Weighted GPA Calculator

A weighted GPA adds bonus points to grades earned in advanced courses. On the standard 5.0 scale, AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) courses receive +1.0 point, while Honors and Dual Enrollment courses receive +0.5 points. Regular courses remain on the 4.0 scale.

This means an A in an AP course = 5.0, a B in an AP course = 4.0, and a C in an AP course = 3.0. For Honors courses, an A = 4.5, a B = 3.5, and so on. The weighting rewards students who challenge themselves with rigorous coursework.

The weighted scale means it's possible to have a GPA above 4.0. In fact, the theoretical maximum is 5.0 (all A's in all AP/IB courses). Students with GPAs in the 4.3–4.8 range are typically taking a heavy load of AP and Honors courses with strong grades.

AP courses receive the full +1.0 bonus. There are 38 AP courses available across seven subject areas. Each AP course culminates in a standardized exam scored 1–5, but it's the course grade (not the exam score) that affects your GPA. Colleges value both the course grade and the AP exam score.

Honors courses receive a +0.5 bonus at most schools. Honors courses are typically more rigorous than regular sections but don't have a standardized national exam. The specific courses classified as "Honors" varies by school, so always check with your counselor.

IB (International Baccalaureate) courses receive the same +1.0 bonus as AP at most American schools. IB offers both Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL) courses, though both typically receive the same GPA weight. The full IB Diploma Programme includes six subjects plus extended essay, Theory of Knowledge, and CAS requirements.

Dual Enrollment courses (taken at a local college while in high school) typically receive +0.5, the same as Honors. Some schools give Dual Enrollment the full +1.0 AP bonus. Check your school's specific policy.

A "good" weighted GPA depends on the rigor of your course load. A 4.0 weighted could mean all A's in regular courses (no advanced courses taken) or a mix of A's and B's in AP/Honors courses. Colleges evaluate the GPA in context of what courses were available.

For selective colleges, admitted students typically have weighted GPAs between 4.2 and 4.8. Ivy League admitted students often have 4.5+ weighted GPAs. However, a 4.0 weighted with challenging courses is often more competitive than a 4.5 weighted with mostly Honors (not AP) courses.

The most important thing is the relationship between your weighted and unweighted GPA. A large gap (e.g., 3.5 unweighted, 4.3 weighted) shows you're taking many advanced courses. A small gap (3.8 unweighted, 3.9 weighted) suggests mostly regular coursework with high grades.

There is no national rule for weighting. Each district or school decides how much an advanced course adds, and the result is printed in the school profile that counselors send with every transcript. Four patterns cover almost every American high school.

This is why a weighted GPA is only meaningful next to the scale it was computed on. A 4.3 on a 6.0 scale and a 4.3 on a 5.0 scale describe very different transcripts, and admissions readers know it. Most colleges either read the GPA against the school profile or strip the weighting out and recalculate.

Take one semester of six courses, each worth the same credit. The grades are fixed; only the school's weighting rule changes. Each column converts the letter grade to points, then the bottom row adds the points and divides by six.

The same transcript reads 3.67, 3.83 or 3.92 depending on a rule the student never chose. The gap between the unweighted and weighted figures, 0.25 here, is the number that tells a reader how much rigor sits behind the grades: one AP and one Honors course out of six. Enter your own courses above to see your gap, and use the UC Capped method if you are applying to the University of California.

The University of California computes its own weighted GPA, and it is the one families most often get wrong. It counts only a-g courses taken in 10th and 11th grade, from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th. Ninth-grade and senior-year grades are not in it, although UC still requires passing grades in those years.

Each A is 4 points, B is 3, C is 2, D is 1 and F is 0, with no plus or minus. UC then adds one honors point per semester for a grade of C or better in a UC-approved honors, AP, IB or transferable college course. The cap is the part to remember: at most 8 semesters of honors points count, and no more than 4 of those 8 may come from 10th grade. UC also publishes an uncapped weighted GPA and an unweighted GPA for each campus, but the capped figure is the one in its admitted-student ranges.

In practice the cap means a student with twelve semesters of AP and Honors courses in 10th and 11th grade gets credit for eight of them, so piling on advanced courses stops raising the UC GPA after that point. The calculator's UC Capped method applies these rules for you; select it, enter 10th and 11th grade courses only, and mark each course's level.

Don't take AP courses just for the GPA boost. A C in AP Chemistry (3.0 weighted) actually hurts your weighted GPA less than it hurts your unweighted GPA, but a C on your transcript still concerns admissions officers. Only take AP courses in subjects where you can reasonably earn a B or better.

The sweet spot for most students is 3–6 AP courses total across high school, concentrated in your areas of strength. If you're strong in humanities, load up on AP English, AP History, and AP Government. If you're STEM-oriented, prioritize AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science.

Consider the timing: 1–2 AP courses in 10th grade, 2–3 in 11th grade, and 2–4 in 12th grade is a solid progression. Avoid taking more AP courses than you can handle: admissions officers would rather see strong grades in fewer AP courses than mediocre grades in many.