Pass/fail (P/F) courses are excluded from your GPA calculation at most schools — they don't contribute grade points to the numerator and their credit hours don't count toward the denominator. That means when your schedule mixes pass/fail and letter-graded classes, you simply remove the P/F courses entirely and run the standard GPA formula on the letter-graded ones only.
The rule, and why it matters
GPA is a credit-weighted average: Σ(Grade Points × Credit Hours) ÷ Σ(Credit Hours). A Pass or Fail grade doesn't have a grade-point value on the 4.0 scale — there's no numeric equivalent to plug into that formula — so most institutions simply leave those courses out of both the numerator and the denominator. The credits still count toward your total credits earned for graduation; they just don't factor into the average itself.
This matters most in two situations: when you're estimating your own GPA by hand and accidentally include a pass/fail course's credit hours in your denominator (which quietly drags your calculated GPA down, since you're dividing by a bigger number without adding any quality points), and when you're deciding whether to take a borderline class pass/fail specifically to protect your GPA.
Step 1: Separate your courses into two groups
List every course for the term, then sort into:
- Letter-graded courses — these go into your GPA calculation as normal.
- Pass/fail courses — set these aside. Note their credit hours separately since they still count toward your total credits earned, just not your GPA.
Step 2: Calculate GPA using only the letter-graded courses
Run the standard formula on the letter-graded group only: convert each grade to grade points, multiply by credit hours to get quality points, sum the quality points, and divide by the sum of credit hours — from the letter-graded courses alone.
Worked example: a five-course semester with one pass/fail elective
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade Points | Quality Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry | 4 | B+ | 3.3 | 13.2 |
| Linear Algebra | 3 | A- | 3.7 | 11.1 |
| American Literature | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Intro to Ceramics (P/F) | 2 | Pass | — | excluded |
| Public Speaking | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
The Intro to Ceramics course is excluded entirely from the GPA math — no grade points, no credit hours in the denominator.
Total credits used for GPA: 4 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 13 (the 2 pass/fail credits are not included)
Total quality points: 13.2 + 11.1 + 9.0 + 12.0 = 45.3
GPA = 45.3 ÷ 13 = 3.48
Total credits earned toward graduation this term: 13 + 2 = 15 (the pass/fail credits still count here)
Notice the two totals diverge: 13 credits feed the GPA calculation, but 15 credits move you toward your degree requirements. Mixing these up — say, dividing your quality points by 15 instead of 13 — would understate your true GPA.
What if the pass/fail course was a Fail instead of a Pass?
At schools where a Fail in a pass/fail course is excluded just like a Pass, nothing changes in the math above — it's still left out entirely. But some schools treat a Fail (sometimes labeled "No Pass" or "Unsatisfactory") as equivalent to an F for GPA purposes: 0.0 grade points, with the credit hours counted in the denominator. Under that policy, the Ceramics course above would instead add 2 credits and 0.0 quality points, changing the calculation to:
Total credits: 15. Total quality points: 45.3. GPA = 45.3 ÷ 15 = 3.02
That's a nearly half-point swing from the same underlying performance, purely because of how one school's policy treats a pass/fail Fail differently from another's. This is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with your registrar before you rely on a self-calculated GPA for anything official, like a scholarship application or grad school report.
Always confirm your specific school's policy on pass/fail failures before assuming they're excluded from GPA — this single detail can meaningfully change your calculated GPA if you get it wrong.
Common edge cases
- Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grading: Functions identically to Pass/Fail for GPA purposes at almost every school that uses this terminology instead.
- Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading: Same treatment — typically excluded from GPA, with the same caveat about how an "Unsatisfactory" is handled.
- Pass/fail caps: Many schools limit how many pass/fail credits can count toward your degree (for example, no more than 12 credits total across your whole academic career), separate from any GPA rule.
- Major requirements taken pass/fail: Some programs don't allow required courses in your major to be taken pass/fail at all — check your department's specific rules before registering.
Try it yourself
Our GPA Calculator lets you enter only the courses that actually count toward your average — simply leave your pass/fail courses off the list entirely, since they don't affect the result either way. Everything is calculated instantly and saved privately in your browser, with no account required.
