How weighted GPA works
Weighted GPAs reward course difficulty. The base grade follows the normal 4.0 scale, then a bonus stacks on top depending on the course type:
- Regular course: A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0…
- Honors course: A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5… (+0.5)
- AP or IB course: A=5.0, B=4.0, C=3.0… (+1.0)
Why weighted matters
Two students with a 3.8 unweighted GPA. One took regular classes. The other took five AP courses. Weighted GPA tells admissions which.
Not every school uses 5.0 weighting. Some cap at 4.5. Some weight AP but not honors. The calculator above defaults to the standard US high school convention.
Example
Four courses: AP Bio (4 credits, A → 5.0), Honors English (3 credits, B+ → 3.8), Regular History (3 credits, A → 4.0), IB Math (4 credits, A- → 4.7).
(5.0 × 4) + (3.8 × 3) + (4.0 × 3) + (4.7 × 4) = 20 + 11.4 + 12 + 18.8 = 62.2
Total credits: 14. Weighted GPA: 62.2 / 14 = 4.44.
Looking for UC capped or unweighted?
UC uses its own rules: honors cap, freshman exclusion. See /uc. For a basic unweighted 4.0, see /unweighted.