"GPA scale" is searched by students filling in the Common App, by families moving into the US system from a percentage or a 10-point one, and by anyone who has just been told their GPA is 3.8 and wants to know whether that is good. The scale itself is simple; the confusion comes from three things that vary by school: pluses and minuses, weighting, and the scale a transcript reports on. This page has the conversion chart, the calculation, weighted against unweighted, the Common App field explained, what each GPA level means, and a calculator. The printable has the chart and a worksheet on two pages.
Download the GPA conversion chart and worksheet (PDF) (the 4.0 chart with percentages, the weighted scale, the calculation method, the Common App field, what each GPA means, and an eight-course worksheet; two pages, free).
The 4.0 conversion chart
The College Board's chart (BigFuture), which most US high schools follow, with the plus-and-minus values the schools that use them apply:
| Letter grade | Percentage | Unweighted points | Honors (+0.5) | AP or IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97 to 100 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A | 93 to 96 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A- | 90 to 92 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 87 to 89 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 83 to 86 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B- | 80 to 82 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 77 to 79 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 73 to 76 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C- | 70 to 72 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 67 to 69 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 65 to 66 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| E or F | below 65 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Schools without pluses and minuses use the simpler bands: A 90 to 100 (4.0), B 80 to 89 (3.0), C 70 to 79 (2.0), D 65 to 69 (1.0), F below 65 (0). Some schools give an A+ 4.3; some cap at 4.0; some weight honors at +1.0 and AP at +2.0. The transcript's own key is the authority for that school, and the Common App field exists because of exactly these differences.
How to calculate a GPA
- Convert each course's grade to points from the chart (add the weight if the GPA is weighted).
- Multiply each course's points by its credits (most year-long courses are 1 credit; semester courses 0.5).
- Add the results, and divide by the total credits.
Five one-credit courses with A, A, A, B, C: 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 = 17.0, divided by 5 = 3.4 unweighted. If two of the A's were in AP courses, weighted: 5.0 + 5.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 = 19.0, divided by 5 = 3.8. A cumulative GPA treats every course from grade 9 onwards the same way in one calculation.
The calculator
Enter up to eight courses with the letter grade, the course type and the credits.
GPA calculator (4.0 chart; honors +0.5, AP or IB +1.0)
Weights differ by school; if the transcript uses other weights, the transcript's figure is the one to report.
Weighted against unweighted
| Unweighted | Weighted | |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | 4.0 | usually 5.0 (some schools 4.5 or 6.0) |
| An A in a regular course | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| An A in an honors course | 4.0 | 4.5 (usual) |
| An A in an AP or IB course | 4.0 | 5.0 (usual) |
| What it rewards | grades only | grades and course difficulty |
| Who uses it | most colleges when they recalculate; many scholarship cut-offs | most high-school transcripts and class ranks |
A weighted 4.3 and an unweighted 3.8 can be the same student. Colleges know this, which is why most admissions offices recalculate every applicant's GPA their own way: usually core academic courses only (English, mathematics, science, social studies, world language), with the college's own weighting or none, so that students from different schools are compared on the same scale. The transcript figure gets the applicant in the door; the recalculated one is what is compared.
GPA scale reporting on the Common App
In the Education section of the Common App, after the school details, the Grades screen asks for:
- GPA scale: the scale the school's GPA is on. The options run from 4 to 20, plus 100 and none, so that percentage systems and 10-point systems (common in schools abroad) can be reported as they are.
- GPA weighting: weighted or unweighted, as the transcript states.
- Cumulative GPA: the number from the official transcript.
- Class rank reporting: exact, decile, quintile, quartile or none, if the school ranks.
What to enter: copy the cumulative GPA exactly as the official transcript shows it, choose the scale that matches (a 3.82 on a 4.0 unweighted transcript is scale 4, unweighted, 3.82; a 4.27 on a 5.0 weighted transcript is scale 5, weighted, 4.27), and do not convert it yourself unless the counsellor says to; the counsellor's school report carries the same figure and the two must match. A school that gives percentages reports scale 100; a school that does not compute a GPA selects none, and the counsellor explains the grading in the school profile. The field is not a place to improve the number; it is a place to describe it.
What each GPA means
| GPA (unweighted) | Letter equivalent | About | What it means for admissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | A | 93 to 100 percent | the top; the middle range at the most selective colleges is 3.9 to 4.0 |
| 3.8 | A- to A | 90 to 93 | strong everywhere; typical of admitted students at selective state flagships |
| 3.6 | A- to B+ | 88 to 91 | above the middle at most universities |
| 3.3 | B+ | 87 to 89 | solid; competitive at many state universities |
| 3.0 | B | 83 to 86 | the usual minimum for merit scholarships and many programmes |
| 2.5 | B- to C+ | 78 to 82 | admission to open-access and many regional universities |
| 2.0 | C | 73 to 76 | the usual minimum for graduation and eligibility |
| GPA (weighted) | Means |
|---|---|
| 5.0 | straight A's in a schedule made entirely of AP or IB courses, on a +1.0 scale; the theoretical maximum, rare |
| 4.5 | an A average with about half the courses weighted, or A's in honors throughout |
| 4.3 | an A- to A average with some AP or honors courses (an unweighted 3.8 to 3.9 is typical) |
| 4.2 | an A- average with several weighted courses |
| 4.0 | on a weighted scale, B+ to A- work with weighted courses, or A's with none |
A weighted GPA only means something next to the number of weighted courses the school offers; a 4.2 at a school with six AP courses is a different achievement from a 4.2 at a school with thirty.
Converting from other systems
Families arriving from abroad ask how a percentage or a 10-point CGPA maps onto 4.0. There is no official conversion; the College Board chart above is the usual reference for percentages (90 and above is 4.0 territory), and most US universities ask for the original transcript and convert it themselves, often through a credential service such as WES. Reporting the original scale on the Common App (scale 10, scale 100) is correct; converting it yourself and reporting a 4.0-scale number the transcript does not show is not.
Practice: eight questions
- Grades A, B+, A-, B, A in five one-credit courses: unweighted GPA?
- The A and the A- are in AP courses (+1.0): weighted GPA?
- A transcript says "cumulative GPA 4.18 (weighted, 5.0 scale)". What goes in the three Common App fields?
- What percentage range is a B- in the College Board chart?
- A student has a 3.4 after 20 credits and earns straight A's in 5 more credits. New GPA?
- Why do colleges recalculate GPAs?
- Is a 4.3 unweighted GPA possible?
- A school abroad reports 87 percent. What scale is selected on the Common App?
Answers: 1) (4.0 + 3.3 + 3.7 + 3.0 + 4.0) ÷ 5 = 3.6. 2) (5.0 + 3.3 + 4.7 + 3.0 + 4.0) ÷ 5 = 4.0. 3) Scale 5, weighted, 4.18. 4) 80 to 82. 5) (3.4 × 20 + 4.0 × 5) ÷ 25 = 3.52. 6) To compare students from schools with different weights and courses on one scale, usually core courses only. 7) Only at a school that gives A+ 4.3; on the standard chart 4.0 is the maximum. 8) 100.
Download the GPA conversion chart and worksheet (PDF)
Where to get help
A 1-on-1 online class in the subjects that decide the GPA (mathematics through AP Calculus, chemistry, physics, biology, English), US after-school hours, for families in the US system and families arriving from abroad: the course's own syllabus and tests, graded work reviewed every week, and the weighted courses taken with support rather than avoided. The recording and notes after every class, the same tutor every week, US$10 to $13 an hour. The subjects page lists the courses; the free 30-minute first class is a real lesson, usually on the homework the student brings.
Questions parents ask
1What is the GPA scale?
2What does GPA scale reporting mean on the Common App?
3Is a 3.8 GPA good?
4What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
5How do you calculate GPA?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
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