Grade Calculator

The most common US scale uses: A (93-100%), A− (90-92%), B+ (87-89%), B (83-86%), B− (80-82%), C+ (77-79%), C (73-76%), C− (70-72%), D+ (67-69%), D (63-66%), D− (60-62%), F (below 60%). Many schools use the simpler '10-point scale' where every 10 percentage points moves you a full letter (90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, etc.) without plus/minus distinctions.

On the standard scale, an A is 93% or higher, and an A− is 90-92%. On the simpler 10-point scale, anything 90% or higher is an A. Some schools start the A range at 94% or even 95%; others at 90%. Always check your specific school or course's grading scale — they're often listed in the syllabus.

On most US scales, a grade below 60% is an F (failing). Some schools or courses set the failure threshold at 65% or 70% — particularly competitive programs (nursing, engineering) or graduate-level coursework. A D grade (60-69%) passes the course in most cases but doesn't satisfy prerequisites for many subsequent courses or count toward major requirements.

Grading scales are set at the institution level — each school, district, or college creates its own policy. Variation reflects different priorities: stricter scales (94% for A) emphasize academic rigor; gentler scales (90% for A) emphasize accessibility. The actual learning the grade represents matters more than the percentage cutoff. Colleges typically convert grades to their own scale when reviewing transcripts.

Plus/minus grading (A, A−, B+, B, etc.) gives more precision — 13 possible grades instead of 5. It rewards small differences in performance and produces GPAs that more accurately reflect achievement. Some schools and most college transcripts use plus/minus; others use only whole letters (A-F). Plus/minus generally produces slightly lower GPAs because A− (3.7) drags down the average vs all A's (4.0).

Percentage = (Points earned ÷ Total points possible) × 100. If you scored 78 out of 100 on a test, that's 78%. If you scored 17 out of 22, that's 77.27%. The calculator above includes a points-based mode that does this conversion automatically. For class grades that combine multiple assignments with different weights, see our Final Grade Calculator.

An unweighted grade treats all assignments equally. A weighted grade gives different assignments different importance — a final exam might be worth 30% of your grade while homework is worth 10%. This calculator only handles individual scores; for class-level weighted calculations, use a final grade or syllabus-based calculator. Many class portals (Canvas, Blackboard) do weighted calculations automatically.

Pass/fail (sometimes called P/NP or P/F) means you receive credit for completing the course without a letter grade. Typically, 'pass' equals C− or higher (70% in most scales). Pass/fail doesn't affect your GPA — passes contribute zero quality points but also zero credit-hours-failed. Many schools limit how many pass/fail courses count toward your degree. Useful for risky electives outside your strengths.

Curving raises everyone's grades by a fixed amount (e.g., +5 points to every score) or adjusts grades relative to class performance (the top performer gets 100%, others scaled accordingly). Bell-curving forces grades to follow a normal distribution — only the top 10% get A's, the middle 60% get C's, etc. Curving makes individual scores meaningless until you know the curve. Most US college courses don't curve, but introductory science and engineering courses sometimes do.

GPA (Grade Point Average) is the weighted average of letter grades on a 4.0 scale: A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B− = 2.7, etc. Calculate it using our GPA Calculator. Letter grades convert to GPA points, multiplied by credit hours, summed across all courses, and divided by total credit hours. GPAs are the academic standard for grad school, scholarships, and many job applications.