C+ GPA
A C+ letter grade equals a 2.3 GPA on the standard 4.0 scale and a percentage of 77–79%. It is above a straight C but sits 0.7 points below the national average of 3.0.
GPA Scale — Letter Grade Conversions
| Letter Grade | Percentage | 4.0 GPA Scale |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97-100% | 4.0 |
| A | 93-96% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89% | 3.3 |
| B | 83-86% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-82% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79% | 2.3 ← You Are Here |
| C | 73-76% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69% | 1.3 |
| D | 65-66% | 1.0 |
| F | Below 65% | 0.0 |
What Is a C+ Grade?
A C+ is the seventh letter grade in the U.S. grading system, sitting between a B− (2.7) and a straight C (2.0). It represents a score of 77–79% and earns 2.3 grade points on the standard 4.0 scale. A C+ is below the national average of 3.0 by a significant margin — 0.7 points — which means it falls short of most graduate program minimums, most scholarship thresholds, and the GPA floors many employers use in competitive recruiting. Despite this, a C+ is a passing grade and one that can be improved meaningfully within a single semester of focused effort, especially early in a student’s academic career.
Is a C+ a Good Grade?
A C+ is not a strong grade, but it is not failing either. It is average-to-below-average — above a C but well below the national average of 3.0 that most programs use as their baseline. For students whose goal is simply to pass and stay enrolled, a C+ accomplishes that. For students with goals that involve graduate school, competitive scholarships, or selective employment, a C+ signals that significant improvement is needed. The realistic perspective: a C+ is a starting point, not a ceiling, and the path from 2.3 to 3.0 is achievable over one to two semesters for most students who address the root cause of the grade.
C+ Grade for High School Students
In high school, a C+ average produces a GPA around 2.3 — below the 3.0 national average and below the minimum most competitive colleges expect. Most four-year universities list 2.5 as their minimum for admission, so a 2.3 falls below even that baseline. Students in high school with a C+ average still have realistic college options through community college and open-enrollment universities, which do not impose GPA minimums. The strategic move for a high school student with a C+ average is to identify exactly which classes are dragging the GPA down and address those first — even two or three improved grades per semester can meaningfully shift a cumulative 2.3 upward.
C+ Grade for College Students
In college, a C+ average (2.3 GPA) keeps you above the 2.0 academic probation threshold but falls short of the 3.0 minimum required by most graduate programs and many scholarship programs. It is also below the GPA screens many competitive employers use for entry-level recruiting. A student with a consistent C+ average in college should treat it as an urgent signal: not a crisis, but a clear indication that study habits, course selection, or something else needs to change before the GPA becomes harder to raise as more credits accumulate at the lower average.
What Is a 77, 78, or 79 in Letter Grade?
All three — 77%, 78%, and 79% — fall within the C+ range on the standard U.S. grading scale, which covers 77–79%. Each earns 2.3 grade points on the 4.0 GPA scale. A 76% drops to a straight C (2.0 points), and an 80% rises to a B− (2.7 points). The boundary at 80% is particularly meaningful: crossing it is worth 0.4 GPA points per course, one of the largest single-point gains available anywhere on the grading scale.
Frequently Asked Questions — C+ Grade
A C+ earns 2.3 grade points on the standard 4.0 GPA scale. A student with all C+ grades in equal-credit courses will have a cumulative GPA of 2.3. This is 0.7 points below the national average of 3.0 and below the 3.0 minimum that most graduate programs and scholarship programs require. For a formal reference on how C+ is defined within institutional grading policies, this letter grade designations guide is helpful.
A C+ corresponds to a percentage of 77–79%. A 77% is the lowest score that earns a C+, and 79% is the highest before the grade becomes a B− (80%). A 76% falls into the straight C range (2.0 points), making the jump from 76% to 77% worth 0.3 GPA points per course.
Yes — a 77% is a C+ on the standard U.S. grading scale, which places C+ at 77–79%. A 76% drops into the straight C range (73–76%) and earns 2.0 grade points instead of 2.3. The 76% to 77% boundary is worth 0.3 GPA points per course, making it a meaningful threshold for students hovering near the C/C+ line.
Yes — a C+ is a passing grade in all standard U.S. academic contexts. It earns credit for the course and keeps your GPA above the 2.0 academic probation threshold at most institutions. However, some programs — particularly nursing, education, and engineering majors — require a minimum grade of C or higher in specific prerequisite courses. Always check your program’s specific grade requirements if a minimum grade matters for progression.
A C+ earns 2.3 grade points and a B− earns 2.7 grade points — a difference of 0.4 points per course. This gap is larger than the difference between most adjacent letter grades on the scale. In practice, a student at 79% (C+) who improves just one percentage point to 80% (B−) gains 0.4 GPA points for that course — making the C+/B− boundary one of the most impactful single-point improvements available anywhere on the grading scale.