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How do you calculate a weighted GPA?

Short answer

Add the course-level bonus before converting: typically +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP/IB, so an A in AP counts 5.0. Multiply each boosted value by credits, sum, and divide by total credits — two AP A's, one honors A, and one regular B over 4 one-credit courses give (5.0 + 5.0 + 4.5 + 3.0) ÷ 4 = 4.38.

Worked example: 5 courses, 1 credit each

Course	Letter	Weighted points
AP Chemistry	A	4.0 + 1.0 = 5.0
AP US History	A	4.0 + 1.0 = 5.0
Honors English	A	4.0 + 0.5 = 4.5
Regular Math	B	3.0 (no boost)
Weighted GPA	4.38	(5.0+5.0+4.5+3.0) ÷ 4 = 4.375

How to read this table

With 5 reference points in the "worked example: 5 courses, 1 credit each" table, the fastest way to use this page is to find the closest row, take its letter, then stress-test it ±30% before you build a plan on it.

Context

Weighted GPA exists to reward course rigor, which is why colleges often see applicants above 4.0. But there's no universal standard: some districts cap at 5.0, some weight only AP, some use +0.5 for both honors and AP. Many colleges recompute every applicant's GPA on their own scale, so report what your transcript shows and let the admissions office normalize it.

What moves this number

Syllabus weighting scheme

The same scores produce different grades under category weights, points-based grading, and drop-lowest policies. The syllabus — not the raw scores — determines which formula applies.

Plus/minus and cutoff policy

Schools set their own letter-grade cutoffs (90 vs 93 for an A) and whether plus/minus exists. A 2-point cutoff difference moves a borderline grade by a full letter.

Credit-hour weighting

GPA is credit-weighted, so a 4-credit course moves the average twice as much as a 2-credit course with the same grade.

Methodology

District-standard weighting: honors +0.5, AP/IB/dual-enrollment +1.0 on the 4.0 scale. Because weighting policies differ by school, the calculator lets you set the bonus values explicitly.

Assumptions and caveats

Grading policies (weights, drops, curves, cutoffs) are set by each school — verify against the syllabus before acting on a computed grade.
Letter-grade and GPA scales shown are the common US conventions, not a universal standard.
This page was last reviewed on 2026-10-01. Ranges are updated as new data lands, so re-check before using them in a contract or a plan.
Use these numbers as a starting range, not a guarantee — your own historical data always beats a benchmark.

Frequently asked questions