College Cost Calculator (USA)

• A single low grade in a heavy-credit course affects your GPA more than several low grades in lighter courses.
• Retake policies vary — check whether your school replaces or averages grades.
• Semester GPA and cumulative GPA can move in opposite directions — track both.

1. 1Enter your grades, credits, or scores.
2. 2Confirm the grading scale used by your institution.
3. 3Review the calculated result and per-item contribution.
4. 4Save or share the calculation for your records.

• Students tracking GPA across terms
• Parents planning tuition and expenses
• Graduates evaluating student-loan payoff options
• Advisors coaching academic planning

• At the end of a term to confirm your GPA
• When targeting a scholarship or graduate program
• Before dropping or retaking a class
• When planning course loads across semesters

• Credit hours per course
• Grading scale (4.0 vs 10-point vs %)
• Weight of assignments vs exams

Illustrative examples using U.S. market averages. Enter your own numbers above for a personalized figure.

• Using the wrong grading scale (4.0 vs 10-point vs percentage).
• Weighting all courses equally when credits differ.

• Enter credits carefully — one wrong credit can shift your GPA meaningfully.
• Check your school's exact grading scale rather than guessing.
• Track GPA every semester so a bad term doesn't come as a surprise.

• Supports 4.0, 10-point and percentage grading scales.
• Weighted and unweighted GPA in the same tool.
• Semester-by-semester tracking so nothing is a surprise.
• Free forever — built by educators, not a paid service.

• Only as accurate as the credits and grades you enter.
• School policies (grade replacement, plus/minus, honors weighting) vary.
• Not an official transcript — always confirm with the registrar.

Credit hour

The weighting a course carries toward your GPA. A 4-credit course affects your GPA more than a 1-credit elective.

Grade points

The numeric value of a letter grade on the school's scale (typically 4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, etc.).

Cumulative GPA

The weighted average of all grade points across every term you've completed — the number transcripts show.

Weighted GPA

A GPA that gives extra points for honors, AP, or IB courses (e.g. an A in AP = 5.0 instead of 4.0).

• Confirm your school's exact grading scale (4.0 vs 4.3 vs 10-point).
• Enter credit hours precisely — one wrong credit shifts the whole GPA.
• Check the school's retake policy before assuming a grade will be replaced.
• Track cumulative and term GPA separately so trends don't surprise you.

The formulas, rates and definitions used by this calculator are aligned with the following official sources:

• U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard — Official definitions for GPA, credit hours and student aid math.
• UGC — University Grants Commission (India) — CGPA conversion and grading guidance for Indian universities.

We use only primary sources — regulators, standards bodies and scheme operators. See our full sourcing policy for details. Sources & References Policy · Calculator Methodology · How We Verify Formulas

We continuously review and improve our calculators to keep formulas, assumptions and references accurate.

In-depth student guides, worked examples, and expert explainers.

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