Updated June 17, 2026
Unweighted GPA uses a straight 4.0 scale where every course counts equally. An A is 4.0 in regular English and 4.0 in AP Physics. Weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder courses, so an A in an AP class can be worth 5.0, and the overall GPA can exceed 4.0. Which number gets reported depends on your school. Which one matters to a given college depends on how that college reads transcripts.
Side-by-side comparison
| Unweighted GPA | Weighted GPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum possible | 4.0 | 5.0 (or 4.5 for honors) |
| Treats all courses equally? | Yes | No |
| AP / IB grade-point bonus | None | +1.0 above standard |
| Honors grade-point bonus | None | +0.5 above standard |
| Used for college comparison? | Yes, most common | Sometimes, varies by school |
How the extra points work
On a weighted scale, regular courses keep the standard values (A = 4.0). Honors courses add 0.5, so an A becomes 4.5. AP and IB courses add 1.0, so an A becomes 5.0. A B in an AP class (3.0 + 1.0 = 4.0) produces the same grade-point total as an A in a standard class on an unweighted scale. That particular equivalence surprises most people the first time they see it.
Which one do colleges use?
Most colleges recalculate GPA on their own scale during review, often removing course weights to compare applicants across schools with different weighting policies. They can still see which courses you took. A 3.7 unweighted GPA from a schedule heavy with AP courses reads differently from the same number earned in lighter electives. The course load is part of the picture, not a footnote.
Which one should you track?
Track both. Your transcript shows whichever version your school reports, but knowing your unweighted GPA tells you where you stand against the 4.0 standard most admission benchmarks use. The weighted GPA calculator computes both at once, so you can see what your course choices are actually doing to each number. For context on where your number sits, see what counts as a good GPA.
Does a higher weighted GPA always look better?
Not automatically. A 4.2 weighted GPA built on a single AP class looks less compelling than a 3.9 weighted GPA earned across eight AP and IB courses. Colleges look at the full record: the GPA, the courses behind it, and how you performed in the hardest classes your school offered.