What is weighted GPA?
Weighted GPA adds extra grade-point value for selected advanced courses. A common approach gives a smaller bonus to honors classes and a larger bonus to AP, IB or similarly advanced classes, but schools are free to define their own systems.
If you need an unweighted high-school estimate first, start with the High School GPA Calculator.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For optional supporting equipment or reference material, you can browse Study planners (paid link) on Amazon.com. Record course requirements, scores or available study time before calculating. A planner cannot establish institutional grading or credit-transfer rules. No purchase is required to use this calculator.
Weighted GPA vs. unweighted GPA
The calculator reports both. Unweighted GPA uses only base grade points from the letter grades. Weighted GPA adds the selected course-level bonus before multiplying by credits. Comparing both can show how advanced-course weighting changes the numerical average.
For a standard credit-weighted 4.0 result without course-level bonuses, use the GPA Calculator.
Why use custom weighting?
There is no single national weighted-GPA formula. Some schools cap the result, some use different bonuses, and others weight only specific courses. The custom option lets you match the basic bonus arithmetic more closely, but official transcript rules can still include additional details.
College students projecting a cumulative GPA can use the College GPA Calculator with prior credits and GPA.
Weighted GPA formula
For each course, the calculator adds the level bonus to base grade points, multiplies by course credits, totals the weighted grade points, and divides by total credits. Regular courses receive no bonus.
For weighted assignment categories inside a single class, use the Grade Calculator rather than a GPA tool.
Worked example: Weighted GPA
Enter the following values in the Weighted GPA Calculator and calculate to reproduce this result.
- Weighting preset: Common: Honors +0.5, AP/IB +1.0
- Honors bonus: 0.5
- AP/IB bonus: 1
- Course 1: AP Biology
- Grade (entry 1): A+
- Level (entry 1): Regular
- Credits (entry 1): 1
- Course 2: AP Biology
- Grade (entry 2): A+
- Level (entry 2): Regular
- Credits (entry 2): 1
- Course 3: AP Biology
- Grade (entry 3): A+
- Level (entry 3): Regular
- Credits (entry 3): 1
- Course 4: AP Biology
- Grade (entry 4): A+
- Level (entry 4): Regular
- Credits (entry 4): 1
- Course 5: AP Biology
- Grade (entry 5): A+
- Level (entry 5): Regular
- Credits (entry 5): 1
Example result: 4. Your estimated weighted GPA is 4; the same courses are 4 unweighted.
Calculation used: Weighted GPA = Σ((base grade points + course-level bonus) × credits) ÷ total credits
How to interpret this example
A course-level bonus is applied according to the selected scale; it is not universal across schools. Credits determine how strongly each course affects the average. Match the bonus and grading scale to the institution before comparing with a transcript.
Frequently asked questions about Weighted GPA
Authoritative resources
Use official institutional information for decisions and policies. These resources provide useful definitions or comparison information: