Plus Minus GPA Calculator
Calculate your GPA with A+, A-, B+, B-, and every plus/minus grade on the 4.0 scale. Enter your grades and credits to get an accurate cumulative GPA instantly.
What Is Plus/Minus Grading and Why Does It Matter?
Plus/minus grading divides each letter grade into three sub-grades: a plus variant, the base grade, and a minus variant. On the 4.0 scale, a B+ earns 3.3, a B earns 3.0, and a B- earns 2.7 giving professors 12 distinct grade values instead of the 5 used in whole-letter grading.
Whole-letter grading treats any B-level performance identically at 3.0, regardless of whether the student earned an 80% or an 89%. Plus/minus grading rewards the student who earned an 89% (B+, 3.3) more accurately than the student who earned an 80% (B-, 2.7), producing a GPA that reflects actual performance more precisely.
The practical impact is significant. A student who consistently earns B+ grades in a plus/minus system has a 3.3 GPA rather than the 3.0 GPA they would receive under whole-letter grading. Over four years, that 0.3 difference can determine graduate school eligibility, scholarship thresholds, and honors status.
Full Plus/Minus Grade Scale on the 4.0 System
The standard plus/minus 4.0 scale assigns a fixed grade point value to each letter variant. A+ and A share the same 4.0 maximum. F has no plus or minus variant.
| Letter Grade | Grade Points | Percentage Range |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 | 97-100% |
| A | 4.0 | 93-96% |
| A- | 3.7 | 90-92% |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87-89% |
| B | 3.0 | 83-86% |
| B- | 2.7 | 80-82% |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77-79% |
| C | 2.0 | 73-76% |
| C- | 1.7 | 70-72% |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67-69% |
| D | 1.0 | 63-66% |
| D- | 0.7 | 60-62% |
| F | 0.0 | Below 60% |
Which Schools Use Plus/Minus Grading and Which Do Not
Plus/minus grading is common but not universal. Many high schools and some colleges use whole-letter grading only. Knowing your school's system determines how to enter grades and what GPA to expect.
Schools That Use Plus/Minus Grading
Most US colleges and universities use plus/minus grading at the undergraduate level. This includes the majority of public universities, private liberal arts colleges, and graduate programs. Plus/minus is the default for college-level GPA calculation in the United States.
Many high schools also use plus/minus grading, particularly in private schools and high-performing public districts. High schools that use the plus/minus system report it on transcripts and factor it into weighted GPA calculations.
Schools That Use Whole-Letter Grading Only
Some institutions use A, B, C, D, F only, with no plus or minus distinctions. Whole-letter grading is more common in elementary and middle schools, some community colleges, and a subset of high schools. Under whole-letter grading, an 89% and an 80% both earn a B at 3.0. This system is simpler but less precise.
Converting Between Systems
If you transfer from a whole-letter school to a plus/minus school, your existing transcript grades stay as recorded. New courses follow the new school's policy. If you need to compare GPAs across schools with different systems, convert all grades to the 4.0 baseline: A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0 for the whole-letter school, and use the full scale for the plus/minus school.
The A+ Question: Same as A or Not?
On the standard unweighted 4.0 scale, A+ and A are both 4.0. An A+ earns no additional GPA credit beyond an A. Some weighted scales assign A+ a value of 4.3, but this is not part of the standard 4.0 system. When using this calculator or reporting GPA for college applications, A+ and A are identical at 4.0.
Practical Impact of B+ vs B on Cumulative GPA
The difference between B+ (3.3) and B (3.0) is 0.3 grade points per course. In a 4-course semester, swapping one B for a B+ raises semester GPA from 3.00 to 3.075 a meaningful shift when admissions cutoffs fall at 3.0 or 3.5. Over 16 courses, the cumulative impact of consistently earning B+ rather than B is approximately 0.3 GPA points.
Worked Example: Plus/Minus Grading Impact
Plus/minus grading produces a 3.22 GPA for this course set, compared to 3.31 under whole-letter grading, a 0.09-point difference that can determine academic standing.
| Course | Grade | Credits | Grade Pts | Quality Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Composition | B+ | 3 | 3.3 | 9.9 |
| Calculus | A- | 4 | 3.7 | 14.8 |
| Chemistry | B | 3 | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Economics | B- | 3 | 2.7 | 8.1 |
| Totals | 13 | 41.8 | ||
Under whole-letter grading (B=3.0, A=4.0, no plus/minus): English B earns 3.0, Calculus A earns 4.0, Chemistry B earns 3.0, Economics B earns 3.0. Whole-letter quality points: (3.0×3 + 4.0×4 + 3.0×3 + 3.0×3) = 9+16+9+9 = 43. Whole-letter GPA = 43 ÷ 13 = 3.31. The A- in Calculus costs 0.30 points per credit hour, and the B- in Economics costs 0.30 points per credit hour, but the B+ in English gains only 0.30 points per credit hour, creating a net drag on the plus/minus GPA.