What is an unweighted GPA?
An unweighted GPA turns each letter grade into points on the 4.0 scale and averages them by credits. An A is 4.0, an A- 3.7, a B+ 3.3, a B 3.0, and so on down to an F at 0. It does not matter how hard the class is: an A in a regular class and an A in an honors class both count as 4.0.
Here is one student’s semester, one credit per class:
| Class | Level | Grade | Unweighted | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Honors (+0.5) | A- | 3.7 | 4.2 |
| Chemistry | Honors (+0.5) | B+ | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Calculus | College-level (+1.0) | B | 3 | 4 |
| US History | College-level (+1.0) | A | 4 | 5 |
| Spanish III | Regular | A | 4 | 4 |
| Art | Regular | A | 4 | 4 |
Unweighted, the points add up to 22. Divided by 6 classes, that is an unweighted GPA of 3.67.
What is a weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA gives a bonus for harder classes. The most common rule adds 0.5 for an honors class and 1.0 for a college-level class, so an A in a college-level class counts as 5.0 instead of 4.0. The bonus is never added to an F.
For the same student, the weighted points add up to 25, and 25 ÷ 6 = 4.17. Same grades, but the weighted GPA is 0.5 higher because four of the six classes were honors or college-level.
Why can a weighted GPA be above 4.0?
Because the top of the scale moves. On an unweighted scale, 4.0 is the most a class can earn. On a weighted scale, an honors A earns 4.5 and a college-level A earns 5.0. If this student had straight A’s, the unweighted GPA would be 4.00 and the weighted one 4.50. So a weighted 4.2 does not mean “better than perfect”: it means good grades in hard classes.
Do all schools weight the same way?
No. Some schools add 0.5 for every advanced class; some add 1.0 for the hardest ones only; some weight only grades of C or above; and some do not weight at all. A few count an A+ as 4.3. Your school’s handbook or transcript key says which rule it uses, and the GPA calculator lets you set each class’s level and the value of an A+.
Which one do colleges look at?
Each college decides for itself. Many read your transcript and your school’s report, which shows the classes you took as well as your GPA, and some work out their own GPA from your core subjects. That is why both numbers matter: the unweighted GPA shows your grades, and the weighted GPA and your class list show how hard your classes were.
Which one should I use?
Use the one the form asks for. Scholarship and program forms often say “unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale”. If a form does not say, give the number your transcript shows and say whether it is weighted. To see where you stand, our guide what is a good GPA? explains what each number means as a letter grade.