Grade Calculator
Add your assignments, scores, and weights to calculate your overall course grade.
How is your overall course grade calculated?
Your overall grade is a weighted average of all your assignment scores, where each category (homework, quizzes, midterms, finals, etc.) counts for a different percentage of your total grade as defined by your course syllabus. To calculate it, each score is multiplied by its weight, those weighted values are summed, and the total is divided by the sum of all weights entered. This means a high score on a heavily-weighted final exam impacts your overall grade far more than the same score on a low-weight homework assignment.
Why weighted grades matter
Most college and high school courses don't treat every assignment equally — a syllabus might specify that homework is worth 20%, quizzes 15%, midterms 25%, and the final exam 40% of your total grade. Understanding this weighting helps you prioritize your study time and predict your final grade before all assignments are graded. It also lets you calculate exactly what you need on remaining assignments to hit a target grade, which is especially useful heading into a final exam.
Tips for using this calculator
Enter every graded assignment or category from your syllabus along with its score and weight percentage — the calculator will automatically normalize the result even if your weights don't add up to exactly 100%. If you want to see how a hypothetical future score would affect your final grade, add a row for it with an estimated score and its weight, and the tool will recalculate instantly as you type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my overall grade with different weights?
Multiply each assignment or category score by its weight percentage, add those weighted values together, then divide by the total weight. This calculator does that automatically — just enter each category's score and weight from your syllabus above.
What if my weights don't add up to 100%?
That's fine — this calculator normalizes your result by dividing the weighted score sum by the total weight you've entered, so it still produces an accurate percentage even if you haven't entered every category yet or your weights sum to something other than 100%.
How do letter grades correspond to percentages?
Most US schools use 90-100% for an A, 80-89% for a B, 70-79% for a C, 60-69% for a D, and below 60% for an F, though exact cutoffs can vary by school or instructor. This calculator displays your letter grade equivalent automatically based on the standard scale.
Can I use this to predict my grade before the final exam?
Yes, add a row for your final exam with an estimated or target score and its weight from the syllabus, and the calculator will show your projected overall grade. For a more direct answer to "what score do I need on the final," try our final exam grade calculator instead.
Does this calculator handle dropped lowest scores?
Not automatically — if your instructor drops your lowest quiz or homework score, simply exclude that assignment from your entries or remove its row before calculating so it isn't counted toward your overall grade.
What's the difference between a weighted and unweighted class average?
An unweighted average simply averages every score equally regardless of assignment type, while a weighted average — used by most real courses — assigns different importance to categories like homework, tests, and finals. Weighted averages better reflect how your grade is actually calculated according to your syllabus.
How many assignments can I add to this calculator?
There's no limit — click "Add Another Assignment" as many times as needed to enter every graded category or individual assignment from your course, and the calculator will recompute your weighted overall grade instantly.
Why is my grade lower than the simple average of my scores?
This usually happens when you scored lower on a heavily-weighted assignment, like a final exam worth 40-50%, than on lower-weight assignments like homework. Because weighted grades emphasize high-value categories, a single poor score on a big exam can pull your overall grade down more than several strong homework scores can raise it.