Weighted vs unweighted GPA: what is the difference?
Why one transcript can show a 3.5 and a 3.9 for the same student. How weighted GPA rewards honors and AP classes, a worked example, and what colleges look at.
Published
Tools for this job: GPA Calculator · CGPA Calculator
Many US high schools report two GPAs. The unweighted GPA treats every class the same. The weighted GPA gives extra points for harder classes such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). The same report card can show a 3.5 unweighted and a 3.9 weighted.
Unweighted GPA
On the standard 4.0 scale, an A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F 0, whatever the class. The highest possible unweighted GPA is 4.0. It answers the question “how high were your grades?”
Weighted GPA
A weighted scale adds a bonus for difficulty. A common scheme adds 0.5 for honors and 1.0 for AP or IB: an A in an AP class counts as 5.0, a B in an honors class as 3.5. Weighted GPAs can therefore go above 4.0, often up to 5.0. They answer “how high were your grades, given how hard your classes were?” Schools set their own bonuses, so check yours.
Worked example
| Class | Unweighted | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| AP Biology (A) | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Honors English (B) | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Spanish (A) | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Geometry (B) | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Average | 3.50 | 3.88 |
This assumes equal credits; with different credits, each class is weighted by its credits as well.
Calculate both
- Open the GPA Calculator, choose the 4.0 scale, and enter each class with its credits and letter grade. That is your unweighted GPA.
- For the weighted GPA, tick “Enter grade points directly” and type the weighted points for each class, such as 5.0 for an A in an AP class. The calculator still weights by credits.
The calculator also has a 5.0 scale, but schools assign weighted points differently, so typing your school's points is the most accurate method.
Credits change the result
A full-year AP class worth 1 credit counts twice as much as a half-year elective worth 0.5. If your school gives classes different credits, enter them, because a strong grade in a small class moves the GPA less than you might expect. The GPA Calculator multiplies each class's points by its credits before averaging, in both the weighted and unweighted calculations.
What colleges look at
Admissions offices see GPAs calculated in dozens of different ways, so many of them recalculate GPA with their own method, often unweighted and sometimes only for core academic subjects. They also look at the transcript itself: which courses you took and how demanding your schedule was compared with what your school offered. A weighted GPA is therefore not a way to look stronger than the transcript shows, and an unweighted GPA does not hide a hard schedule.
Should you take the harder class?
Generally, a strong grade in a harder course is valued more than a top grade in an easier one. But a schedule that is so heavy your grades collapse helps nobody. Choose the level you can do well in.
For combining semesters into a cumulative figure, see how to calculate GPA and CGPA.