How is a GPA computed from courses and grades?

Each letter grade maps to grade points on a 4.0 scale (A is 4.0, B is 3.0, and so on). Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get quality points, sum the quality points, and divide by total credit hours. That weighted average is your GPA.

Do transfer credits always count toward GPA?

No, and this is the key policy question. Many US universities accept transfer credits for degree progress but exclude the grades from your GPA (credit only), so a transferred course gives you credit hours without changing your average. Others fold the grades in. This tool models both.

What is the difference between credit-only and GPA-inclusive?

Under credit-only, transfer courses add to your earned credits but your GPA is calculated solely from coursework at the destination school. Under GPA-inclusive, the transfer grades are blended in using their quality points, which can raise or lower your overall GPA.

How are plus and minus grades handled?

Most US scales assign A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B− = 2.7, and so on, while a straight A is 4.0. The tool uses this common +/- scale. Schools that do not use +/- grading simply map each letter to its whole-number value, which this scale also supports if you enter only whole letters.

Should I trust this for my official GPA?

Treat it as a planning estimate. Your registrar applies the binding rules, including how repeated courses, pass/fail grades, and non-transferable courses are handled. Use this to model scenarios, then confirm the official figure with your school.

What is the University Credit Transfer Calculator?

Enter courses and grades from a previous institution and choose whether transfer credits count toward GPA or carry credit only, to compute your combined GPA with and without the transferred work. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

University Credit Transfer Calculator

Name: University Credit Transfer Calculator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Transferring schools raises a deceptively tricky question: do your previous grades follow you into your new GPA, or do you keep only the credits? The answer depends entirely on your destination institution’s transfer policy, and it can meaningfully change your GPA. This calculator computes your combined GPA under both rules so you can see the real effect before you enrol.

How it works

GPA is a credit-weighted average of grade points. Each course contributes quality points equal to its grade points times its credit hours:

qualityPoints = gradePoints × creditHours
GPA           = Σ qualityPoints / Σ creditHours

credit-only policy:   transfer credits add to earned hours, transfer grades excluded from GPA
GPA-inclusive policy: transfer quality points blended into both numerator and denominator

The tool shows two GPA figures side by side: your current-school-only average (always shown) and the combined average that results when transfer grades are included. This makes the policy difference concrete and helps you model scenarios before committing.

Grade point scale used

The calculator uses the common US plus/minus scale:

Letter	Grade points	Letter	Grade points
A / A+	4.0	C+	2.3
A−	3.7	C	2.0
B+	3.3	C−	1.7
B	3.0	D+	1.3
B−	2.7	D	1.0
		F	0.0

Schools that do not award plus/minus grades simply use the whole-number values (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.), which this scale also handles.

Worked example

Suppose your work at the destination institution so far gives you 40 quality points over 12 credit hours — a 3.33 GPA. You want to transfer two courses from your previous school:

A 3-credit course where you earned an A (4.0): quality points = 3 × 4.0 = 12
A 4-credit course where you earned a B (3.0): quality points = 4 × 3.0 = 12

Total transfer quality points: 24. Total transfer credits: 7.

Under a credit-only policy: Your GPA stays at 40 / 12 = 3.33. You gain 7 credits toward your degree requirement, but the grades do not touch your average.

Under a GPA-inclusive policy: Combined GPA = (40 + 24) / (12 + 7) = 64 / 19 ≈ 3.37. The strong transfer grades nudge the GPA upward slightly.

Now reverse the scenario: if the transferred courses were a 3-credit C (2.0) and a 4-credit C+ (2.3), the transfer quality points would be 6 + 9.2 = 15.2. Under GPA-inclusive: (40 + 15.2) / 19 ≈ 2.91 — a significant drop from 3.33.

Factors the calculator cannot model

This tool gives you a useful planning estimate, but several real-world wrinkles require your registrar’s ruling:

Repeated courses: many schools count only the most recent attempt; others average both.
Pass/fail grades: typically excluded from GPA computation entirely.
Non-transferable credits: remedial, vocational, or over-limit credits may be accepted as credits without carrying grades.
Institution-specific scales: some schools use a 4.0 cap where A+ = 4.0 (same as A), others award 4.3 for A+.
Graduate vs undergraduate transfers: policies often differ across degree levels.

Always confirm the binding policy with your registrar before relying on any modelled figure.