Grade Point Average (GPA) is a standard metric used in educational institutions to represent a student's academic performance. It's a numerical value that summarizes your grades across all your courses, weighted by the credit hours or units each course is worth. A higher GPA generally indicates better academic achievement.
The most common GPA scale in the United States is the 4.0 scale, where 'A' typically corresponds to 4.0 grade points, 'B' to 3.0, 'C' to 2.0, 'D' to 1.0, and 'F' to 0.0. Many institutions also use pluses and minuses (e.g., A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3), and the exact point values can vary slightly by school. This calculator uses a standard 4.0 scale for simplicity.
Calculate Grade Points for Each Course: Multiply the grade points earned for a course (e.g., 4.0 for an A) by the number of credit hours for that course. For example, a 3-credit course with an 'A' (4.0) would earn 3 credits * 4.0 points/credit = 12 grade points.
Sum Total Grade Points: Add up the grade points earned from all your courses.
Sum Total Credit Hours: Add up the credit hours from all your courses.
Divide: Divide the total grade points by the total credit hours to get your GPA.
For example, if you took a 3-credit course and earned an A (4.0) and a 4-credit course and earned a B (3.0):
Course 1 Grade Points: 3 credits * 4.0 = 12
Course 2 Grade Points: 4 credits * 3.0 = 12
Total Grade Points: 12 + 12 = 24
Total Credit Hours: 3 + 4 = 7
GPA: 24 / 7 = 3.43 (approximately)
Why Use a GPA Calculator?
GPA calculators are incredibly useful for students at various stages of their academic journey:
Tracking Progress: Students can use it to see how their current grades translate into a GPA, helping them understand their academic standing.
Setting Goals: It allows students to calculate what grades they need in future courses to achieve a target GPA for graduation, scholarships, or graduate school admissions.
Understanding Impact: Helps visualize how a single course grade, or a change in credit hours, can affect the overall GPA.
Academic Standing: Many schools have minimum GPA requirements for continuing enrollment, scholarships, or participation in certain programs. This calculator can help ensure students are meeting those benchmarks.
This calculator is designed to be simple and effective, allowing you to quickly input your course credits and earned grade points to get an accurate GPA calculation.
var courseCount = 1;
function addCourse() {
courseCount++;
var container = document.getElementById("gradeInputsContainer");
var newGroup = document.createElement("div");
newGroup.className = "input-group";
newGroup.innerHTML =
'' +
" +
'' +
";
container.appendChild(newGroup);
}
function calculateGPA() {
var totalGradePoints = 0;
var totalCredits = 0;
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.className = ""; // Reset classes
for (var i = 1; i <= courseCount; i++) {
var creditsInput = document.getElementById("course" + i + "_credits");
var gradeInput = document.getElementById("course" + i + "_grade");
var credits = parseFloat(creditsInput.value);
var gradePoints = parseFloat(gradeInput.value);
// Input validation
if (isNaN(credits) || isNaN(gradePoints) || credits < 0 || gradePoints 4.0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all courses.";
resultDiv.className = "error";
return;
}
totalGradePoints += credits * gradePoints;
totalCredits += credits;
}
if (totalCredits === 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please add at least one course.";
resultDiv.className = "error";
} else {
var gpa = totalGradePoints / totalCredits;
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Your GPA: " + gpa.toFixed(2);
}
}