Why credit weighting changes the answer#
A GPA is not a plain average of your grades — it is a weighted average, where each grade counts in proportion to how many credit hours the course was worth. One credit of an A (4.0) alongside three credits of a C (2.0) averages to 2.5, not 3.0, because the C carries three times the weight of the A in the calculation. A calculator that just averages the grade points directly, ignoring credit hours, produces a number that does not match what a school's registrar would actually calculate.
The 4.0 scale used here, and where it can differ#
This uses the standard US 4.0 scale with plus/minus grades (A+ and A both at 4.0, A- at 3.7, down to F at 0.0) — the most common convention. Some institutions use a scale without plus/minus distinctions, weight honors or AP courses differently, or use a different numeric scale entirely (a 5-point or 10-point system). If your school's official calculation differs, treat this as the standard reference point and check your registrar's specific policy for anything institution-specific.
This calculates semester or cumulative GPA the same way#
The math is identical whether the course list represents one semester or an entire academic career — list every relevant course with its grade and credits, and the weighted average comes out the same either way. Add or remove rows freely to check a single term or a running cumulative total.