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GPA calculator

Weighted credit-hour GPA across your courses, with an optional study-time cost insight so you can see what those hours represent.

Calculator education

Logic updated April 2026

This calculator computes your weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) across courses, where each course contributes proportionally to its credit hours. It supports four-point, seven-point, percentage, and fully custom grading scales. An optional financial overlay surfaces the opportunity cost of study time by valuing those hours at an alternative hourly wage.

How this is calculated

Formula 

GPA = Σ(grade × creditHours) / Σ(creditHours) ; totalStudyHours = Σ(creditHours × hoursPerCreditHour × weeksInSemester) ; opportunityCost = totalStudyHours × hourlyWageAlternative

Step-by-step

  1. For each course, multiply the grade by its credit hours — that's the course's weighted contribution
  2. Sum all weighted contributions across courses
  3. Sum all credit hours across courses
  4. Divide the weighted total by the credit-hour total to get the weighted GPA
  5. Optionally compute total study hours: credit hours × hours per credit hour × weeks in semester
  6. Opportunity cost = total study hours × alternative hourly wage (the wages forgone for study time)
Rounding mode
ROUND_HALF_UP
Precision
20-digit internal precision (Decimal.js), rounded to 2 decimal places for display
Logic last reviewed

Assumptions & limitations

What this calculator assumes

  • GPA is the credit-hour weighted average of grade × creditHours
  • Each course is treated independently with no scaling, curving, or grade boundaries
  • Total study hours = creditHours × hoursStudiedPerCreditHour × weeksInSemester for each course
  • Opportunity cost = totalStudyHours × hourlyWageAlternative; hidden when wage is zero
  • Internationally neutral — supports four-point, seven-point, percentage, and custom grading scales

What this calculator doesn’t account for

  • Doesn't model institution-specific GPA conversion rules (transcript GPA may differ)
  • Doesn't account for grade scaling, curving, or weighted/honours adjustments
  • Doesn't include pass/fail courses (which usually don't contribute to GPA)
  • Doesn't model cumulative GPA across multiple semesters — input only the courses you want averaged
  • Opportunity cost overlay is hypothetical — students typically can't simply substitute study with paid work

Worked example

A student has four courses: Math (4 credits, grade 3.7/4.0), Physics (3 credits, 3.3), History (3 credits, 3.0), Writing (2 credits, 4.0).

Input Value
Math 4 credits / 3.7
Physics 3 credits / 3.3
History 3 credits / 3.0
Writing 2 credits / 4.0

Weighted GPA: 3.43 / 4.0

Weighted total: (4×3.7) + (3×3.3) + (3×3.0) + (2×4.0) = 14.8 + 9.9 + 9.0 + 8.0 = 41.7. Total credits: 12. GPA = 41.7 ÷ 12 = 3.475 → rounds to 3.48 in the calculator. Note: a simple average of the four grades would be (3.7+3.3+3.0+4.0)/4 = 3.50 — close but not identical. The credit-weighting matters when courses have different credit values.

Frequently asked questions

How is GPA calculated?

Multiply each course's grade by its credit hours, sum those weighted values, then divide by total credit hours. The credit-weighting means a high grade in a 4-credit course counts more than the same grade in a 1-credit course. A simple average of grades (without credit-weighting) is mathematically different from a weighted GPA — institutions almost always report the weighted version.

What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

An unweighted GPA treats all courses equally. A weighted GPA gives more credit to courses designated as advanced, honours, or higher-difficulty (often by adding 0.5 or 1.0 to the grade for those courses). Some institutions report both. This calculator computes credit-hour-weighted GPA — distinct from honours-weighted, which would require an additional difficulty multiplier per course.

How does GPA affect opportunities?

GPA is one input — sometimes a major one, sometimes minor — into admissions, scholarships, internships, graduate programmes, and some early-career employer screens. Below typical thresholds (often 2.5/4.0 for many programmes, 3.0/4.0 for competitive ones, 3.5+ for highly selective opportunities), opportunities narrow noticeably. Above thresholds, marginal GPA improvements matter less than depth of experience, recommendations, and demonstrated skills.

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