What does your GPA mean?
Unweighted 4.0 scale
GPA scale chart: GPA, letter grade and percent
| GPA | Letter | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | A | 93–100 |
| 3.7 | A- | 90–92 |
| 3.3 | B+ | 87–89 |
| 3.0 | B | 83–86 |
| 2.7 | B- | 80–82 |
| 2.3 | C+ | 77–79 |
| 2.0 | C | 73–76 |
| 1.7 | C- | 70–72 |
| 1.3 | D+ | 67–69 |
| 1.0 | D | 60–66 |
| 0.0 | F | 0–59 |
About the 4.0 GPA scale
The 4.0 scale is the grading system used by almost every high school and college in the United States. Each letter grade is converted to a number of grade points: an A is worth 4.0, a B is worth 3.0, a C is worth 2.0, a D is worth 1.0 and an F is worth 0. Your GPA (grade point average) is simply the average of those points across all of your classes.
Because every school converts letters to percents slightly differently, the chart below shows the most widely used mapping. If your school uses a different cutoff (for example A = 90 instead of 93), your GPA is still computed the same way — from the letters, not the percents.
Weighted vs unweighted GPA
An unweighted GPA uses the classic 4.0 scale for every class. A weighted GPA gives honors and AP/IB classes extra points — typically an A in an AP class counts as 5.0 instead of 4.0, which is why weighted GPAs can go above 4.0.
Colleges usually look at both. They recalculate GPAs on their own scale anyway, so the honest answer is: report both if asked, and never inflate. Our GPA calculators work on the unweighted 4.0 scale; for a weighted GPA, use your school's weighting rules.
How to read any GPA on the 4.0 scale
- Find the whole-number part: The first digit maps straight to a letter: 4 = A, 3 = B, 2 = C, 1 = D, 0 = F.
- Read the decimals: Each 0.3 step is one +/- modifier: 3.7 is an A-, 3.3 is a B+, 3.0 is a plain B.
- Compare to the benchmarks: 3.5+ is Dean's List territory, 3.0 clears most scholarship minimums, 2.0 is the good-standing floor.
FAQ
Is a 3.7 GPA good?
Yes. A 3.7 GPA is an A- average and puts you in roughly the top quarter of students at most schools. It is competitive for selective colleges, honors programs and most scholarships; at very elite schools it helps to pair it with strong test scores.
What GPA is all A's?
Straight A's give a 4.0 GPA on the unweighted scale. If your A's are in weighted AP or honors classes, the weighted GPA can be higher — commonly 4.5 to 5.0 depending on the school's weighting policy.
What is the lowest GPA that is still passing?
On the 4.0 scale a 1.0 (a D average) is technically passing in most high schools, but colleges and financial-aid programs generally require a 2.0 GPA (a C average) to stay in good academic standing.
Do AP classes raise my GPA?
Only if your school uses a weighted GPA. With weighting, an A in an AP class is often worth 5.0 points instead of 4.0, so hard classes can lift your weighted GPA above 4.0. On the unweighted scale an A is always 4.0 regardless of difficulty.