Pitt GPA Calculator

The University of Pittsburgh does not use the usual thirds-of-a-point scale. At Pitt, a plus or minus moves a grade by a quarter point, so an A- is 3.75 and a B+ is 3.25. That small difference changes real outcomes: the same transcript can land just above a 3.50 at Pitt and just below it somewhere else. This Pitt GPA calculator uses the official values from the Provost's University Grading regulation, so the number you see is computed the way Pitt computes it.

Many students and older documents still call this number the QPA (quality point average). Today your academic record shows a cumulative GPA, but the math is the same credit-weighted average. Enter your courses, add your earlier cumulative GPA if you want the running total, and the tool shows your term GPA, your new cumulative GPA, where you stand against the Latin honors lines and the GPA you need going forward. Below it you will find the scale, two worked examples, Pitt's grading options and repeat rule, honors cutoffs and answers to common questions.

QPA vs GPA at Pitt

Pitt's regulation on the cumulative QPA and GPA explains the history. Until August 2005, the QPA was the cumulative figure used inside the university and for outside reporting, while a GPA appeared only on the academic record. From fall 2005, with the move to the PeopleSoft student system, the cumulative GPA appears on the transcript. That older regulation has since been folded into the University Grading academic regulation, effective May 1, 2024.

In practice, when a Pitt student, advisor or scholarship form says QPA, it almost always means the same credit-weighted average this tool calculates. If a department asks for a requirement-specific GPA, for example just the courses in your major, run only those courses through the calculator.

Using the Pitt GPA Calculator

• Start with one row per course for the term. Enter the credits shown in your enrollment (most lectures are 3, many science lectures with recitation are 4, labs are often 1).
• Choose the letter grade. A+ and A are both 4.00, so an A+ does not lift you above a 4.0 average.
• Use H, S, U, NC, W, R, N or I for courses that ended without a letter grade. Their credits are listed as not counted and do not touch the GPA.
• Retook a course? Enter only the newest attempt. Pitt uses the repeat grade in place of the earlier one, so the first attempt should not be a row. If you are using the cumulative fields, take the old attempt out of your prior totals first (Example 2 below shows how).
• For a cumulative GPA, enter the GPA and GPA credits from your academic record before this term.
• Set a target in the planner, such as 3.50 for magna cum laude, and the letter-graded credits you have left.

The University of Pittsburgh Grade Scale

These are the letter grade values in the University Grading academic regulation. The right-hand column shows the more common US value for comparison, so you can see where Pitt is more or less generous.

The pattern is easy to remember: every minus is worth a little more at Pitt than on the common scale (3.75 vs 3.7), and every plus is worth a little less (3.25 vs 3.3). Students with lots of A- and B- grades gain slightly; students with lots of B+ and C+ grades lose slightly.

How Your Pitt GPA Is Calculated

Each letter-graded course contributes its grade points multiplied by its credits. Grades that carry no grade points are left out of both the points and the credits.

Example 1: A Term That Lands Exactly on 3.50

A second-year student takes calculus (4 credits, A-), introductory psychology (3, B+), a writing-intensive seminar (3, A), organic chemistry lecture (3, B-) and a 1-credit lab (A+).

Now run the same grades on the common scale (A- 3.7, B+ 3.3, B- 2.7): 14.8 + 9.9 + 12.0 + 8.1 + 4.0 = 48.8, and 48.8 / 14 = 3.486. On Pitt's scale the student reaches 3.50, the usual Dean's List bar; on the common scale they would fall just short. This is the single most useful reason to use a Pitt-specific calculator instead of a generic one.

Example 2: Replacing a D With a Retake

A student has a 2.90 cumulative GPA over 45 credits, which includes a D in a 3-credit statistics course. This term they retake statistics and earn a B, and they also take four other 3-credit courses, all B+.

Because the retake replaces the D, the cumulative GPA climbs past 3.0. If both attempts counted, as they do at Virginia Tech or in an LSAC recalculation, the result would be (130.50 + 48.00) / 60 = 2.975. In the tool, enter 3.036 and 42 as your prior data, then this term's five courses.

Pitt Grading Options That Skip the GPA

A course can be offered on one or more grading bases, at the academic unit's discretion. Two of them can keep a course out of your GPA entirely, but they work differently.

The S/NC option is described in the regulation as a way to explore new or difficult subjects without the risk of failing. Because neither S nor NC enters the GPA, a weak result costs you credits, not grade points. A strong result costs you too: an A earned under S/NC adds nothing to your average. Changes of grading basis must reach your academic center by its deadline, which is no later than class day 20 in fall and spring (25 percent of the term). Your school and major may restrict which courses can be taken S/NC, so check before you switch.

Withdrawal (W) and Resignation (R)

After add/drop ends, you can leave a single course through a monitored withdrawal, which needs approval from the instructor or written approval from your academic dean or campus president. The deadline for a full term is the end of week 9. The result is a W. Leaving every course in a term is a resignation, allowed through the 60 percent point of the term, and every course gets an R. Neither W nor R carries grade points, and neither affects your GPA.

Incompletes

An I grade carries no grade points while it is open, so the course is simply missing from your GPA until a final grade replaces it. Pitt also used a G grade for unfinished coursework in the past; the regulation lists G as inactive for classes after the summer 2026 term. If you see an older G on your record, ask your academic center what it will become.

How Repeating a Course Works at Pitt

Pitt's Course Repeat regulation (effective fall 2025) says the grade earned by repeating a course is used in GPA calculations in place of the grade earned before. The earlier grade stays on the transcript but leaves the GPA. The details matter:

• The newest grade counts even if it is lower than the original, because it is used in place of the earlier grade.
• If the repeat ends in a grade that does not factor into the GPA, such as W, R, N or NC, the earlier grade keeps counting.
• While a repeat is an open Incomplete, the most recent earlier grade counts until the I is replaced.
• You may repeat a course no more than two times, three attempts in total. Every grade except R or N counts as an attempt.
• A repeat earns no extra credit if you already earned credit for the course.
• You cannot repeat a lower course in a sequence after passing the higher course at the required grade (C for undergraduates).
• A course taken at another institution cannot replace a Pitt grade.
• Your dean's office may require a signed academic improvement plan before a repeat.

Pitt Latin Honors and Dean's List

Latin honors are set university-wide by the University Honors regulation. Dean's List rules are set by each school or campus, so the bar can differ depending on where you are enrolled.

The University Honors regulation adds that all career-related coursework completed at Pitt is included in the honors GPA. We could not find a published Dean's List rule for every Pittsburgh campus school, so the calculator's Dean's List badge uses the 3.50 term GPA that the pages above share. Confirm the exact rule with your own school, especially the grade-floor and letter-graded credit conditions, which the tool cannot check for you.

S/NC and H/S/U courses do not help you toward the 60 letter-graded credits Latin honors require, which is another reason to use those options sparingly if graduation honors matter to you.

Getting the Most From Pitt's Scale

• Turn B+ grades into A- grades. On Pitt's scale that jump is worth 0.50 points per credit, larger than the 0.40 it is worth on the common scale.
• Retake early and only when it pays. A replacement from D to B adds 6 quality points on a 3-credit course, but the newest grade counts even if it is worse, so retake only when you are ready.
• Do not chase an A+. It is worth exactly the same 4.00 as an A.
• Think twice about S/NC in a course you expect to ace. An S keeps a good grade out of your GPA just as surely as it keeps a bad one out.
• Check honors math with the planner. Enter your cumulative GPA and credits, set 3.25, 3.50 or 3.75, and the credits remaining before graduation.
• Keep a copy of your academic record handy. The cumulative GPA and credits there are the right starting values for the tool.

Will This Match My Pitt Academic Record?

The grade values and the credit-weighted method match the University Grading regulation, so a correct list of courses gives the same number your record shows. Mismatches almost always trace back to a repeat entered twice, a transfer or test credit (T) included by mistake (only Pitt credits at your career level count), or a prior GPA rounded to two decimals. Graduate and professional students should note that their GPA is kept separately for each career level. For honors and academic standing decisions, the official record is final.

Other GPA Calculators

Comparing Pitt with another school? The Virginia Tech GPA calculator uses the common 3.7 / 3.3 values and counts every attempt, the KU GPA calculator keeps the higher grade of a retake, and the Northeastern GPA calculator works to three decimals. For law school, the LSAC GPA calculator re-scores Pitt grades on LSAC's own table and counts both attempts of a retake. The general GPA calculator handles high school and weighted GPAs, and every tool is listed under GPA calculators.