GPA Grading Scales at 93+ US Universities
Not every school counts grades the same way. This chart shows the GPA grading scale for 93 US universities — whether they use plus/minus grades, what an A+ is worth, and which use unusual systems. 30 are verified against official sources.
| University | State | Grading style | A+ counts as | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | AZ | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Auburn University | AL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Baylor University | TX | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Boston University | MA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Brigham Young University | UT | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Carnegie Mellon University | PA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Clemson University | SC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Colorado State University | CO | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Columbia University | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Cornell University | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Duke University | NC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Emory University | GA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Florida International University | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Florida State University | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.75) | 4.0 | Verified |
| George Mason University | VA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Georgetown University | DC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | Whole letters (no +/−) | — | Verified |
| Georgia State University | GA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Harvard University | MA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Indiana University Bloomington | IN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Iowa State University | IA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Kansas State University | KS | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Louisiana State University | LA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Michigan State University | MI | Numeric half-steps | — | Verified |
| New York University | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| North Carolina State University | NC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Northeastern University | MA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Northwestern University | IL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Oklahoma State University | OK | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Oregon State University | OR | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Pennsylvania State University | PA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Princeton University | NJ | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Purdue University | IN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Rice University | TX | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Rutgers University | NJ | Plus only, no minus | — | Verified |
| San Diego State University | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| Stanford University | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Stony Brook University | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Syracuse University | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Temple University | PA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Texas A&M University | TX | Whole letters (no +/−) | — | Verified |
| Texas Tech University | TX | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| The Ohio State University | OH | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University at Buffalo | NY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Alabama | AL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Arizona | AZ | Whole letters (no +/−) | — | Verified |
| University of Arkansas | AR | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of California, Berkeley | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of California, Davis | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of California, Irvine | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of California, Los Angeles | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of California, San Diego | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Central Florida | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.75) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Colorado Boulder | CO | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Connecticut | CT | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Florida | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Georgia | GA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Houston | TX | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Illinois Chicago | IL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Iowa | IA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Kansas | KS | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Kentucky | KY | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Maryland | MD | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | MA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Miami | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Michigan | MI | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Minnesota | MN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Missouri | MO | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Nebraska–Lincoln | NE | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Notre Dame | IN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Oklahoma | OK | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Oregon | OR | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Pennsylvania | PA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Pittsburgh | PA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of South Carolina | SC | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of South Florida | FL | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Southern California | CA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Tennessee | TN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Texas at Austin | TX | Plus / minus (A− = 3.67) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Utah | UT | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Virginia | VA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| University of Washington | WA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Verified |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | WI | AB / BC letters | — | Verified |
| Vanderbilt University | TN | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Virginia Tech | VA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Washington State University | WA | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Washington University in St. Louis | MO | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| West Virginia University | WV | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
| Yale University | CT | Plus / minus (A− = 3.7) | 4.0 | Standard |
The grading systems, explained
Most US universities use one of these variations of the 4.0 scale:
- Standard plus/minus: A = 4.0, A− = 3.7, B+ = 3.3 … the most common system.
- Thirds: the same idea but with .33/.67 increments (A− = 3.67, B+ = 3.33) — used by schools like ASU, UF, and Penn State.
- Quarter-point: +/− shift the base by ±0.25 (A− = 3.75) — used by FSU and UCF.
- A+ = 4.3: a few schools award above 4.0 for an A+.
- Whole letters: only A, B, C, D, F (no +/−) — e.g. Georgia Tech, Texas A&M.
- Half-step / AB-BC: systems like MSU (numeric half-steps) and UW–Madison (A, AB, B, BC, C).
Calculate your GPA on your school's scale
Pick your university from the chart above, or use the general GPA calculator. You can also browse every school on the universities page.
Frequently asked questions
Do all US universities use the same GPA scale?
No. Most use a 4.0 scale, but the details vary: some award 4.0 for an A+ while others give 4.33, some use .3/.7 increments (A− = 3.7) and others use .33/.67 (A− = 3.67), and a few use whole-letter or half-step systems.
Which universities give an A+ higher than 4.0?
It's rare. Most schools cap an A+ at 4.0 (the same as an A). A handful award 4.3 or 4.333 quality points for an A+, though the reported GPA is often still capped at 4.0.
How accurate is this list?
Scales marked 'verified' were confirmed against the school's official registrar or catalog. Unmarked schools use the standard 4.0 scale as a default — always confirm with your own registrar for anything official.