ACT to GPA Converter
Convert your ACT composite or section scores to an approximate GPA equivalent on the 4.0 scale, with national percentile rankings.
How to Use the ACT to GPA Converter
The ACT to GPA Converter provides an approximate GPA equivalent for your ACT composite score and also lets you break down individual section scores. This is helpful for students who want to see how their standardized test performance compares to their classroom grades, or who need to convert between the two systems for scholarship applications and college planning.
- Convert tab: Enter your ACT composite score (1-36) to instantly see the approximate GPA equivalent on a 4.0 scale, the corresponding letter grade, and your national percentile ranking.
- Score Breakdown tab: Enter your four individual section scores (English, Math, Reading, Science) to calculate the composite score and see GPA equivalents for each section, helping you identify strengths and weaknesses.
Like all standardized test conversions, this is an approximation based on statistical correlations. Your actual college readiness depends on many factors beyond a single test score.
The Advanced calculator below tracks multiple ACT attempts over time and shows your improvement trend. For detailed college-competitiveness analysis comparing ACT vs. SAT strategy, use the Professional tier.
| ACT | SAT | GPA Equiv. | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1600 | 4.00 | 99th |
| 35 | 1570 | 3.95 | 99th |
| 34 | 1540 | 3.88 | 99th |
| 33 | 1510 | 3.82 | 98th |
| 32 | 1480 | 3.75 | 97th |
| 31 | 1450 | 3.68 | 96th |
| 30 | 1410 | 3.60 | 93th |
| 29 | 1380 | 3.53 | 91th |
| 28 | 1350 | 3.45 | 88th |
| 27 | 1320 | 3.36 | 85th |
| 26 | 1290 | 3.27 | 81th |
| 25 | 1260 | 3.17 | 78th |
| 24 | 1230 | 3.07 | 73th |
| 23 | 1200 | 2.97 | 68th |
| 22 | 1160 | 2.85 | 62th |
| 21 | 1130 | 2.73 | 56th |
| 20 | 1100 | 2.61 | 49th |
| 19 | 1060 | 2.46 | 42th |
| 18 | 1020 | 2.32 | 36th |
| 17 | 990 | 2.15 | 29th |
| 16 | 950 | 1.98 | 23th |
| 15 | 910 | 1.80 | 17th |
| 14 | 870 | 1.60 | 12th |
| 13 | 830 | 1.38 | 7th |
| 12 | 780 | 1.15 | 3th |
ACT to GPA Concordance Table
The conversion between ACT scores and GPA uses anchor points derived from observed correlations in student populations. Scores between anchor points are calculated using linear interpolation:
ACT 33 → GPA 3.8 (98th percentile)
ACT 30 → GPA 3.5 (93rd percentile)
ACT 27 → GPA 3.1 (85th percentile)
ACT 24 → GPA 2.7 (74th percentile)
ACT 21 → GPA 2.3 (57th percentile)
ACT 18 → GPA 1.9 (38th percentile)
ACT 15 → GPA 1.4 (19th percentile)
ACT 12 → GPA 1.0 (9th percentile)
Interpolation: GPA = G1 + (G2 − G1) × (ACT − A1) ÷ (A2 − A1)
How ACT Composite Is Calculated
Example: English 29, Math 27, Reading 30, Science 26
Composite = Round((29 + 27 + 30 + 26) ÷ 4) = Round(28.0) = 28
GPA Equivalent = 3.1 + (3.5 − 3.1) × (28 − 27) ÷ (30 − 27) = 3.23
Practical Example
Situation: Maria scored a 28 composite on her ACT. She has a 3.4 GPA and is wondering how her test score compares to her grades, and whether she should retake the ACT.
Using the converter: ACT 28 falls between the 27 (GPA 3.1) and 30 (GPA 3.5) anchor points. By interpolation: GPA = 3.1 + (3.5 − 3.1) × (28 − 27) ÷ (30 − 27) = 3.1 + 0.133 = 3.23.
Result: Maria's ACT score is equivalent to roughly a 3.23 GPA, which is slightly below her actual 3.4 GPA. This suggests she may be able to improve her ACT score with targeted preparation, since her classroom performance indicates stronger capability. Improving to a 30 would align her ACT equivalent (3.5) closer to her GPA level.
Enter each test attempt. Superscore uses the best section score from all attempts.
| Attempt | English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ||||||
| 22 | ||||||
| 23 | ||||||
| Superscore | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
ACT vs SAT: Which Should You Take?
The ACT and SAT are both widely accepted by U.S. colleges, but they have different structures and may favor different types of students:
- ACT strengths: Includes a Science section (good for STEM students), questions tend to be more straightforward, time pressure is the main challenge, and it's content-based rather than reasoning-based.
- SAT strengths: More time per question, stronger emphasis on reasoning and analysis, no separate science section, and the math section is more focused on algebra and data analysis.
- How to decide: Take a practice test for both. Most students score proportionally the same on both tests, but some find one format suits their test-taking style better. Many students take both and submit whichever score is stronger.
The general concordance between ACT and SAT is: ACT 36 ≈ SAT 1570-1600, ACT 30 ≈ SAT 1370-1400, ACT 24 ≈ SAT 1160-1180, ACT 20 ≈ SAT 1030-1050.