Pick the class type
Regular, Honors (+0.5), or AP/IB (+1.0). The bonus is added on top of the base grade points.
Weighted GPA Calculator
Calculate the weighted GPA most U.S. high schools actually report — the one that gives bonus points for AP, Honors, and IB classes. Both weighted and unweighted appear side by side.
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Your courses
Pick the class type and grade — weighted and unweighted GPA update instantly.
Course
Grade
Class type
Grade-to-points conversion (4.0 scale)
A+
4.0
A
4.0
A−
3.7
B+
3.3
B
3.0
B−
2.7
C+
2.3
C
2.0
C−
1.7
D+
1.3
D
1.0
D−
0.7
F
0.0
P / W / I
Excluded from GPA
Enter each course with its level (Regular, Honors, or AP/IB), pick a letter grade, and you get both your weighted and unweighted GPA at the same time. The defaults follow the most common U.S. scale (Honors = +0.5, AP/IB = +1.0). If your school weights differently — and many do — read the H2 below for the variations and check your school's grading policy.
How it works
Enter the grade and credit hours
Most U.S. high school courses are 1 credit per year (0.5 per semester). Year-long AP courses are usually 1 credit.
Watch both GPAs update
The weighted number sits at the top; the unweighted equivalent is right beneath it — the comparison every college admissions officer makes.
How weighted GPA differs from unweighted
Unweighted GPA uses the same 4.0 scale for every class. An A is 4.0 whether it's P.E. or AP Calculus.
Weighted GPA gives bonus points for advanced courses to reflect that an A in AP Calculus is harder to earn than an A in a regular elective. The most common bump system at U.S. high schools:
| Course level | Bonus on top of standard 4.0 grade | A becomes | B becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | +0.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Honors | +0.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| AP / IB / Dual Enrollment | +1.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
Under this system the maximum weighted GPA is 5.0 (straight A's in all advanced courses). That's why you'll see students report a "4.7" or "4.9" — they took mostly AP and IB and earned mostly A's.
Some schools weight differently. The most common variations:
- +0.5 for AP/IB (instead of +1.0), caps weighted GPA at 4.5.
- +1.0 for both Honors and AP — some schools don't distinguish.
- No weighting on D grades — bonus only applies to grades A through C.
- Weighting only in 11th–12th grade — some districts don't weight underclassman courses.
- Weighting capped at 4.0 — the school computes weighted internally but reports it on a 4.0 scale (recalibrated).
This calculator uses the standard +0.5 / +1.0 system. If your transcript follows a different rule, the unweighted number it shows will still be correct, but the weighted figure may differ from what your school reports — your transcript or grading policy is the source of truth.
GPA scale chart with weighting
| Letter | Regular (unweighted) | Honors (+0.5) | AP / IB (+1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ / A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| A− | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| B− | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| C− | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Note that an F is always 0.0 — schools don't reward failure with bonus points, even in AP.
Worked example, weighted vs unweighted side by side
A junior taking 5 courses, mixing levels:
| Course | Level | Grade | Unweighted points | Weighted points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP U.S. History | AP | B+ | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Honors English | Honors | A | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| AP Calculus | AP | A− | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| Spanish III | Regular | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Studio Art | Regular | B | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Unweighted GPA: (3.3 + 4.0 + 3.7 + 4.0 + 3.0) ÷ 5 = 3.60
Weighted GPA: (4.3 + 4.5 + 4.7 + 4.0 + 3.0) ÷ 5 = 4.10
Same student, same grades, half a point difference. That gap is exactly what colleges look at when they compare your transcript line by line: a strong weighted GPA only means something if the weighting matches a rigorous course load.
How heavy AP loading actually changes your GPA
Students often overload on AP classes thinking it'll lift their GPA. Here's what the math actually does, holding grades constant at A− (3.7 unweighted) across 6 courses:
| AP / Honors mix | Weighted GPA |
|---|---|
| 0 AP, 0 Honors, 6 Regular | 3.70 |
| 0 AP, 3 Honors, 3 Regular | 3.95 |
| 2 AP, 2 Honors, 2 Regular | 4.18 |
| 4 AP, 2 Regular | 4.37 |
| 6 AP | 4.70 |
Two practical takeaways: (1) every AP class adds about +0.17 to your weighted GPA at this grade level — small per class, but it compounds across a transcript; (2) loading up on AP only helps if you keep the grades. An AP course where you drop from an A to a C costs more than the equivalent regular class would have lost. Plug a different grade for one course into the calculator and the gap moves.
Convert weighted to unweighted
The cleanest way to convert weighted GPA back to unweighted is to enter each course in the calculator above. The result panel shows both numbers side by side: weighted GPA at the top, unweighted equivalent right beneath it. The unweighted figure strips the AP/Honors bonus from every row.
What you cannot do reliably is recover an unweighted GPA from a single weighted number without knowing your course mix. Two students with a 4.2 weighted GPA can have wildly different unweighted GPAs depending on how many AP and Honors classes they took. If you only have the weighted figure and no transcript handy, the best you can do is estimate based on your typical course load.
Should you report weighted or unweighted on college applications?
The honest answer: report what your school officially calculates. Your high school sends colleges your transcript with its official GPA, and the Common App's "Class Rank/GPA" section asks for the GPA "as your school reports it." Don't recalculate your GPA to a different scale on the application.
Three details worth knowing:
- Selective colleges recalculate GPA themselves. Most highly selective U.S. colleges run admitted students' transcripts through their own internal GPA calculation — usually unweighted, sometimes excluding non-academic courses (P.E., electives, study skills). Your reported GPA matters less than the actual transcript.
- The Common App lets you specify your scale. Pick the scale your school uses (4.0, 5.0, 100-point, etc.). If your school uses a 5.0 weighted scale, say so.
- Your counselor's school profile does the explaining. Colleges read each high school's profile alongside your transcript — that's where weighting policies, course rigor, and grade distributions are documented. You don't need to explain it on the application.
If your school doesn't compute a weighted GPA at all (some don't), an admissions reader will see the unweighted number plus your course rigor, and that's fine.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA is a Grade Point Average that adds bonus points for advanced courses (Honors, AP, IB, Dual Enrollment). The most common system adds +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP/IB, lifting the GPA scale's ceiling from 4.0 to 5.0.
What's the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA uses a flat 4.0 scale for every course. Weighted GPA boosts advanced courses so an A in AP Calculus counts more than an A in a regular elective. High schools usually report both; colleges tend to look at unweighted (or recalculate themselves), but weighted shows up on transcripts and is what most students refer to in conversation.
Can a GPA be higher than 4.0?
On a weighted scale, yes — 4.5 to 5.0 is normal for students taking heavy AP/IB schedules. On a strict 4.0 unweighted scale, no — the cap is 4.0 (or 4.3 if A+ is awarded as a separate grade).
Do all schools weight the same way?
No, and this is the most common source of confusion. Some schools use +0.5/+1.0, others use +0.5/+0.5, others cap weighted GPA at 4.5 instead of 5.0, and a few don't weight at all. This calculator uses the standard +0.5 / +1.0 system; if yours differs, your school's grading policy or transcript is the source of truth.
How do AP, Honors, and IB classes affect GPA?
Under the most common weighting system, an Honors class adds +0.5 to its grade points and an AP or IB class adds +1.0. So an A in AP Calculus contributes 5.0 to your average instead of 4.0. Your school may use different bumps.
Should I report weighted or unweighted GPA on college applications?
Report whatever your high school officially calculates and sends on your transcript. The Common App lets you specify the scale (4.0, 5.0, 100-point). Selective colleges recalculate from your transcript anyway — the number you enter is informational, the transcript is authoritative.
Does the Common App use weighted or unweighted GPA?
The Common App accepts both and asks you to specify your school's official scale. Many colleges that read Common Apps recompute GPA internally — the number you enter is informational, the transcript is authoritative.
Do 9th-grade grades count toward weighted GPA?
At most U.S. high schools, yes — every graded course from 9th through 12th grade counts toward cumulative GPA. Some districts re-weight 9th-grade GPA differently or exclude it from class rank, but it usually still appears on the transcript. Check your school's policy.
Do Pass/Fail and Withdrawal grades affect weighted GPA?
A Pass adds credit but no GPA points. A Withdrawal (clean W) doesn't affect GPA. Pass/Fail courses don't get bonus points either way — even a P in an AP class doesn't add to weighted GPA, because there's no underlying letter grade to weight. To exclude these courses from the calculator above, pick P, W, or I from the grade dropdown; the row stays visible and a note below the result counts the excluded courses.
My school doesn't offer Honors or IB — does this calculator still work?
Yes. Just leave every course set to "Regular" (or "AP/IB" if you took AP courses through another program). The weighted GPA will equal the unweighted GPA, which is correct for that situation.
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