Build your whole transcript: add classes under freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year with their grades, credits and level (Regular, Honors, AP/IB). You get a GPA for each year and the cumulative weighted and unweighted GPA colleges will see.
Courses by year
Freshman (9th)
Year GPA: 3.67 weighted · 3.67 unweighted
CourseGradeCreditsType
Sophomore (10th)
Year GPA: 3.83 weighted · 3.33 unweighted
CourseGradeCreditsType
Junior (11th)
Senior (12th)
Weighted GPA
3.75
5.0 scale
Unweighted GPA
3.50
4.0 scale
Total credits
6
📌 Standard US 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 … F = 0). Schools differ on A+ (4.3 at some), on weighting bonuses and on which classes count — your transcript is the official number.
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Worked example — two years in
Freshman year: A in English 9 (4.0), B+ in Algebra I (3.3), A− in Biology (3.7), one credit each — year GPA 11.0 ÷ 3 = 3.67, weighted and unweighted alike because none of the classes carry a bonus. Sophomore year adds Honors English 10 (A−, 3.7 + 0.5 = 4.2), Geometry (B, 3.0) and AP World History (B+, 3.3 + 1.0 = 4.3): weighted 11.5 ÷ 3 = 3.83, unweighted 10.0 ÷ 3 = 3.33. Cumulative after six credits: 3.75 weighted, 3.50 unweighted.
Credits: most high schools give 1.0 credit for a year-long class and 0.5 for a semester class, so a full schedule is 6–8 credits a year and 24–32 over four years. If your transcript shows semester grades separately, enter each semester as its own 0.5-credit row.
GPA benchmarks for college admissions
Unweighted GPA
Letter average
Where it is competitive
3.9–4.0
A
Ivy League and top-20 universities (with rigorous courses)
Most state flagships and selective private colleges
3.0–3.3
B
Regional public universities, many private colleges
2.5–3.0
B− / C+
Open-admission and community colleges; transfer path
below 2.5
C
Community college, then transfer with a stronger record
Ranges are typical middle-50 % figures, not cutoffs; test scores, course rigor, essays and activities move the picture. See also the weighted GPA calculator and the final grade calculator for what you need on an exam.
Frequently asked questions
List every class you have completed with its final grade and credit value (usually 1.0 for a full-year class, 0.5 for a semester class), convert each grade to 4.0-scale points, multiply by credits, add them up and divide by total credits. Do it per year to see trends, and across all years for the cumulative GPA that goes on college applications. The calculator does this automatically for each year and overall.
Typically grades 9–11 plus senior fall, since applications are submitted before senior year ends; colleges then see the final transcript and can rescind offers for a serious drop. Some universities — the University of California system, for example — count only 10th and 11th grade. An upward trend from a weak freshman year is viewed favorably.
About 3.0 unweighted nationally (a B average), and higher for college-bound students: admitted students at moderately selective universities average around 3.5–3.7, and at the most selective around 3.9+ unweighted with a heavy Honors/AP load.
On your school transcript, usually yes — every graded class counts toward the official GPA. Colleges that recalculate often drop non-academic electives and use only English, math, science, social studies and foreign language. Enter everything here to match your transcript, or only core classes to approximate a recalculated academic GPA.
Less than you might hope, because it is diluted by three earlier years: with 18 credits already at 3.4, a perfect 4.0 senior year of 6 credits lifts the cumulative GPA only to 3.55. The math is the same as in the cumulative GPA calculator — early years matter most.