Grade Calculator

A weighted grade is an average where some categories count more than others. Each category has a grade and a weight, and the weight decides how much that category pulls on your overall grade. The formula is:

Overall grade = sum of (grade x weight) / sum of weights

Multiply each category grade by its weight, add up all of those products, then divide by the total weight. Dividing by the total weight, rather than assuming 100, is what lets you see your grade partway through the term before every category is graded.

Say your syllabus splits the grade like this:

• Homework: 92 percent, worth 20
• Quizzes: 88 percent, worth 15
• Midterm: 84 percent, worth 25
• Final: 90 percent, worth 40

Multiply and add: 92 times 20 is 1840, 88 times 15 is 1320, 84 times 25 is 2100, and 90 times 40 is 3600. Those add up to 8860. The weights add up to 100, so your overall grade is 8860 divided by 100, which is 88.6 percent, a B plus. The calculator above works this out the moment you type.

An unweighted grade treats every assignment equally, so it is just the plain average of your scores. A weighted grade gives different categories different importance. Most college classes are weighted, because a final exam should count for more than a single homework set. If your class really is unweighted, give every category the same weight and the result is the same as a simple average.

Some syllabi use percentages, like homework 20 percent and final 40 percent. Others use points, like a class worth 1000 points total where the final is 400 of them. Both reach the same grade. For points, switch the calculator to Points mode and enter the points you earned and the points possible for each item. Your grade is total earned divided by total possible.

Early in the term, only some categories have grades, so your weights might total 60 or 70 percent instead of 100. That is normal. This calculator divides by the weight you entered, so it shows your grade on the work counted so far and tells you the total. As more grades come in and the weights climb toward 100, the number becomes your full course grade.

These sound alike but measure different things. A weighted grade is your percentage inside one class, built from that class’s categories. A weighted GPA is a high school idea where harder classes like AP or Honors earn bonus points on the 4.0 scale. For your grade in a single class, use this tool. For your GPA across classes, use our GPA calculator, and if you are heading into finals, our final grade calculator shows what you need on the last exam.