GPA
Total quality points divided by GPA-bearing credits. Results are displayed to two decimal places; calculations retain their underlying precision.
UW–Madison GPA Calculator
Free Tool for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Calculate Your Semester and Cumulative GPA
| Course | Credits | Grade | Course Type | Course actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular uses the school’s standard grading scale. Custom Bonus adds extra points to a course’s base grade points.
Understand UW–Madison GPA Rules
Your GPA is a credit-weighted average of the courses included in your calculation. Enter one term’s courses for a semester GPA, or courses across multiple terms for a cumulative GPA. Courses with more credits have a greater influence on the result.
GPA credits
GPA credits are the credit units included in calculating a grade point average under an institution’s grading policy. They may differ from the credits counted toward graduation.
Quality points
Each course contributes its credits multiplied by its letter-grade points plus any custom bonus. Add those course quality points together to calculate your GPA.
Have a historical GPA and completed credits? Calculate once to unlock Planner, then enter your current cumulative GPA and GPA-bearing completed credits to project the effect of your remaining courses.
How to Use the UW–Madison GPA Calculator
Calculate your starting GPA, explore grade changes, then plan the grades needed for your target.
Calculator
Enter each course’s credits and letter grade, then click Calculate GPA. Use Regular unless you want a custom-bonus scenario. Add, duplicate, or remove rows to match the courses included in your semester or cumulative estimate.
Simulator
After calculating, click Enter GPA Simulator and adjust a course’s letter-grade slider. Credits and custom bonuses stay fixed while the what-if GPA updates. Your calculated baseline stays unchanged, and Planner continues to use that baseline.
Planner
Open GPA Planner and enter your current GPA, completed credits, remaining credits, and target GPA. Plan by remaining credits to find the required average, or choose Plan by course to list courses, apply custom bonuses, and lock known grades. Select Start Plan to generate results. Unlocked grades may change when you generate another plan.
Illustrations show example values. Simulator and Planner unlock after you click Calculate GPA. Planner uses your baseline, not your simulated grades.
Use Custom Bonus for Course Scenarios
Keep Course Type as Regular for the standard letter-grade calculation. To explore an extra-point scenario, select Custom bonus and enter a nonnegative value, such as 0.4. The bonus is added to that course’s grade points, not to the final GPA or the course’s credits.
Apply it to one course
A three-credit course with 3.0 grade points and a 0.4 bonus contributes 3 × (3.0 + 0.4) = 10.2 quality points. Other courses remain unchanged. Switch back to Regular to exclude the bonus.
Keep it in your simulation
Simulator changes the letter grade while retaining that course’s bonus. This lets you compare grade scenarios using the same credits and extra points.
Include it in your course plan
In Plan by course, add a bonus to any remaining course. Lock the course’s selected grade to include its bonus in projected GPA and achievable limits. Unlocked courses ignore custom bonuses during automatic planning. Plan by remaining credits does not apply future course bonuses.
Custom Bonus enables the addition of extra grade points to an individual course to reflect the course-specific bonus policy. Bonus values are entered manually. The Regular mode shall be selected for courses with no additional grade points.
How UW–Madison GPA is Calculated
Calculator, Simulator, and Planner use the following equations. Letter-grade points come from the grading scale configured for this tool. Any custom bonus applies only to the course where you enter it.
Course quality points
Add any custom bonus to the course’s letter-grade points, then multiply by its credits. Regular courses have a bonus of zero.
Course quality points = course credits × (letter-grade points + course bonus)
Semester and cumulative GPA
Add the quality points for all included courses, then divide by their total credits. Include one term for semester GPA, or multiple terms for cumulative GPA. Simulator uses the same formula with your adjusted grades.
GPA = total quality points ÷ total credits
Required remaining GPA
Multiply your target GPA by the total credits you will have at the end. Subtract your current quality points, then divide by the remaining credits.
Required remaining GPA =
[target GPA × (completed credits + remaining credits) − current GPA × completed credits] ÷ remaining credits
Projected final cumulative GPA
Add your current quality points to the quality points from planned courses. Divide by your completed and remaining credits combined.
Projected final GPA =
(current GPA × completed credits + planned quality points) ÷ (completed credits + remaining credits)
Highest and lowest achievable GPA
In the projected final GPA formula, use the maximum or minimum available grade points for each unlocked remaining course. Only locked courses include custom bonuses and keep their selected grades. Unlocked courses use standard letter-grade points without bonuses. Planner shows when a target falls outside the achievable range.
UW–Madison GPA Scale & Letter Grade Reference
UW–Madison’s standard grading scale uses AB and BC instead of plus and minus grades. A earns 4.0 points, AB earns 3.5, B earns 3.0, and BC earns 2.5.
| Letter grade | Grade points per credit |
|---|---|
| A | 4.00 |
| AB | 3.50 |
| B | 3.00 |
| BC | 2.50 |
| C | 2.00 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
Select AB or BC exactly as shown on your academic record rather than substituting a plus or minus grade. This table reflects the standard scale; the Law School uses a separate grading system.
Dedicated GPA Calculators are also Available for These Universities
UT Austin GPA CalculatorUniversity of Texas at AustinOpen GPA CalculatorUC Berkeley GPA CalculatorUniversity of California, BerkeleyOpen GPA CalculatorASU GPA CalculatorArizona State UniversityOpen GPA CalculatorLSU GPA CalculatorLouisiana State UniversityOpen GPA CalculatorUF GPA CalculatorUniversity of FloridaOpen GPA CalculatorRutgers GPA CalculatorRutgers UniversityOpen GPA CalculatorPurdue GPA CalculatorPurdue UniversityOpen GPA CalculatorIU GPA CalculatorIndiana University BloomingtonOpen GPA CalculatorGSU GPA CalculatorGeorgia State UniversityOpen GPA Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
What do AB and BC mean in the UW–Madison grading scale?
UW–Madison uses A = 4.0, AB = 3.5, B = 3.0, BC = 2.5, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, and F = 0.0. AB and BC are distinct grades. Do not substitute generic B+ or C+ values. The Law School has a separate scale.
Do transfer courses affect my UW–Madison GPA?
No. The UW–Madison GPA is based on coursework earned or attempted at UW–Madison. Transfer courses and credit earned by examination do not carry grade points, even when they count toward graduation.
Do pass/fail courses count toward my UW–Madison GPA?
Grades recorded as S or U under pass/fail grading are excluded from GPA. Credit/no-credit grades CR and N are also excluded. Use the recorded grading basis rather than entering these courses as F or zero-point rows.
Does repeating a failed UW–Madison course remove the F?
No. UW–Madison includes A–F graded attempts in the GPA, including a failed course and its repeated attempt. The original F remains on the academic record and contributes zero grade points with its associated credits.
Where can I check my official UW–Madison grades and GPA?
Check MyUW Student Center or your transcript. A Canvas grade is not official until submitted to the Registrar and posted to your record. Use those posted grades and GPA-bearing credits to compare your estimate.
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