How percent, letter and GPA line up
Your teacher grades in percents. Your school turns each percent into a letter, and each letter into grade points for your GPA. This page uses the common 10-point scale split into thirds: 93 and up is an A, 90 to 92 an A-, 87 to 89 a B+, and so on. Grade points use the standard 4.0 values: A 4.0, A- 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0.
GPA to percent isn't one number. A GPA is an average of letter grades, so a 3.5 could come from all B+ and A- grades or from a mix of A's and B's. The converter shows the letters a GPA falls between and the percent range they cover.
Don't divide by 4. A 3.0 GPA isn't 75%. On this scale it's a B, which is 83 to 86%. Percent and GPA aren't on a straight line.
College Board's BigFuture shows a simpler version without pluses and minuses: A is 90 to 100 (4.0), B 80 to 89 (3.0), C 70 to 79 (2.0), D 66 to 69 (1.0), and E/F below 65 (0.0). It calls the table a general guide and notes that schools calculate GPA differently. See BigFuture's guide.
Grade point values match the plus and minus scale used by many U.S. colleges, such as the University of Michigan's College of LSA. Percent cutoffs vary by school and by teacher. Your syllabus and transcript are the official numbers.
Worked example
88% to GPA: 88 falls in 87 to 89, which is a B+. A B+ is worth 3.3.
3.5 GPA to percent: 3.5 is between a B+ (3.3) and an A- (3.7). Those letters cover 87 to 92%.
A- to GPA: an A- is worth 3.7 and covers 90 to 92%.
Common questions
What percent is a 3.0 GPA?
On the common plus and minus scale, a 3.0 is a B, which is 83 to 86%. On a scale without pluses and minuses, a B is 80 to 89%.
What GPA is a 90%?
On this scale a 90% is an A-, worth 3.7. Schools without minus grades count 90% as an A, worth 4.0. Check which one your school uses.
What is a 4.0 GPA in percent?
A 4.0 means straight A's. On this scale that's 93% or higher in every class. On a scale without minus grades, it's 90% or higher.
Does 89.5% round up to an A-?
Some teachers round and some don't. This converter uses the number exactly as you type it, so 89.5 is a B+. Ask your teacher or check the syllabus.
Does this work for weighted GPAs?
No. It's for the unweighted 4.0 scale. Convert a weighted GPA first with the weighted to unweighted converter.