What is a 3.7 GPA?
On the four-point scale this page and Benchvale's GPA calculator use, a 3.7 GPA is an A minus, 90 to 92 percent on this scale. Four things decide whether your school agrees: whether plus and minus grades exist, credit hours, weighting for honors courses, and how repeated courses are counted.
That's the short answer. The rest of this page is why your school's number may not agree with it.
The common four-point scale
| Letter | Typical grade points | Typical percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0, or 4.3 where a school uses one | 97 to 100 |
| A | 4.0 | 93 to 96 |
| A- | 3.7 | 90 to 92 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87 to 89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83 to 86 |
| B- | 2.7 | 80 to 82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77 to 79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73 to 76 |
| C- | 1.7 | 70 to 72 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67 to 69 |
| D | 1.0 | 63 to 66 |
| D- | 0.7 | 60 to 62 |
| F | 0.0 | below 60 |
Read that as the common convention, not a standard. No national body sets it, the percentage
bands vary widely, and some schools put an A at 90 and above, which moves every row. A+ is
the least settled row of all: some schools don't award it, some award it at 4.0, and some run a
4.3 scale. Our GPA calculator has a US 4.3 with A+ preset for that reason.
What changes the number?
Whether plus and minus exist at all. Some schools award only whole letters. On those scales there's no 3.7, and an A minus is simply an A worth 4.0. A student moving between the two systems sees their GPA change without any grade changing.
Credit hours. A GPA is an average weighted by how much each course is worth. A 3.7 in a four-credit course and a 3.7 in a one-credit elective don't move a cumulative average equally. Averaging grade points without their credits is a common way a hand-calculated GPA comes out wrong.
Weighting. Some high schools add points for honors, AP or IB courses, which is why weighted GPAs above 4.0 exist. Weighted and unweighted are different measurements and aren't comparable across schools, because schools decide their own bonus and which courses receive it.
Repeated courses. Some institutions replace the original grade, some average the two, and some keep both on the transcript while counting one. That rule can move a cumulative GPA by a lot, so look it up in your school's handbook.
Common questions
What is a B+ on a 4.0 scale?
On the scale Benchvale's GPA calculator uses, a B+ is worth 3.3 grade points and covers 87 up to 90 percent. An 89.5 is still a B+ there, because the calculator doesn't round up. That's one scale of several in use. Your school's handbook or report card shows the one your grades are on.
What is 70% in GPA?
On this page's table, a 70 is a C-, worth 1.7. A C is worth 2.0, and it starts at 73. So a 70 isn't a 2.0 here. It would be on a scale where a C starts at 70. Check where your school draws its lines before you convert anything.
Is all B's a 3.5 GPA?
Not unweighted. On the calculator's scale a B is worth 3.0, so straight B's make a 3.0 and all B+ grades make a 3.3. An A and a B with equal credits average 3.5, and so do an A-, a B+, a B and an A. Weighted is different: straight B's in honors courses with the default 0.5 bump come to 3.5.
Is a 3.8 GPA a B+?
No. A GPA is an average, so it doesn't have to match any one letter. On this table, 3.8 sits between an A- at 3.7 and an A at 4.0. A B+ is 3.3.
How do I convert a percentage to a GPA?
Turn each course's percent into a letter first, then average the letters' points by credits. Averaging the percents first can give a different answer. A 100 and a 70 average to 85, which is a B worth 3.0. Converted one at a time on the default preset, they're an A+ at 4.0 and a C- at 1.7, and those average to 2.85. The GPA calculator does it course by course when you set Grade format to Percentage.
How do I convert my GPA to a 5.0 scale?
There's no single formula, and Benchvale's calculator doesn't convert one scale to another. It goes above 4.0 two ways. Weighting makes an A in an AP course count 5.0 with the default 1.0 bump, and the 4.3 preset counts an A+ as 4.3. If a form asks for a scale your school doesn't use, give the number on your transcript, name its scale and ask how they want it converted.
Related
The GPA calculator models weighted and unweighted averages for a term, the final grade calculator gives the grade you need on a final to reach a target, and the classroom tools hub has the rest of the set.