ACT Score to GPA Calculator: Composite Score Equivalent
Enter your ACT composite score (1–36), and the calculator returns the approximate GPA equivalent on your chosen scale, 4.0, 5.0, 7.0, or any scale you set.
One thing to note upfront: use your single-sitting composite score, not a superscored composite. Many colleges calculate a superscore by taking your best section results across multiple test dates. Still, a superscored composite is not the same as a composite from a single sitting, and is not what this tool is designed for. If you have scores from multiple test dates, enter the highest complete composite from one sitting.
ACT to GPA: Quick Reference Table
The full band conversion table used by the calculator, from ACT 36 down to ACT 1:
| ACT Score | Approximate GPA (4.0 scale) |
|---|---|
| 35–36 | 4.00 |
| 32–34 | 3.90 |
| 29–31 | 3.80 |
| 27–28 | 3.70 |
| 25–26 | 3.60 |
| 24 | 3.50 |
| 23 | 3.40 |
| 22 | 3.30 |
| 21 | 3.20 |
| 20 | 3.10 |
| 19 | 3.00 |
| 18 | 2.90 |
| 17 | 2.80 |
| 16 | 2.70 |
| 15 | 2.50 |
| 14 | 2.30 |
| 13 | 2.10 |
| 12 | 1.90 |
| 11 | 1.70 |
| 10 | 1.50 |
| 8–9 | 1.20 |
| 1–7 | 1.00 |
The 2024 national average ACT composite score was 19.4, falling in the 3.00–3.10 GPA band on this table.
Why This Calculator Uses Band Lookup: Not a Formula
The ACT tool works differently from a straightforward percentage-based conversion, and that difference matters.
A purely proportional approach would divide the ACT score by 36 and multiply by 4.0, so a 30 would produce a GPA of 3.33. But that arithmetic bears little relationship to what students with a 30 ACT actually earn in academic performance. The band-lookup method used here aligns with published research on the correlation between ACT scores and high school GPA.
ACT’s own 2016 research data is a useful anchor: the average high school GPA among the approximately 187,000 students studied was 3.40, and the average ACT composite score was around 23. The table here shows ACT 23 → 3.40 GPA, an exact match. That is not a coincidence; the bands reflect the same empirical relationship documented by research between composite scores and GPA levels.
A proportional calculation for ACT 23 would give 2.56 (23/36 × 4.0), nearly a full GPA point lower. The band table gives a more practically meaningful result.
Understanding Your ACT Composite Score
The ACT composite is the rounded arithmetic average of four section scores, each measured on a 1–36 scale:
- English: tests usage, mechanics, and rhetorical skills
- Mathematics: tests pre-algebra through trigonometry
- Reading: tests comprehension across fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science passages
- Science: tests the interpretation of data, research summaries, and conflicting viewpoints (does not test scientific facts)
The optional Writing section (scored 2–12) does not affect your composite score. If you took the writing test, your composite score is calculated from only the four core sections.
The enhanced ACT (the current version) uses the same 1–36 scale. ACT’s own guidance confirms that scores from the current version are interchangeable with scores from the legacy format for all practical purposes, including GPA conversion.
What Your ACT Score Means: National Context
The national average composite ACT score for the class of 2024 was 19.4, with about 1.4 million seniors taking the exam. That means a score of 20 places you above the national average, the top 50th percentile.
College expectations vary significantly by institution. A 34 or above is the typical score for admitted students at top-tier universities; the average for admitted students at Harvard is 34. Mid-tier universities often look for scores in the mid-20s. Many regional and open-admission colleges accept students across the full range of qualifications.
ACT’s own college readiness benchmarks set the bar for roughly a 50% chance of earning a B or better in relevant college courses: 18 for English, 22 for Mathematics, 22 for Reading, and 23 for science.
Using the GPA Scale Field: International Students and Other Scales
The GPA scale field defaults to 4.0 but accepts any value. The tool calculates the scaled GPA by taking the base 4.0 result and proportionally scaling it to your target:
A 30 ACT on a 4.0 scale gives 3.80. On a 7.0 scale, the same score gives 6.65. On a 10.0 scale, it gives 9.50.
This is useful for students applying to institutions outside the US that use 5.0, 7.0, or 10.0 GPA scales — the same conversion yields the equivalent result on any scale without requiring manual recalculation.
ACT vs SAT: GPA Conversions Compared
The ACT and SAT measure similar skills through different test designs, and both the College Board and ACT publish approximate score concordances between them. For reference:
| ACT Composite | Approximate SAT Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 36 | 1600 |
| 30 | 1410 |
| 25 | 1200 |
| 20 | 1060 |
| 16 | 870 |
The ACT tool on this page uses correlation-based band lookup. The SAT score-to-GPA calculator uses a proportional formula, with the College Board’s published research ranges shown alongside for comparison. Because the two tools use different methods, they will give slightly different GPA results for scores that are nominal equivalents. This reflects the genuine methodological difference, not an error.
FAQ: ACT Score to GPA Calculator
What GPA is a 30 ACT?
A composite of 30 falls in the 29–31 band, which corresponds to approximately 3.80 GPA on a 4.0 scale. A 30 ACT is equivalent to roughly an SAT 1410 and sits above the 93rd percentile nationally, placing it in the highly competitive range for most universities.
What GPA is a 28 ACT?
A 28 falls in the 27–28 band → approximately 3.70 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students who do not submit ACT scores at Ivy-Plus colleges perform, on average, at a level equivalent to an ACT composite of 28, meaning a 28 is roughly at the threshold where submitting a score begins to help an application at selective institutions actively.
What GPA is a 24 ACT?
A 24 is its own band → approximately 3.50 GPA on a 4.0 scale. A 24 is competitive at many universities and sits close to the mid-range expectation for admission at a broad set of four-year institutions.
What GPA is a 20 ACT?
A 20 → approximately 3.10 GPA on a 4.0 scale. This is just above the 2024 national average of 19.4, making 20 a slightly above-average result nationally. Most four-year colleges will consider a 20 a viable score, especially alongside a strong GPA and application.
What GPA is a 19 ACT?
A 19 → approximately 3.00 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The 2024 national average was 19.4, so a 19 is close to the national median. ACT’s college readiness benchmarks require 18 in English, a 19 composite meets or approaches all four benchmarks, depending on the section breakdown.
What GPA is a 36 ACT?
A perfect 36 → 4.00 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Research from the Ivy-Plus study found that students who scored 36 earned first-year college GPAs 0.43 points higher on average than students who scored 25 (the 75th percentile). Fewer than 0.1% of test takers score a 36.
Should I enter my superscored ACT or my single-sitting composite?
Enter your single-sitting composite, the highest complete composite score from one test date. A superscored composite (where an institution takes your best section results across multiple sittings) will typically be higher than any single-sitting composite, and will produce an inflated GPA result in the calculator. Use your strongest single-sitting composite for the most accurate conversion.
What is the difference between the ACT and SAT GPA conversions?
The ACT tool uses a correlation-based band lookup; the bands reflect the typical high school GPAs of students with those ACT scores, per ACT’s published research. The SAT tool uses a proportional formula. The two methods give different results for equivalent scores. Neither is the single “correct” method; ACT 30 (3.80 on this tool) and its SAT equivalent of roughly 1410 (3.50 on the SAT tool) reflect a methodological difference, not an inconsistency.
Enter your ACT composite above to see the approximate GPA equivalent and how it scales to other systems. For a comparison using your SAT score, the SAT score to GPA calculator uses the College Board’s own research data alongside the proportional result. ACT and GPA are independent measures; no conversion replaces the actual academic record.