1. What is Weighted GPA?

Weighted GPA is a measure of academic performance that takes into account the difficulty of courses by assigning higher value to advanced classes. Unlike unweighted GPA, weighted GPA can exceed 4.0.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the weighted GPA formula:

Where:

• Grade Points — Numerical value of the grade (e.g., A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.)
• Credits — Credit hours or weight of the course

Explanation: Each course's grade points are multiplied by its credit value, then summed and divided by total credits.

3. Importance of Weighted GPA

Details: Weighted GPA is particularly important for college admissions as it demonstrates a student's willingness to take challenging courses and their performance in those courses.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter grade points (typically 0-5 scale) and credit values for each course. Click "Add Course" to include more courses. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
A: Unweighted GPA uses a standard 4.0 scale, while weighted GPA accounts for course difficulty and can exceed 4.0.

Q2: How are honors/AP courses weighted?
A: Typically, honors courses add 0.5 and AP/IB courses add 1.0 to the base grade point (e.g., A in AP = 5.0 instead of 4.0).

Q3: Do all schools use weighted GPA?
A: No, policies vary by school. Some use unweighted, some use weighted, and some use both.

Q4: What's a good weighted GPA?
A: This varies, but generally 3.5+ is good, 4.0+ is excellent, and 4.5+ is outstanding.

Q5: How do colleges view weighted GPA?
A: Most competitive colleges recalculate GPAs based on their own formulas, but weighted GPA shows course rigor.