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Extra Credit Calculator

Find out how much extra credit raises your grade — added as bonus points or as percentage points — plus your letter grade before and after and the extra points needed for the next letter.

Points earned

Points possible

Extra credit

Extra credit counts as

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How it works

Bonus points: grade = (points earned + extra credit) ÷ points possible × 100 · Percentage points: grade = points earned ÷ points possible × 100 + extra credit · letters on the standard 90/80/70/60 scale

Extra credit is usually handled one of two ways: bonus points added to your earned points without raising the points possible (the most common in gradebooks such as Canvas and PowerSchool), or a flat number of percentage points added to the final grade. The same 15 points of extra credit is worth 3 percentage points in a 500-point course but 15 in a 100-point one, so check how your teacher applies it. Letter grades use the common US 90/80/70/60 cutoffs without plus or minus.

Worked example

With 412 of 500 points (82.40%) and 15 bonus points: (412 + 15) ÷ 500 = 85.40%, an increase of +3.00 percentage points; the letter stays B. Reaching an A (90%) would take 450 − 412 = 38 extra points.

Sources: Brookhart et al. (2016), A Century of Grading Research, Review of Educational Research

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate extra credit in my grade?

Add the extra-credit points to the points you earned and divide by the points possible (without adding the extra credit to the total). 412 + 15 = 427 out of 500 is 85.40%.

How much will 5 points of extra credit raise my grade?

It depends on the total points in the course: 5 ÷ total × 100. In a 500-point course that is 1 percentage point; in a 200-point course 2.5 points.

Should extra credit be added to the points possible?

Usually not. If it were added to both earned and possible points it would help less: 427 of 515 is 82.91% instead of 85.40%. Most gradebooks add it only to the points earned.

Can extra credit push me over 100%?

Mathematically yes, and some gradebooks show it, but many teachers cap the final grade at 100%.

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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.