Understanding GPA-to-Letter Grade Conversions for NJ Students

If you’ve ever looked at your teen’s transcript and thought, “Okay… but is a 3.4 good?”, you’re not alone. Schools love GPAs, parents often think in letter grades, and colleges speak both languages. That’s where a simple GPA to letter grade conversion chart comes in handy: it helps translate the numbers into something that feels familiar.

Let’s walk through how GPA-to-letter grade conversions usually work, what “good” really means, and how it all fits into college admissions for New Jersey students.

What Exactly Is A GPA?

GPA (Grade Point Average) is just a way to turn all of a student’s grades into one number.

Most New Jersey high schools use:

• An unweighted 4.0 scale, where:
  • A = 4.0
  • B = 3.0
  • C = 2.0
  • D = 1.0
  • F = 0.0

Many also use a weighted scale (often 5.0 or higher) where honors, AP, and IB classes are worth more points to reflect the extra difficulty.

The key idea: GPA is a summary, not the whole story. Colleges still look at the actual classes and trends behind that number.

A Simple GPA to Letter Grade Conversion Chart

Every school can set up its own grading scale, so you should always double-check your specific high school’s handbook. But here’s a typical GPA-to-letter grade range that many schools use or come close to:

Letter Grade	Approx. Percentage	Approx. Unweighted GPA
A / A+	93–100%	3.7–4.0
A–	90–92%	3.3–3.6
B+	87–89%	3.0–3.3
B	83–86%	2.7–3.0
B–	80–82%	2.3–2.6
C+	77–79%	2.0–2.3
C	73–76%	1.7–2.0
C–	70–72%	1.3–1.6
D / D+	65–69%	1.0–1.3
F	Below 65%	0.0

Again, this GPA to letter grade conversion chart is a guideline, not a universal law. Some schools tighten or loosen the ranges, and some don’t use plus/minus at all.

Weighted vs. Unweighted: Why Two GPAs?

This is where a lot of New Jersey families get confused.

• Unweighted GPA
  Treats all classes the same. An A is a 4.0 whether it’s in Gym or AP Physics.
• Weighted GPA
  Gives extra points for tougher classes. For example:
  • Honors A might count as 4.5
  • AP/IB A might count as 5.0

That means a student taking mostly challenging classes could have a weighted GPA above 4.0, even though on an unweighted scale 4.0 is “perfect.”

Most high schools will show both on the transcript, or explain their weighting system somewhere in the school profile that goes to colleges.

How Colleges Read GPA and Letter Grades

Colleges know that every high school does things a little differently, so they don’t just glance at the number and move on. They look at:

• The courses behind the GPA (Were they challenging? A good mix of honors and AP?)
• Trends over time (Did grades improve from 9th to 11th?)
• The school’s scale and weighting system (which they see in the school profile)

Many colleges will even recalculate GPA on their own scale so they can compare students fairly across different high schools.

So if your teen has, for example, a 3.5 unweighted GPA, colleges are likely seeing a mostly A–/B+ average. The question becomes: does that GPA match the level of course rigor and the expectations at that college?

How GPA Connects to Test Scores

GPA tells colleges how your teen performs over time in the classroom. SAT and ACT scores show how they handle a standardized test on one (or a few) particular days.

For many schools:

• A strong GPA plus solid test scores can open doors to more selective programs and merit scholarships.
• A strong GPA with slightly lower scores still has options, especially test-optional schools.
• A slightly lower GPA with higher test scores can sometimes balance out a weaker semester or a rough freshman year.

Understanding GPA-to-letter grade conversions helps you see where your teen stands in the classroom. Then test scores help you decide how much time and energy to put into SAT or ACT prep.

How Solution Prep Helps NJ Families Make Sense of GPA and Testing

If you’d like help interpreting your teen’s GPA, figuring out what their grades really mean for college, and deciding how standardized tests fit into the picture, you can reach out to us. We’ll walk you through the numbers in plain language and help you plan next steps that actually fit your student.

We’re here to help!