π Weighted GPA Calculator
AP, IB, and Honors bumps included. Weighted and unweighted side by side.
Weighted GPA
Unweighted GPA
Course Breakdown
How to Use This Weighted GPA Calculator
Add one row per course, pick the grade and the course level, and the calculator works out both your weighted GPA (with Honors, AP, and IB bonuses) and your unweighted GPA (plain 4.0 scale). Adjust credits if a course counts double, and watch both numbers update instantly.
Review the preloaded sample courses or click Add Course to build your own schedule. Each row has a course name, grade, level, and credits.
Pick the grade for each course (A+ through F) and the level: Regular, Honors (+0.5), AP (+1.0), or IB (+1.0).
Set Credits if a course counts for more or less than one credit. Most high school courses are 1 credit.
Click Calculate GPA. The breakdown table shows the points each course contributed, weighted and unweighted.
How It Works
Every course is converted to grade points, then multiplied by its credits to get quality points. Add up all the quality points, divide by total credits, and you have the GPA. The unweighted version uses plain grade points; the weighted version adds the level bonus first. Because the bonus applies per course, a schedule heavy with AP courses can push the weighted GPA above 4.0, which is exactly what colleges expect to see.
The bonus convention here (Honors +0.5, AP/IB +1.0) is the most common in US high schools, but it is not universal. Some schools use +0.5 for AP, some cap weighted GPA at 4.0, and some weight only core subjects. If your school differs, the unweighted GPA from this calculator is still exact, and you can apply your school own bonus rules to the per-course points in the breakdown table.
Worked Example
Take a 6-course semester: AP English (A-), AP Calculus (B+), Honors Chemistry (A), Regular History (A), Regular Spanish (B), PE (A), each 1 credit. Unweighted points: 3.7 + 3.3 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 = 22.0, divided by 6 = 3.67. Weighted points: 4.7 + 4.3 + 4.5 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 = 24.5, divided by 6 = 4.08. The weighted GPA rewards the AP and Honors load: the same grades without the bonuses would be 3.67, but with them the student clears 4.0.
Tips for Students
Use this calculator at the start of a term to set a target: plug in the grades you want and see what weighted GPA they produce. Remember that colleges recalculate, so a 4.3 built on easy electives impresses less than a 4.0 built on core AP courses. Do not chase the bonus into courses you will fail; a C in AP (3.0 weighted) is worse than an A in regular (4.0 unweighted) on both scales. And keep the unweighted GPA healthy above all: it is the number that never gets recalculated away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA uses the standard 4.0 scale for every course: an A is 4.0 whether it is regular English or AP Physics. Weighted GPA adds a bonus for harder courses, typically +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB, so an A in AP Physics counts as 5.0. This calculator shows both side by side, because colleges often recalculate their own version anyway.
How much is the Honors and AP bonus?
This tool uses the most common US convention: Honors courses get +0.5 and AP or IB courses get +1.0 on top of the standard grade points. So a B (3.0) in an Honors class counts as 3.5, and a B in an AP class counts as 4.0. Some schools use different bumps, so check your school handbook; if yours differs, treat the unweighted GPA as the exact number and adjust the weighted one by hand.
Can weighted GPA be higher than 4.0?
Yes, and that is the whole point of weighting. A student with straight As in AP courses earns a 5.0 weighted GPA on the scale this calculator uses. That is normal and expected: the number above 4.0 signals that the grades were earned in college-level courses. Unweighted GPA, by contrast, caps at 4.0 no matter how hard the courses were.
What grade point values does the calculator use?
The standard 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, and F = 0.0. Bonuses are added after: +0.5 for Honors, +1.0 for AP or IB. Note that A+ counts the same as A (4.0) on this scale, which matches how most high schools handle it.
Do all courses count equally?
In this calculator, each course row counts as one credit unless you change it. If your school weights courses by credit hours, set the Credits field per course: a double-period lab worth 2 credits counts twice as much as a 1-credit elective. The GPA is always total grade points divided by total credits, so heavier courses pull the average more.
Which GPA do colleges look at?
Most colleges look at both, and many recalculate GPA with their own formula, often stripping the bonuses or re-weighting only core academic courses. A high weighted GPA tells them you challenged yourself; a high unweighted GPA tells them you mastered the material. Keep both strong: loading up on AP courses and getting Bs can look worse than As in a balanced schedule.