Your unweighted GPA is the simple average of all your grades on a standard 4.0 scale, where every class counts equally regardless of difficulty. An A in AP Chemistry and an A in study skills both earn 4.0 points. Calculating it takes just a few minutes once you know the formula.
The 4.0 Grade Scale
Every letter grade translates to a fixed number of points on the unweighted scale. According to the College Board’s BigFuture tool, the standard conversion looks like this:
- A (90–100): 4.0 points
- B (80–89): 3.0 points
- C (70–79): 2.0 points
- D (66–69): 1.0 point
- F (below 65): 0.0 points
Some schools use plus and minus grades, splitting each letter into finer increments. An A- might be 3.7, a B+ might be 3.3, and so on. Check your school’s grading policy to see whether they use this finer scale or stick with whole numbers. Either way, the calculation method is the same.
The Basic Calculation
If all your classes carry the same number of credits (which is common in high school, where most courses are worth one credit), the math is straightforward. Add up the grade points for every class, then divide by the number of classes.
Say you took five classes this semester and earned an A, A, B, C, and A. That’s 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 + 4.0 = 17.0 total grade points. Divide 17.0 by 5 classes, and your unweighted GPA is 3.4.
Adjusting for Different Credit Hours
In college, and sometimes in high school, not every course is worth the same number of credits. A lab science might be four credits while a seminar is two. When credit hours vary, you need to weight the math by credits, even though the GPA itself is still “unweighted” (meaning no bonus points for honors or AP).
Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Step 1: Convert each letter grade to its point value using the 4.0 scale above.
- Step 2: Multiply each course’s grade points by the number of credit hours for that course. This gives you the total grade points per course.
- Step 3: Add up all the grade points from every course.
- Step 4: Add up all the credit hours.
- Step 5: Divide total grade points by total credit hours.
For example, imagine you took four courses this semester: a 4-credit biology course (grade: B, or 3.0), a 3-credit English course (grade: A, or 4.0), a 3-credit history course (grade: A, or 4.0), and a 1-credit PE course (grade: C, or 2.0). Your grade points per course would be 12.0, 12.0, 12.0, and 2.0, for a total of 38.0 grade points across 11 credit hours. Divide 38.0 by 11, and your GPA is 3.45.
Cumulative vs. Semester GPA
The formula works the same way whether you’re calculating one semester or your entire transcript. For a cumulative GPA, you simply include every graded course from every semester in the same calculation. Add up all grade points across all terms, add up all credit hours across all terms, and divide.
If you already know your cumulative GPA and credit hours from prior semesters, you can project how a new semester will shift the number. Combine the old total grade points (old GPA times old credit hours) with the new semester’s grade points, then divide by the new total credit hours.
Courses That Don’t Count
Not every entry on your transcript factors into the GPA. Courses graded as pass/fail, credit/no credit, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory typically earn credit hours toward graduation but are not computed in the grade point average. Only courses where you received a traditional letter grade (A through F) get included in the calculation.
Dual enrollment courses, where a high school student takes a college class, usually do count toward your high school GPA. The college grade gets transferred back to your high school transcript. How it’s treated depends on your school district: some apply it on the standard unweighted scale, while others give it extra weight like an AP or honors class. If you’re trying to calculate your own unweighted GPA, count the dual enrollment grade at its standard 4.0 scale value regardless of any bonus your school might add.
Where to Find Your Grades
Most high schools and colleges make transcripts available through an online student portal. Look for a section labeled “academic record,” “transcript,” or “grades.” Your transcript will list every course, the grade you earned, and the credit hours. Some portals also display your calculated GPA, but it may be a weighted version if your school uses one. To confirm you’re looking at the unweighted number, check whether AP or honors classes show values above 4.0. If they do, that’s a weighted GPA, and you’ll want to recalculate using the standard scale.
If your school doesn’t provide an online transcript, your guidance counselor or registrar’s office can print one for you. You can also request an unofficial transcript, which is usually free and contains everything you need for a personal GPA calculation.
Why Unweighted GPA Matters
Colleges use unweighted GPA as one way to compare students from different high schools on a level playing field. Since not every school offers the same AP or honors courses, a weighted GPA can be hard to compare across districts. An unweighted GPA strips away those differences and shows your raw grade performance.
That said, admissions offices also look at course rigor separately. A 3.5 unweighted GPA with a schedule full of AP courses signals something different than a 3.5 with no advanced classes. Scholarships, honor societies, and eligibility requirements often reference unweighted GPA specifically, so knowing yours is useful well beyond college applications.