What is the highest unweighted GPA?

The absolute highest unweighted GPA you can achieve is a 4.0. This means you received an 'A' in every single class you took.

What is the highest weighted GPA?

The highest weighted GPA theoretically possible is usually a 5.0 (or sometimes a 6.0, depending on the district). This is achieved by taking exclusively AP or IB courses and earning 'A's in all of them.

Is it possible to get a 5.0 GPA?

Yes, in high schools that use a weighted scale, a 5.0 GPA is possible if you earn straight 'A's in classes that are weighted out of 5.0 points, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

What is the Highest GPA Possible? Unweighted vs Weighted

When students hear rumors of high school valedictorians graduating with a 4.8 or 5.2 GPA, it understandably causes confusion. Isn't the GPA scale out of 4.0? To understand the highest possible GPA, you must understand the difference between unweighted and weighted grading scales.

The Highest Unweighted GPA: 4.0

In the traditional, standard grading system used by every college and many high schools, the scale is unweighted.

On an unweighted scale, the maximum number of quality points you can earn for a class is 4.0 (awarded for an "A" or an "A+"). Therefore, if you take 10 classes and get an "A" in every single one, the absolute mathematical ceiling for your cumulative GPA is a 4.0.

In college, an unweighted 4.0 is the absolute highest GPA you can achieve, and graduating with a 4.0 usually earns you the title of Valedictorian and the distinction of Summa Cum Laude.

The Highest Weighted GPA: 5.0 (or Higher)

To encourage high school students to take more rigorous classes without destroying their unweighted GPAs, many school districts introduced the weighted GPA scale.

In a weighted system, standard classes remain on a 4.0 scale, but advanced classes (like Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Dual Enrollment college courses) are graded on a 5.0 scale.

An "A" in standard High School Biology = 4.0 Points
An "A" in AP Biology = 5.0 Points

If a student takes exclusively AP classes and earns straight "A"s in all of them, their weighted GPA will be a perfect 5.0. Some extreme high school districts even weight certain post-AP classes on a 6.0 scale, meaning the theoretical maximum could be even higher.

Calculate Your Weighted GPA

Are you taking AP or Honors classes? Use our advanced calculator to see exactly how those classes boost your weighted GPA.

Weighted Calculator

How Do Colleges View 5.0+ GPAs?

Because weighted scales vary so wildly from district to district (some use 4.5, some use 5.0, some use 6.0), college admissions committees often ignore the weighted GPA you report on your application.

Instead, they will take your official transcript and recalculate your unweighted GPA using their own internal, standardized formula. This levels the playing field so they can accurately compare a student from a 4.0 district against a student from a 5.0 district. They will, however, look at the "rigor" of your schedule to see if you actually challenged yourself with those AP classes.