Credits do the weighting
GPA is not the average of your grade points — it is the average weighted by credits. A four-credit course influences your GPA twice as much as a two-credit one, which is why a poor grade in a heavy course hurts disproportionately.
The calculation is the sum of (grade points × credits) divided by total credits. The "quality points" figure above is that numerator.
Scales vary between institutions
This uses the common US 4.0 scale, where A and A+ both map to 4.0 and A− to 3.7. Some institutions award 4.3 for an A+, some do not use plus/minus grades at all, and many outside the US use 10-point or percentage scales.
Check your institution's official scale before relying on a GPA for an application. A converted GPA and a native one are not always comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How do I raise a low GPA? +
Later courses only dilute earlier ones, and the more credits already on record, the slower any change. Retaking a failed course where the institution replaces rather than averages the grade is usually the fastest lever.