GPA Breakdown

Grade point average can be a complicated calculation.  It is an important measure used by college admissions committees, scholarship committees, and potential employers.  By learning about GPA breakdown you can understand how to boost your GPA.

There are two main types of GPA - weighted and unweighted GPA.

Weighted GPA

A weighted GPA scale is one that awards additional grade points to difficult classes.  The main differentiator from regular GPA is that weighted GPA uses an adjusted grading scale. The most common weighted grading scale is the 5.0 grading scale.

Unweighted GPA

Unweighted GPA uses a traditional grading scale.  The most common scale is the 4.0 scale. 


GPA Weighted Average Calculation

The calculation of weighted GPA consists of three items: the grading scale, the grade, and the number of credits.  To perform the calculation, multiply the number of credits by the number of grade points for the grade received, per the GPA grading scale.  Add up these products for each class, then divide by the total number of credits.  For more, see this article about calculating weighted GPA.