# What is my weighted GPA?

Computes a high school weighted GPA, where honors courses add 0.5 and AP, IB and college courses add 1.0 to the grade points on the 4.0 scale, with the unweighted GPA beside it.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/education/weighted-gpa-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/education/weighted-gpa-calculator.json
- Version: 14747ce0bcbc

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Course 1 grade A, Course 1 level AP, IB or college (+1.0), Course 1 credits 1, Course 2 grade B+, Course 2 level Honors (+0.5), Course 2 credits 1, Course 3 grade A-, Course 3 level Regular, Course 3 credits 1, Course 4 grade B, Course 4 level Regular, Course 4 credits 1, Course 5 grade Not counted (P, W, I), Course 6 grade Not counted (P, W, I), Course 7 grade Not counted (P, W, I), Course 8 grade Not counted (P, W, I)): Your weighted GPA is 3.88 (unweighted 3.5) over 4 credits.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| grade1 | Course 1 grade | The letter grade in course 1, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level1 | Course 1 level | The level of course 1: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits1 | Course 1 credits | The credits of course 1: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade2 | Course 2 grade | The letter grade in course 2, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level2 | Course 2 level | The level of course 2: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits2 | Course 2 credits | The credits of course 2: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade3 | Course 3 grade | The letter grade in course 3, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level3 | Course 3 level | The level of course 3: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits3 | Course 3 credits | The credits of course 3: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade4 | Course 4 grade | The letter grade in course 4, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level4 | Course 4 level | The level of course 4: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits4 | Course 4 credits | The credits of course 4: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade5 | Course 5 grade | The letter grade in course 5, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level5 | Course 5 level | The level of course 5: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits5 | Course 5 credits | The credits of course 5: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade6 | Course 6 grade | The letter grade in course 6, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level6 | Course 6 level | The level of course 6: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits6 | Course 6 credits | The credits of course 6: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade7 | Course 7 grade | The letter grade in course 7, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level7 | Course 7 level | The level of course 7: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits7 | Course 7 credits | The credits of course 7: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |
| grade8 | Course 8 grade | The letter grade in course 8, or Not counted for a course that does not count toward the GPA. |
| level8 | Course 8 level | The level of course 8: regular, honors, or AP, IB or college (dual enrollment). |
| credits8 | Course 8 credits | The credits of course 8: 1 for a full-year course and 0.5 for a semester course in most high schools. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| weighted | Weighted GPA | Σ((grade points + level bonus) × credits) ÷ Σ credits, on a scale up to 5.0. |
| unweighted | Unweighted GPA | Σ(grade points × credits) ÷ Σ credits, on the 4.0 scale, with no bonus for the course level. |
| credits | Credits | The credits of the courses that count. |
| points | Weighted grade points | Σ((grade points + level bonus) × credits). |

## Method

weighted GPA = Σ((grade points + level bonus) × credits) ÷ Σ credits, with a bonus of 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP, IB or college courses (none for an F); unweighted GPA = Σ(grade points × credits) ÷ Σ credits.

## Assumptions

- Grade points follow the 4.0 scale: A+ and 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 0.0.
- Honors courses add 0.5 and AP, IB and college (dual enrollment) courses add 1.0, as in the North Carolina State Board of Education policy; an F earns 0 in any course. Schools differ, so check your school’s scale.
- Courses marked Not counted (pass, withdrawal, incomplete) are left out. Credits are from 0.01 to 30 per course.
- Both GPAs are exact before they are shown to two decimal places, rounded half up. Some schools cut off (truncate) instead.

## Worked examples

1. grade1 = a, level1 = ap, credits1 = 1, grade2 = b-plus, level2 = honors, credits2 = 1, grade3 = a-minus, level3 = regular, credits3 = 1, grade4 = b, level4 = regular, credits4 = 1 gives weighted = 3.875, unweighted = 3.5, credits = 4, points = 15.5. Source: NC State Board of Education policy GRAD-009, High School Transcript Standards (honors +0.5 and AP/IB +1 quality point), https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/NCSBE/2025/10/03/file_attachments/3409884/GRAD-009%20-%20Grading%20and%20Transcript%20Standards%2010-02-2025.pdf.
2. grade1 = a, level1 = ap, credits1 = 1, grade2 = f, level2 = ap, credits2 = 1, grade3 = none, grade4 = none gives weighted = 2.5, unweighted = 2, credits = 2. Source: Wikipedia, Academic grading in the United States (weighted scale: A = 5 or 4.5, F = 0), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_United_States.
3. grade1 = b, level1 = honors, credits1 = 0.5, grade2 = c-plus, level2 = regular, credits2 = 1, grade3 = a-plus, level3 = ap, credits3 = 1, grade4 = none gives weighted = 3.62, unweighted = 3.12, credits = 2.5, points = 9.05. Source: (3.5 × 0.5 + 2.3 × 1 + 5.0 × 1) ÷ 2.5 = 9.05 ÷ 2.5 = 3.62 (points: University of Michigan-Dearborn 4.0 scale, https://catalog.umd.umich.edu/academic-policies-campus/grading-system/grading-system.pdf).

## FAQ

### How do I calculate a weighted GPA?

Give each course its grade points on the 4.0 scale, add 0.5 for an honors course or 1.0 for an AP, IB or college course, multiply by the credits, add everything up and divide by the total credits. An A in AP (5.0), a B+ in honors (3.8), an A- (3.7) and a B (3.0), one credit each: 15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875.

### What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

An unweighted GPA uses the same 4.0 scale for every course, so an A is always 4.0. A weighted GPA gives harder courses extra points, so an A in an AP course counts as 5.0. The same four courses above have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 and a weighted GPA of 3.875.

### How many points do honors and AP classes add?

The calculator adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP, IB and college (dual enrollment) courses, the weights in North Carolina’s state policy and a common choice in the US. Some schools use other weights, such as 0.33 or 0.5 for AP; check your school’s profile or handbook.

### Does an F in an AP class get the extra point?

No. An F counts as 0 in any course, so it gets no bonus. An A in AP (5.0) and an F in AP (0), one credit each, give a weighted GPA of 2.5.

### How do credits change the GPA?

Each course counts in proportion to its credits. A half-credit semester course counts half as much as a full-year course. B in a half-credit honors course, C+ in a regular course and A+ in AP (one credit each): (3.5 × 0.5 + 2.3 + 5.0) ÷ 2.5 = 3.62.

### Why is my weighted GPA different from my transcript?

Schools choose their own weights, grade scales (with or without plus and minus grades), and whether to round or cut off the GPA at two decimals. Some also leave out non-core courses. Use your school’s rules for the official number.

## Sources

- North Carolina State Board of Education, Policy GRAD-009, High School Transcript Standards (honors courses: 0.5 quality point; AP, IB and CIE courses: 1 quality point). https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/NCSBE/2025/10/03/file_attachments/3409884/GRAD-009%20-%20Grading%20and%20Transcript%20Standards%2010-02-2025.pdf
- University of Michigan-Dearborn, Grading System (4.0 scale: A and A+ 4.0, A- 3.7, B+ 3.3 … D- 0.7, E 0.0). https://catalog.umd.umich.edu/academic-policies-campus/grading-system/grading-system.pdf
- Wikipedia, Academic grading in the United States (weighted GPA: A = 5 or 4.5, B = 4 or 3.5, …, F = 0). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_United_States