Before you add your courses
- Add one row for every course included in the semester.
- Enter the grade-point value from your institution’s scale.
- Enter credit hours, then calculate the weighted average.
Why credit hours matter
Multiply each grade point by its credits, add those quality points, then divide by total credits.
A semester with unequal course credits
Biology earns 4.0 points over 3 credits and English earns 3.3 over 3 credits. The semester GPA is (12 + 9.9) ÷ 6 = 3.65.
Reading the GPA
A higher-credit course moves the GPA more than a lower-credit course. The result is an estimate until your institution confirms which attempts and credits count.
Three details worth checking
- Using letter grades instead of grade-point values.
- Giving every course equal weight.
- Including withdrawn or pass/fail courses that your school excludes.
Reviewed September 2026.