Weighted and unweighted GPA is very crucial for a student’s academic decisions. It will help you to get admission in a specific college. Weighted and unweighted understanding can make or break your chance to get admission in your dream college.
What is a weighted GPA?
Weighted GPA is your GPA calculation in which extra points are provided to honors and advanced placement. In this system you will get five points for a calculus class and four points for art class.
Weighted GPA scales are different by school. Most schools have extra points for honors and extra half points for D and F letters.GPA scales will not provide you bonus points.Now, you may think that cumulative GPA is weighted or not. Cumulative GPA can be either weighted or unweighted.It completely depends on the course difficulty level. Let’s understand it in a better manner with the help of a table.
| Grade | Unweighted GPA (4.0 Scale) | Weighted GPA (5.0 Scale) | Weighted GPA (6.0 Scale) |
| A | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| B | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
Why is GPA Calculation Important ?
Before we get an understanding of these steps. It’s important to understand why GPA calculation is important. It will help you in your academics especially if you are aiming for a specific college. This understanding will help you to select specific courses, which will boost your GPA, and it will strengthen your college application.
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How to calculate weighted GPA?
Let’s understand the weighted GPA calculator with some simple steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Assign grade-specific points for each letter grade. For example, on a 4.0 scale:
- 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
- F = 0.0
Step 2: Weighted courses: Honors, AP, or IB add more weight to weighted GPA.
For example:
Regular class: 4.0 scale
AP/Honors: a 5.0 scale for an A
Step 3: Convert each letter grade to the appropriate points and add the weight of the honors or AP class course.
Step 4: Multiply grade point value by the number of credits for that class.
Step 5: Sum up all the weights of each GPA of each class.
Step 6: Divide the total weighted GPA sum by the total number of credits to find a weighted GPA.
Example of Weighted GPA Calculation:
Suppose you have the following grades and course information:
| Course Name | Grade | Credits | Type |
| English (Regular) | A | 1 | Regular |
| Math (AP) | B | 1 | AP |
| History (Honors) | A- | 1 | Honors |
| Science (Regular) | B+ | 1 | Regular |
Let’s start with some simple steps
Step 1: Assign grade points for each subject.
- English (A): 4.0
- Math (AP, B): 3.0 + 1.0 (AP weight) = 4.0
- History (Honors, A-): 3.7 + 0.5 (Honors weight) = 4.2
- Science (B+): 3.3
Step 2: Multiply grade point by credits.
- English: 4.0 × 1 = 4.0
- Math: 4.0 × 1 = 4.0
- History: 4.2 × 1 = 4.2
- Science: 3.3 × 1 = 3.3
Step 3: Sum up all the weighted GPAs.
Total weighted GPA = 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.2 + 3.3 = 15.5
Step 4: Divide it by the total of the credits.
Total credits = 4
Weighted GPA = 15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875
How to Calculate Weighted GPA based on Grades?
1. Honors Classes: Honors classes provides extra 0.5 points.
For example:
Regular Class: A = 4.0
Honors Class: A = 4.5 (4.0 + 0.5)
Honors classes are crucial for students’ understanding. The extra weight reflects the added challenge for students.
GPA Scale for Honors Class (based on a 4.0 scale):
- A = 4.5
- A- = 4.2
- B+ = 3.8
- B = 3.5
- B- = 3.2
- C+ = 2.8
- C = 2.5
- C- = 2.2
- D = 1.5
- F = 0.0
2. Advanced Placement classes:
AP classes provide 1.0 extra points because they are even more challenging than honors classes. It is a college-level course which provides students an opportunity to earn college credit. This makes more sense for greater weight.
For example:
Regular Class: A = 4.0
AP Class: A = 5.0 (4.0 + 1.0)
GPA Scale for Advance Placement Class:
- A = 5.0
- A- = 4.7
- B+ = 4.3
- B = 4.0
- B- = 3.7
- C+ = 3.3
- C = 3.0
- C- = 2.7
- D = 2.0
- F = 0.0
3. IB Classes:
IB classes also provide extra points, as they are globally recognized as highly challenging.It is important for academic curriculum, it is designed to challenge students critical thinking and interdisciplinary skills. The extra weight is based on the difficulty of the course structure
For example:
Regular Class: A = 4.0
IB Class: A = 5.0 (4.0 + 1.0)
GPA Scale for IB Class (based on a 4.0 scale):
- A = 5.0
- A- = 4.7
- B+ = 4.3
- B = 4.0
- B- = 3.7
- C+ = 3.3
- C = 3.0
- C- = 2.7
- D = 2.0
- F = 0.0
How to Calculate Unweighted GPA?
Here we have some simple steps to calculate unweighted GPA. Let’s discuss them one by one.
Step 1: List down Your Classes and Grades: for different classes like Advance placemet English, Spanish, Statistics, Art , History, and Chemistry.
Step 2: Assign Grade Points for each subject. In this, each subject has standard points:
- An A in spanish= 4 points
- An A in english = 4 points
- B in History = 3 points
- B in Statistics = 3 points
- C in Chemistry = 2 points
Step 3: Add all grade points together: 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 16 points.
Step 4: Divide the total points by the number of classes: 16 ÷ 5 = 3.2.
Step 5: Your unweighted GPA is 3.2
