The 4.0 GPA Scale, Grade by Grade
One chart, twelve grades, zero ambiguity. Here is the scale most US schools use.
The standard 4.0 scale runs A (4.0), A- (3.7), B+ (3.3), B (3.0), B- (2.7), C+ (2.3), C (2.0), C- (1.7), D+ (1.3), D (1.0), D- (0.7), F (0.0). Some schools use 4.3 for A+ or weight AP courses to 5.0.
The standard 4.0 chart
A: 4.0. A-: 3.7. B+: 3.3. B: 3.0. B-: 2.7. C+: 2.3. C: 2.0. C-: 1.7. D+: 1.3. D: 1.0. D-: 0.7. F: 0.0. The minus grades cost three tenths, the plus grades add three tenths (except A+, which most 4.0 scales cap at 4.0).
Notice the asymmetry at the top: there is no A+ bonus on the standard scale, so a 97 and a 100 both earn 4.0. That is one reason perfect 4.0s are more common than the grading percentages suggest.
The 4.3 variant
Some schools award 4.3 for A+, 4.0 for A, and keep the rest of the chart the same. On that scale a transcript of straight A+'s shows 4.3, which is why you sometimes see GPAs above 4.0 that are not weighted at all.
The 5.0 weighted scale
Weighted scales add bonus points for advanced courses: commonly +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP or IB, applied to the 4.0 base. An A in AP Chemistry becomes 5.0. Because schools weight differently, colleges recalculate to compare applicants.
Pass/fail and withdrawals
Pass/fail courses usually earn credit without touching the GPA, which makes them useful for exploring outside your strengths. Withdrawals (W) typically do not affect GPA either, though too many raise questions. Incompletes convert to the earned grade after the deadline.
Skip the arithmetic
Plug your grades into the calculator to see the scale in action.
GPA scale questions
What is an A- worth in GPA?
An A- is worth 3.7 grade points on the standard 4.0 scale, three tenths below an A.
Is there an A+ in GPA?
On the standard 4.0 scale, A+ is capped at 4.0, the same as A. Schools on a 4.3 scale award 4.3 for A+.
What GPA is a B+?
A B+ earns 3.3 grade points on the standard 4.0 scale.
Do pass/fail classes affect GPA?
No. Pass/fail courses award credit but no grade points, so they do not move the GPA in either direction.