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GPA CollegeCalculator

Weighted GPA calculator

Add the course type alongside each grade to see your weighted GPA. Turn weighting off at any time to compare it against the plain 4.0 figure.

The default at most US colleges. A and A+ are both worth 4.0.

Weighted GPA

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Add a course and pick a grade to see your GPA.

Everything you type stays in this browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and your entries are saved locally so you can come back to them.

What weighting does

A weighted GPA answers a fairness problem. A student earning B grades in four AP courses has done harder work than a student earning B grades in four standard courses, but an unweighted average scores them identically. Weighting adds bonus points to advanced courses before the average is taken, so rigour shows up in the number.

The bonus is applied to the grade point, not to the final GPA. A B is 3.0, and a B in an AP class becomes 4.0 before it is multiplied by credit hours.

Weighted GPAs differ between schools

Weighted GPAs are not comparable between schools. One district adds 1.0 for AP, the next adds 0.5, a third weights honors and AP identically, and a fourth does not weight at all. A 4.3 from one high school and a 4.3 from another can represent very different transcripts.

Selective colleges recalculate for that reason. They rebuild an unweighted academic GPA on a common basis and read course rigour separately from the transcript itself. Your weighted GPA still matters for class rank, for scholarships administered by your district and for automatic-admission thresholds at some state universities.

How to report it

When an application asks for your GPA, give the figure exactly as your school reports it and say which scale it is on. Writing 4.4 without noting that it is weighted on a 5.0 scale reads as an error rather than an achievement. Your counselor’s school profile does most of this explaining for you.

For the unweighted view, use the high school GPA calculator or switch weighting off above.

Common bonus values
Course typeBonus
RegularStandard course, no bonus.0.0
HonorsMost schools add half a point.+0.5
APAdvanced Placement, usually a full point.+1.0
IBInternational Baccalaureate, usually a full point.+1.0
Dual enrollmentCollege credit taken in high school.+1.0

These are the most common values. Your district sets its own policy, so confirm with your counselor before relying on the result.

Common questions

How is a weighted GPA calculated?
It works like a normal GPA, except harder courses get bonus grade points before the average is taken. Honors classes typically add 0.5 and AP, IB or dual-enrollment classes typically add 1.0. A B in an AP class is scored as 4.0 rather than 3.0, which is why a weighted GPA can exceed 4.0.
Can a weighted GPA go above 4.0?
Yes. On the common 5.0 weighted scale, an A in an AP course is worth 5.0, so a student taking mostly AP classes and earning mostly A grades can finish above 4.0. Some districts cap the weighted GPA and some do not, so the maximum varies.
Do colleges look at weighted or unweighted GPA?
Both, but most selective colleges recalculate. They strip out your school’s weighting, drop non-academic courses like PE, and rebuild an unweighted academic GPA they can compare fairly across applicants. They then read course rigour separately from your transcript. Weighting helps you within your own school’s ranking more than it helps in admissions.
Is a 4.5 weighted GPA good?
It is strong. A 4.5 on a 5.0 weighted scale generally means mostly A grades in a schedule loaded with honors and AP courses. What matters alongside it is how many advanced courses your school actually offered, because admissions readers judge rigour relative to what was available to you.
Which courses get a bonus?
Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-enrollment college courses are the usual categories. Standard and remedial courses get no bonus. Districts set their own policy, so confirm the exact values with your counselor before relying on the number.

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