What Is a Grade Point?
A grade point is a number that represents a letter grade, used to calculate a student's grade point average, or GPA. Each grade earned in a course is converted into points, and those points are combined with the credit value of the course to produce an average that summarizes overall performance.
The common US scale
Many US colleges use a 4.0 scale:
| Letter | Grade points |
|---|---|
| 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 | 1.0 |
| F | 0.0 |
Not all schools use plus and minus grades, and some use different values, so check your institution's scale. Some high schools use weighted scales that go above 4.0 for honors, AP or IB courses.
How GPA is calculated
- Convert each grade into grade points.
- Multiply by the course credit hours to get quality points.
- Add the quality points for all courses.
- Divide by the total credit hours attempted.
For example, an A in a three-credit course gives 12 quality points, a B in a four-credit course gives 12, and a C in a three-credit course gives 6. The total is 30 quality points over 10 credits, for a GPA of 3.0.
Courses graded pass/fail or credit/no credit usually do not count in GPA, and withdrawals do not either at most colleges. Repeated courses may be treated in different ways depending on the grade forgiveness policy.
Outside the US
Other countries use different systems. The UK uses percentage marks and degree classifications, such as first-class honors, and Europe uses scales from 1 to 5, 1 to 6, 0 to 20 or ECTS grades. Many universities provide conversion guidance, and credential evaluators can convert foreign grades to US GPA equivalents.
Why it matters
GPA affects academic standing, scholarships, honors, graduate admissions and eligibility for programs and some jobs. A single term can change it significantly early on, though it moves slowly after many credits.
Related terms
See quality points, grade forgiveness, credit/no credit, academic standing and transcript.
Frequently asked questions
How are grade points assigned?
On the common US 4.0 scale, an A is 4, a B is 3, a C is 2, a D is 1 and an F is 0, with plus and minus grades in between at many colleges. Your institution publishes its scale.
What is a weighted grade point?
A scale that gives extra points for advanced courses, such as AP or honors in high school, so that an A might count as 5 instead of 4. Colleges mostly use unweighted scales.
How do I calculate my GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, add them up and divide by total credit hours attempted.