A B corresponds to a score between 80% and 89% on the standard grading scale used by most American schools. On the 4.0 GPA scale, a straight B is worth 3.0 grade points. Here’s how the full B range breaks down and what it means for your GPA.
Percentage Ranges for B+, B, and B-
Most U.S. high schools and colleges use a 10-point grading scale, where each letter grade spans a 10-percentage-point range. Within that range, plus and minus modifiers narrow things further:
- B+: 87% to 89%
- B: 83% to 86%
- B-: 80% to 82%
Some schools set slightly different cutoffs. A few use a 7-point scale, where an A starts at 93% and a B covers roughly 85% to 92%. If your school posts its grading policy in the syllabus or student handbook, that’s the version that counts for your transcript.
GPA Points on a 4.0 Scale
Grade point average converts letter grades into numbers so they can be averaged across all your courses. On a standard unweighted 4.0 scale, the B range translates like this:
- B+: 3.3
- B: 3.0
- B-: 2.7
Your GPA is calculated by multiplying the point value of each grade by the number of credit hours for that course, adding those products together, and dividing by total credit hours. A single B in a three-credit course contributes 9.0 quality points (3.0 × 3) to that calculation.
How Weighted Scales Change the Value
Many high schools bump up grade points for Honors, AP, or IB classes to reflect their difficulty. On a common weighted scale, a B in a standard class is still worth 3.0, but a B in an AP or IB course is typically worth 3.3, and a B in an Honors course falls around 3.5, depending on the school’s policy. The Princeton Review notes that this extra weight can meaningfully raise your overall GPA even when your letter grades stay the same.
Weighted GPAs can reach 4.5 or even 5.0, which is why you’ll sometimes see students with GPAs above a 4.0. Colleges reviewing your application usually look at both the weighted and unweighted numbers, so a B in a challenging course often carries more real-world value than an A in a less rigorous one.
What a B Means in College and Graduate School
At the undergraduate level, a B is a solid, above-average grade. Most scholarship and financial aid programs require a cumulative GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 to stay eligible, so maintaining B-level work generally keeps those options open.
In graduate programs, the bar is higher. Most require a cumulative 3.0 (a B average) to earn a degree. At many universities, a grade below C- doesn’t count toward an advanced degree at all, and some programs set their own minimum even higher. In practice, a B is the baseline expectation in graduate school rather than a mark of distinction.
Where a B Fits in the Full Scale
For quick reference, here’s how the entire letter-grade system lines up on the standard 10-point scale:
- A (90%–100%): 4.0 GPA
- B (80%–89%): 3.0 GPA
- C (70%–79%): 2.0 GPA
- D (60%–69%): 1.0 GPA
- F (below 60%): 0.0 GPA
Each letter grade sits exactly one full GPA point apart, with plus and minus modifiers adding or subtracting 0.3 points within each range. An A+ is typically capped at 4.0 on an unweighted scale, though a handful of schools assign it a 4.3.