Unweighted GPA Calculator
Calculate your unweighted GPA on the classic 4.0 scale. No bonus points, no course levels: every A is 4.0, every B is 3.0, and every course counts exactly the same.
The unweighted GPA is the simplest and most universal version of your grade point average. It converts each letter grade to grade points on a 4.0 scale, weights by credit hours, and averages the result, with no extra credit for AP, honors, or IB courses. This unweighted GPA calculator gives you that number instantly.
Because it treats all courses equally, the unweighted GPA is the figure many colleges recalculate for admissions comparisons, and the one most scholarship forms ask for when they do not specify a scale. The guide below covers the 4.0 scale, the math, and when the unweighted number matters most.
Course Grade Calculator
Add your categories (weighted) or assignments (points-based) and get your current grade.
Weights should add up to 100%.
Final Exam Grade Needed
What do you need on the final to hit your target grade?
If your final has two parts and you already took part 1, fill both fields and we will tell you what part 2 needs.
What-If Scenario
See how a future score changes your grade before it happens.
GPA Calculator
Semester or cumulative GPA — weighted or unweighted.
Scale: A/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.
Quick Quiz Grader
For students checking a score — and teachers grading a stack.
Grade Calculator for Your LMS
Each platform grades a little differently. Pick yours — we'll load the right setup into the Course Grade calculator.
Canvas
Uses assignment groups with weights (e.g. Homework 30%, Quizzes 20%, Exams 50%). Matches the Weighted mode.
Blackboard
Weighted totals per category. Same math as Canvas — categories with percentage weights.
Moodle
Gradebook aggregates by mean of grades, often points-based with categories. Start points-based.
Google Classroom
Simple points-based gradebook. Start points-based and enter your scores.
After loading a setup, open the Course Grade tab — your categories are pre-filled. Just enter your scores.
What is an unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA is a grade point average computed on a straight 4.0 scale with no bonus points for course difficulty. An A in AP Physics and an A in a regular art class both contribute exactly 4.0 grade points per credit hour. The highest possible unweighted GPA is 4.0, a perfect record.
The defining feature is equality of courses. Where a weighted system rewards students for choosing harder classes, the unweighted system measures only the grades earned, not the difficulty of earning them. Neither approach is objectively better; they answer different questions. The weighted GPA asks "how much did you achieve, adjusted for difficulty," while the unweighted GPA asks simply "what grades did you earn."
Because every school can compute it the same way, the unweighted GPA is the most comparable figure across different high schools. A 3.8 unweighted GPA means the same thing in every district, while a 4.3 weighted GPA could reflect very different weighting systems. That comparability is the main reason it remains the default scale for so many official purposes.
How unweighted GPA is calculated
The calculation has three steps: convert each letter grade to grade points, multiply by credit hours, and divide total quality points by total credit hours.
On the common scale, A is 4.0, B is 3.0, C is 2.0, D is 1.0, and F is 0.0, with plus and minus steps at 3.7 for A-, 3.3 for B+, 2.7 for B-, 2.3 for C+, and 1.7 for C-. Schools that do not use plus and minus grades simply round each letter to the whole number.
Worked example. Take a five-course semester:
- English: A (4.0) × 3 credits = 12.0 quality points
- Algebra: B (3.0) × 3 credits = 9.0 quality points
- Art: A (4.0) × 2 credits = 8.0 quality points
- Physical Education: A- (3.7) × 1 credit = 3.7 quality points
- Earth Science: B+ (3.3) × 3 credits = 9.9 quality points
Total quality points: 12.0 + 9.0 + 8.0 + 3.7 + 9.9 = 42.6. Total credits: 3 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 12. Unweighted GPA = 42.6 ÷ 12 = 3.55. Notice that the art class and the algebra class contribute purely on their grades: no bonus for difficulty, no penalty for being an elective. Enter these courses in the unweighted GPA calculator above with the scale set to Unweighted (4.0) to confirm the 3.55.
If any of these courses had been AP or honors, the unweighted calculation would ignore that completely. That is the whole point of the scale, and it is also why students with heavy advanced schedules often find their unweighted GPA lower than their weighted one.
The 4.0 unweighted scale
This is the standard conversion table the unweighted GPA calculator uses. If your school omits plus and minus grades, use the whole-number values for each letter.
| Letter grade | Grade points |
|---|---|
| A+ / 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 |
Why colleges recalculate your GPA unweighted
High schools weight GPAs in dozens of different ways: +1.0 for AP here, +0.5 for honors there, different caps, different eligible courses. A college comparing applicants from hundreds of schools cannot treat those numbers as equivalent, so many admissions offices strip the weighting away and recompute everyone on a plain 4.0 scale.
This does not mean your advanced courses stop mattering. Colleges evaluate course rigor separately, usually by reading the transcript itself: how many AP, IB, or honors courses you took relative to what your school offered. The unweighted GPA tells them how well you performed; the transcript tells them how hard the performance was. Splitting the two judgments is, in the view of the schools that do it, fairer than trusting each high school's weighting formula.
The practical consequence for applicants: know your unweighted GPA even if your school emphasizes the weighted figure. It is the number most likely to be reconstructed from your transcript, so it is worth checking with the unweighted GPA calculator above rather than guessing.
When the unweighted GPA matters most
Beyond college admissions recalculation, the unweighted figure is the standard in several situations. Scholarship applications that ask for GPA without specifying a scale almost always expect the 4.0 unweighted number. Transfer applications between colleges typically use unweighted cumulative GPA. And any time you compare your record with a student from a different school or district, the unweighted GPA is the only apples-to-apples figure.
It also serves as a useful reality check on your own record. Because weighting can inflate a GPA well above 4.0, students sometimes lose track of their underlying grades. Toggling the unweighted GPA calculator to compare both scales shows exactly how much of your average comes from grades and how much comes from bonuses, which is genuinely useful information when choosing next year's courses.
For the weighted side of the picture, our weighted GPA calculator applies AP and honors bonuses on the 5.0 scale, and weighted vs unweighted GPA compares the two systems in detail.
Reading the unweighted GPA on your transcript
Transcripts present GPA information in several formats, and knowing which number you are looking at avoids confusion. Many high school transcripts show both a weighted and an unweighted GPA side by side, sometimes labeled "GPA (weighted)" and "GPA (unweighted)," sometimes with only the weighted figure prominent. College transcripts typically show a term GPA and a cumulative GPA, both usually unweighted on a 4.0 scale.
If your transcript shows only one GPA and you are unsure which scale it uses, the number itself is a clue: anything above 4.0 must be weighted, since 4.0 is the unweighted ceiling. A GPA at or below 4.0 could be either, so check for labels or ask your registrar. When a college application asks for your GPA and your transcript lists both, report the one requested; if it does not specify, the unweighted figure is the safer choice because every admissions office understands the 4.0 scale.
One more transcript detail: some schools report GPA to three decimals (3.847) while others round to two (3.85). Rounding differences of 0.01 are normal between systems and nothing to worry about. Larger discrepancies usually trace back to plus/minus policies or retake rules, as covered above. Recompute with the unweighted GPA calculator using your school's exact conversions, and any remaining gap is worth a question to your counselor.
How to use this unweighted GPA calculator
Open the GPA tab and make sure the scale toggle is set to Unweighted (4.0). For each course, select your letter grade and enter the credit hours. The course level setting is ignored on the unweighted scale, which is correct: no bonuses apply. Click + Add course for each class, then Calculate GPA.
The result shows your unweighted GPA to two decimals with the underlying totals. Use Share result to generate a replayable link, handy for confirming the number matches what your school reports before you put it on an application.
One common source of small mismatches: plus and minus grades. If your school does not use them, an A- on your report card may already have been recorded as an A. Match the tool's grade selections to how your school actually converts grades, and the unweighted GPA calculator will agree with your transcript.
Unweighted GPA calculator FAQs
How do I calculate my unweighted GPA?
Convert each letter grade to grade points on the 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0), multiply by credit hours, add up the quality points, and divide by total credits. No bonuses are added for AP or honors courses. The unweighted GPA calculator above does this automatically on the Unweighted (4.0) setting.
What is a good unweighted GPA?
On the 4.0 scale, a 3.5 or higher is generally considered strong, 3.7 or higher is competitive for selective colleges, and 3.0 is a common minimum for many scholarships. Context varies by school and program; see our guide on what counts as a good GPA for more detail.
Is unweighted GPA out of 4.0?
Yes. The maximum unweighted GPA is 4.0, representing straight As. Unlike weighted GPA, it cannot exceed 4.0 no matter how many advanced courses you take, because no bonus points are added.
Do AP classes count extra in unweighted GPA?
No. That is the defining feature of the unweighted scale: an A in an AP course counts as 4.0, exactly the same as an A in a regular course. The extra difficulty is recognized separately, through your transcript, not through the GPA number. For the bonus-point version, use our weighted GPA calculator.
Why is my unweighted GPA lower than my weighted GPA?
Because the weighted figure includes bonus points for advanced courses and the unweighted figure strips them away. A student with many AP courses will typically see a gap of 0.3 to 0.8 between the two. The gap itself is informative: it shows how much of your average comes from course difficulty versus grades.
Which GPA do colleges use?
Many colleges recalculate applicants on an unweighted 4.0 scale for fair comparison, then evaluate course rigor from the transcript separately. Some universities use the weighted figure directly. Have both numbers ready, and report whichever the application requests.
How do I convert a weighted GPA to unweighted?
Recompute from the original letter grades without bonuses: convert each grade to 4.0-scale points, multiply by credits, and divide by total credits. You cannot reliably convert from the weighted number alone, because different schools weight differently. The unweighted GPA calculator above does the recomputation if you enter your courses.
Is this unweighted GPA calculator accurate?
Yes, for the standard 4.0 scale. Enter correct grades and credit hours, match your school's plus/minus policy, and the result will agree with your transcript's unweighted figure. See our disclaimer.