The definition
GPA stands for grade point average. It converts every grade on a transcript into grade points, multiplies by the credits each course carried, adds the results and divides by the total credits. The output is a single number, usually written to two decimals, on a scale whose maximum is set by the school — 4.0 unweighted, or 5.0 when advanced courses earn bonuses.
The standard letter-to-points table
- A = 4.0, A- = 3.7 (93–100% and 90–92% on the common percentage scale)
- B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7 (87–89%, 83–86%, 80–82%)
- C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7 (77–79%, 73–76%, 70–72%)
- D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7 (67–69%, 63–66%, 60–62%)
- F = 0.0 (below 60%)
What the numbers mean in practice
A 4.0 is a perfect unweighted record. 3.7–3.9 is typically 'A- average', the range most competitive scholarships and graduate programmes expect. 3.0–3.3 is a solid B average and the most common published minimum. 2.0 is the usual threshold for good academic standing, and below that most institutions place a student on probation. Those thresholds are policy, not mathematics — the same 3.0 that clears one scholarship may miss another.
Weighted, unweighted and why both exist
An unweighted GPA caps every course at 4.0 so that a grade means the same thing across schools. A weighted GPA adds points for advanced coursework to reward rigour, which lets it exceed 4.0. Because weighting policies vary, colleges generally recalculate an unweighted figure for comparison and read the weighted number alongside the school profile.
Where GPA is used
- College admissions, usually alongside course rigour and test scores
- Scholarships and financial-aid conditions, often as a hard minimum
- Graduate and professional-school entry, commonly with a 3.0 floor
- Academic standing, probation, eligibility for sport and clubs
- Some internships and graduate employers as a screening filter
What GPA does not measure
GPA rewards consistency more than peaks, includes courses unrelated to a chosen field, and is sensitive to how many credits a student took at once. Two students with identical ability can end up with different GPAs because one took fifteen credits a term and the other twenty. That is why applications read the transcript — the trend, the course load and the rigour — rather than the single number alone.