Weighted GPA
Calculate a weighted GPA with Honors and AP/IB bonus points.
Unweighted: 3.70 · 7 credits · Honors +0.5, AP/IB +1.0
To calculate a weighted GPA, add a bonus to each base grade point before averaging — typically +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP or IB, so an A in an AP class is worth 5.0. Then divide credit-weighted points by total credits. An A in three AP courses gives a weighted GPA of 5.0.
How weighting works
A weighted GPA rewards harder courses by adding bonus points before averaging. The most common scheme adds +0.5 for each Honors course and +1.0 for each AP or IB course — so an A in an AP class is worth 5.0 instead of 4.0. Everything is still credit-weighted on top of that.
then GPA = Σ(weighted points × credits) ÷ Σ(credits)
Course-type bonus
The widely used scheme; your school may differ — confirm its policy.
| Course type | Bonus | A is worth |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | +0.0 | 4.0 |
| Honors | +0.5 | 4.5 |
| AP / IB | +1.0 | 5.0 |
Worked example
An A in an AP course (1 credit), a B in Honors (1 credit), and an A in a regular course (1 credit).
- 1 Add the bonus to each grade point. AP A = 4.0 + 1.0 = 5.0, Honors B = 3.0 + 0.5 = 3.5, regular A = 4.0 + 0 = 4.0.
- 2 Credit-weight and sum. All 1 credit: 5.0 + 3.5 + 4.0 = 12.5 weighted quality points over 3 credits.
- 3 Divide. 12.5 ÷ 3 = 4.17 weighted GPA — above 4.0, which only weighted scales allow.
Weighted vs unweighted — which matters?
High-school transcripts usually report the weighted GPA, which is why class ranks can sit above 4.0.
College admissions often recompute an unweighted 4.0 GPA so applicants from different schools compare fairly — so knowing both is useful. You can get that plain figure from the standard GPA calculator.
No universal scheme. Some schools weight only AP, others use +1 for Honors too. Always check what yours does before comparing with a friend.