Grade Point Average (GPA) measures cumulative academic performance by weighting course letter grades against their assigned credit hours. In high school and university settings, academic tracks often distinguish between unweighted GPAs—which cap grade points at 4.0 regardless of course rigor—and weighted GPAs, which grant additional quality points (typically +1.0 point on a 5.0 scale) for Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and designated Honors coursework.

### Grade Point Scale and Calculation Mechanics The calculator determines both unweighted and weighted grade point averages across regular and advanced course groupings:

- **Unweighted Quality Points:** $$\text{Points}_{\text{unweighted}} = (\text{Credits}_{\text{regular}} \times \text{GPA}_{\text{regular}}) + (\text{Credits}_{\text{AP}} \times \text{GPA}_{\text{AP}})$$ - **Unweighted GPA (4.0 Maximum Scale):** $$\text{GPA}_{\text{unweighted}} = \frac{\text{Points}_{\text{unweighted}}}{\text{Credits}_{\text{regular}} + \text{Credits}_{\text{AP}}}$$ - **Weighted Quality Points (+1.0 Point per AP/Honors Credit):** $$\text{Points}_{\text{weighted}} = (\text{Credits}_{\text{regular}} \times \text{GPA}_{\text{regular}}) + (\text{Credits}_{\text{AP}} \times (\text{GPA}_{\text{AP}} + 1.0))$$ - **Weighted GPA (5.0 Maximum Scale):** $$\text{GPA}_{\text{weighted}} = \frac{\text{Points}_{\text{weighted}}}{\text{Credits}_{\text{regular}} + \text{Credits}_{\text{AP}}}$$ - **Honors/AP Quality Boost:** $$\Delta \text{GPA} = \text{GPA}_{\text{weighted}} - \text{GPA}_{\text{unweighted}}$$

### Worked Numeric Example Evaluating the default course transcript inputs: - **Regular Courses:** 12 Credits at an average GPA of 3.60 (unweighted points: $12 \times 3.60 = 43.20$) - **AP / Honors Courses:** 8 Credits at an average unweighted GPA of 3.80 - **Total Course Credits:** $12 + 8 = 20\text{ Credits}$ - **Step-by-Step Evaluation:** 1. Unweighted AP points: $8 \times 3.80 = 30.40$. 2. Total unweighted points: $43.20 + 30.40 = 73.60$. 3. Unweighted cumulative GPA: $73.60 / 20 = \mathbf{3.68}$. 4. Weighted AP quality points: $8 \times (3.80 + 1.0) = 8 \times 4.80 = 38.40$. 5. Total weighted points: $43.20 + 38.40 = 81.60$. 6. Weighted cumulative GPA: $81.60 / 20 = \mathbf{4.08}$. 7. Honors point advantage: $4.08 - 3.68 = \mathbf{+0.40\text{ points}}$.

### Academic Policy Note and In-Browser Privacy High school and collegiate grading policies differ across school districts and university registrar offices. While this tool applies the common standard +1.0 point scale for AP and IB courses, some institutions assign +0.5 points for honors courses or calculate quality points on a 4.5 or 6.0 scale. Consult your institution course handbook or academic counselor for district-specific weighting rules. All calculations run entirely inside your browser session; no student records, grades, or transcripts are stored on or sent to remote servers.