GPA & Grade Guides
Straightforward answers to the questions students actually ask about GPA and grades.
How Is GPA Calculated? A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn exactly how GPA is calculated: convert letter grades to grade points, weight by credit hours, and average. With a worked example.
Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA: What's the Difference?
Understand the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, how honors and AP classes change your score, and which one colleges look at.
What Is a Good GPA? (High School & College)
What counts as a good GPA in high school and college, how GPA compares to letter grades, and what different GPA ranges mean for your goals.
How to Raise Your GPA: Practical Strategies
Realistic ways to raise your GPA — from targeting high-credit classes to retaking courses — and how much your GPA can actually move.
What GPA Do You Need for Grad School?
Typical GPA requirements for graduate school, why a 3.0 is a common cutoff, and how to strengthen a lower GPA for admissions.
The 4.0 GPA Scale Explained
A clear breakdown of the 4.0 GPA scale: what each letter grade is worth, how plus/minus grades work, and common variations between schools.
Cumulative vs. Semester GPA
The difference between semester GPA and cumulative GPA, how each is calculated, and why your cumulative GPA changes more slowly over time.
How Do AP and Honors Classes Affect Your GPA?
How AP, IB, and honors classes change your weighted GPA, how much each adds, and whether taking harder classes is worth it.
Is a 3.5 GPA Good?
What a 3.5 GPA means, how it compares to letter grades and percentiles, and which colleges and scholarships it's competitive for.
How to Calculate Your Semester GPA
A simple walkthrough for calculating your semester GPA from this term's courses, grades, and credit hours — with an example.