The difference between a 4.0 and a 4.3 GPA scale is whether an A+ is worth more than an A. On a 4.0 scale, A and A+ are both worth 4.0, so 4.0 is the highest possible average. On a 4.3 scale, the school adds a third of a point for a plus grade all the way up, so an A+ is worth 4.33 and a perfect record can exceed 4.0. Everything below an A+ is scored the same way on both scales.
Because the two scales agree on every grade except A+, a student who never earns an A+ has an identical GPA on either one. The 4.3 scale only changes the result for students at the very top.
4.0 vs 4.3 GPA Scale at a Glance
| Letter grade | 4.0 scale | 4.3 scale |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 | 4.33 |
| A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| A− | 3.67 | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 | 3.33 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| F | 0 | 0 |
| Highest possible GPA | 4.0 | 4.33 |
What Is the 4.0 Scale?
The 4.0 scale is the standard unweighted system in the United States: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1 and F = 0, which makes grades easy to average. Many schools then add .33 for a plus and subtract .33 for a minus, so a B+ is 3.33 and an A− is 3.67. A-plusses, where they are given at all, are usually assigned 4.0, the same as an A, because of the common assumption that 4.00 is the best possible grade point average. Some schools use .25 or .3 instead of .33 for the plus and minus adjustments.
What Is the 4.3 Scale?
The 4.3 scale is the same plus-and-minus system carried through consistently, so that an A+ receives the extra third of a point: 4.33 is awarded at some institutions. It is unweighted, meaning it does not add points for honors or Advanced Placement courses; it simply recognises A+ as a grade above A. A student with all A+ grades on this scale has a 4.33 GPA, while a student with all As has a 4.0 on both scales.
Why People Mix Them Up
- Weighted GPAs also go above 4.0. Some high schools award higher values for honors and AP courses, for example A = 5 or 4.5 and B = 4 or 3.5, or add .33 to an honors grade so that a B becomes a 3.33. Those are weighted scales, not the 4.3 scale, even though both can produce a GPA above 4.0.
- A 4.33 appears in other systems. Denver Public Schools, for instance, gives a B+ in honors and AP courses a value of 4.33, which is a weighted value, not an A+ on a 4.3 scale.
- Applications ask for “scale”. College and scholarship forms ask for GPA and the scale it is on, and students who have never seen an A+ on their transcript often do not know which one their school uses.
How to Convert Between Them
- From 4.3 to 4.0: recount every A+ as 4.0 instead of 4.33 and re-average. If you have no A+ grades, your GPA does not change.
- From 4.0 to 4.3: you can only convert if your transcript records A+ grades separately; if it does not, the two GPAs are the same number.
- Do not scale proportionally. Multiplying a 4.3-scale GPA by 4.0/4.3 is wrong, because the scales differ only at A+, not across the whole range.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is a 4.0 scale the same as a 4.3 scale? Almost. They match on every grade except A+, which is 4.0 on the 4.0 scale and 4.33 on the 4.3 scale.
- Is a 4.3 GPA unweighted? It can be. On a 4.3 scale, 4.33 is an unweighted perfect record of A+ grades; on a weighted scale, a 4.3 may reflect honors or AP bonuses.
- Is a 4.0 the highest GPA? On a 4.0 scale, yes. On a 4.3 scale or a weighted scale, no.
- Which scale do colleges use? It varies by institution. The 4.0 scale with .33 plus-and-minus steps is common, and a smaller number of schools award 4.33 for an A+.