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Reference

The GPA scale, explained

Letter grade to percentage to GPA on the standard 4.0 scale — plus how weighted and unweighted GPAs differ.

Letter grade, percentage range, and GPA on the 4.0 scale
LetterPercentageGPA
A+97–100%4.0
A93–96%4.0
A-90–92%3.7
B+87–89%3.3
B83–86%3.0
B-80–82%2.7
C+77–79%2.3
C73–76%2.0
C-70–72%1.7
D+67–69%1.3
D63–66%1.0
D-60–62%0.7
FBelow 60%0.0

Percentage cutoffs vary by school — this is the common 10-point scale. Always follow your school’s official chart.

Weighted vs. unweighted

An unweighted GPA caps every A at 4.0, no matter how hard the class is. A weighted GPA adds grade points for tougher courses — usually +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB — so it can rise above 4.0.

How course type changes GPA points for an A and a B
Course typeAB
Regular4.03.0
Honors (+0.5)4.53.5
AP / IB (+1.0)5.04.0

GPA scale questions

What is the 4.0 GPA scale?

The 4.0 scale converts letter grades to grade points: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, and F = 0.0, with pluses and minuses in between (an A− is 3.7, a B+ is 3.3, and so on). Your GPA is the credit-weighted average of those points across your courses.

Do the percentage ranges vary by school?

Yes. The letter-to-GPA points are standard, but the percentage cutoffs for each letter are set by your district or college — some schools use a 10-point scale (A = 90–100) and others use a 7-point scale (A = 93–100). Always follow your school’s official chart; the ranges here are the most common 10-point version.

How does a weighted GPA scale work?

A weighted scale rewards harder courses by adding grade points before averaging — most commonly +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB. That’s why a weighted GPA can go above 4.0: an A in an AP class can count as 5.0. An unweighted scale caps every A at 4.0 regardless of course difficulty.

How do I turn my grades into a GPA?

Use the chart to convert each grade to its GPA points, multiply by the course’s credits, add them up, and divide by total credits — or let Gradejar do it for you on the College GPA or High School GPA calculator, which also remember your courses.