonus for an F. These are example bonuses, not rules followed by every school.
| Letter grade | Regular | Honors (+0.5) | AP / IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C− | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| D− | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
In the five-class example, AP Biology’s A− changes from 3.7 to 4.7, and Honors History’s B+ changes from 3.3 to 3.8. The other classes stay the same.
Same report card, two GPAs
Unweighted: 18.3 ÷ 5 = 3.66.
Weighted: 19.8 ÷ 5 = 3.96.
The 0.30 difference comes from 1.5 bonus points spread across five equal-credit classes.
Schools can restrict bonuses by course, grade or total number of eligible classes. UC admission GPA, for example, awards an extra point for qualifying honors-course grades of A, B or C, with a maximum of eight honors points and additional eligibility limits.
Don’t convert weighted GPA by multiplying by 4/5
A weighted GPA alone does not tell you which classes earned bonuses. Recalculate from the course grades and credits without those bonuses. In this example, 3.96 × 4 ÷ 5 gives 3.17, not the correct unweighted GPA of 3.66.
Full guide: How to Calculate Weighted GPA →
GPA scale calculators: 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 12-point scales
Each of these scales has its own calculator. Enter your courses and grades, and it works out your GPA on that scale and on the 4.0 scale.
- 5.0 Scale GPA Calculator: a weighted high school GPA with Regular, Honors, AP and dual credit levels.
- 6.0 Scale GPA Calculator: a weighted GPA where AP and dual credit courses can add up to 2.0 points.
- 7.0 Scale GPA Calculator: the Australian university scale, from HD down to fail, with its 4.0 equivalent.
- 12-to-4 GPA Converter: Ontario’s 12-point scale, used at McMaster and Carleton, on the 4.0 scale.
- GPA Converter: one grade or several between percent, letter grade, 4.0 and 4.3, both ways.
GPA scale FAQs
Is GPA always on a 4.0 scale?
No. Schools may use a 4.0 scale, an A+-based 4.3 scale, weighted scales such as 5.0 or 6.0, or another grading system. Use the scale stated by your school rather than assuming every GPA is out of 4.0.
Is an A+ worth 4.0 or 4.3?
It depends on the school. This page’s chart assigns 4.0 to both A and A+. Some institutions, including Stanford, assign 4.3 to an A+. Your school’s grading policy determines the value used in your official GPA.
What GPA points are A, A−, B+, B, and B− worth?
On this page’s 4.0 scale, A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, and B− = 2.7. These are values for individual course grades; your overall GPA depends on all included grades and credits.
What percentage equals a 4.0 GPA?
In this page’s example chart, course grades from 93–100% receive 4.0 points. Other schools may use different cutoffs. A cumulative 4.0 GPA does not identify one exact percentage average, because different course percentages can receive the same grade-point value.
How do I convert a weighted GPA to an unweighted 4.0 GPA?
Recalculate from your course grades without the advanced-course bonuses, using the applicable grade-point and credit rules. A weighted GPA alone is not enough to determine an exact unweighted GPA. Dividing by 5 and multiplying by 4 does not generally remove course-specific weighting.
Can I convert my overall GPA back to a percentage?
Not to one exact percentage in general. Different combinations of course grades can produce the same GPA, and percentage cutoffs vary. A chart can show example grade ranges, but it cannot reconstruct the original marks.
What is a good GPA on a 4.0 scale?
On this page’s scale, 3.0 corresponds to B-level grade points and 4.0 to A-level grade points. Whether a GPA meets your goal depends on the requirements of your school, program, scholarship, or application, not a universal cutoff.
Do colleges use the same GPA scale as my high school?
Not necessarily. Colleges may review the GPA your school reports or recalculate it using their own course-selection and weighting rules. Follow each application’s instructions when reporting grades and GPA.
What GPA is a B+?
A B+ earns 3.3 grade points and corresponds to 87% to below 90% on this page’s example chart. With the example bonuses, it earns 3.8 in Honors or 4.3 in AP or IB. Some schools use 3.33 instead of 3.3.
What is a 93 on a 4.0 GPA scale?
A class grade of 93% is an A worth 4.0 points on this page’s example scale. A 92% is an A− worth 3.7. Your school may use different cutoffs, so follow its grading policy.
What is the highest GPA you can get?
On a scale capped at 4.0, the maximum is 4.0. An unweighted scale that awards more for A+ can reach 4.3 or 4.33. Under the weighted example on this page, A grades in eligible AP or IB classes earn 5.0 points; your overall GPA reaches 5.0 only if every counted class earns those points.
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