What Is a Plus/Minus GPA?
A plus/minus GPA is a grade point average calculated on a 4.0 scale that distinguishes between grade modifiers — so an A- (3.7) is worth slightly less than an A (4.0), and a B+ (3.3) more than a flat B (3.0). Many U.S. colleges and universities use this finer-grained scale, which rewards or penalizes performance at the edges of each letter grade. This calculator converts each of your letter grades into its point value, weights it by the number of credits the course carries, and produces an overall credit-weighted average.
How to Use It
For each course, choose the letter grade you earned from the drop-down and type the number of credits (or units) the course is worth. Leave the credits blank for any rows you don't need. Click calculate and you'll see your GPA plus the total quality points and total credits used in the math.
The Formula Explained
$$\text{GPA} = \frac{\displaystyle\sum_{i=1}^{5} \left( \text{Grade}_i \times \text{Credits}_i \right)}{\displaystyle\sum_{i=1}^{5} \text{Credits}_i}$$ First, each grade is mapped to a point value: 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. Multiply each grade's point value by its credit hours to get "quality points," sum those across all courses, then divide by the total credit hours. Higher-credit courses pull the average more strongly.
Worked Example
Suppose you took three classes: an A- in a 3-credit course \((3.7 \times 3 = 11.1)\), a B+ in a 4-credit course \((3.3 \times 4 = 13.2)\), and a B in a 3-credit course \((3.0 \times 3 = 9.0)\). Total quality points $$= 11.1 + 13.2 + 9.0 = 33.3.$$ Total credits $$= 3 + 4 + 3 = 10.$$ GPA $$= 33.3 \div 10 = 3.33.$$
FAQ
Does an A+ count higher than an A? On most plus/minus scales A+ is capped at 4.0 (the same as A), so this tool uses A = 4.0 as the maximum.
Why are higher-credit courses weighted more? Because GPA is credit-weighted: a 4-credit course affects your average more than a 1-credit course with the same grade.
What if I leave credits blank? Rows with no credits (or zero) are simply ignored in the calculation.
