Weighted or Unweighted GPA?
How do colleges calculate GPA in the admissions process? Some students take courses that “weigh” more than others, which can boost their GPA and their class rank. But how do colleges treat these different weights when they read your application?
Most colleges will consider both your weighted and unweighted GPA, and most high schools will report both to the colleges to which you are applying.
Colleges want the weighted GPA to reflect your class rank, as well as the relative rigor of your high school course load. But they will not use this weighted GPA in comparing you with other applicants.
Most colleges will use the unweighted GPA as the best reflection of your high school performance. As they say, “an A is an A.” A B in an Advanced Placement course does not mean that you somehow really got an A in that course…you still did B work, according to your teacher. So while the weighted GPA will reflect the relative rigor of your high school coursework, the unweighted GPA reflects your actual performance in those courses.
So don’t be lulled into complacency when you get a “B” on that AP history test by telling yourself that B work equals an A in a less rigorous course. The fact is that colleges will pay closer attention to your unweighted GPA than to an average that is artificially inflated.
Furthermore, many colleges today are “stripping” GPAs of any fluff courses, such as gym, art, music, business, or other courses not considered to be sufficiently academic in nature. Padding your GPA, therefore, is not really possible by getting a straight-A average in chapel or woodworking or glee club. Colleges want to know how well you do in your academic core subjects: English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language.
Bottom line: your GPA matters.
PS: You might want to look at my post on how to calculate your “real” GPA.
Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting
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About the Author
Mark Montgomery
As a former professor, administrator, and high school teacher, Mark has the knowledge and skills to counsel students as they make the transition from high school to college.
242 Responses to “Weighted or Unweighted GPA?”
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Joe,
It depends on the college and your prospective major. If you are aiming for computer science at MIT, you should take the math. If you are considering Chinese literature at Yale, then it won’t make any difference. And if you do better in chemistry, generally, than on the math, that’s fine.
The only caveat to this is if you are a native Mandarin speaker. Getting that 800 is great. But it won’t mean as much as an 800 on that chemistry exam.
Hope that helps.
I’m freaking out right now I’m taking 4 honors classes, one AP class, and two on-level classes. I’m never fallen below an average of 3.54 unweighted. But, as of right now and what you’re saying I have a 2.71 unweighted. I have no “fluff” classes this semester. My school only does semester grades which is the total of both quarter grades and your final combined. Do you think that a 2.71 and a 3.54 together as an average will look good to a college?
Hi, Katy.
It’s good that you are pushing yourself. You need not “freak out” about whether or not you will be accepted to college. You will be. What’s important is to select the colleges that will value you for who you are. For some schools, and unweighted 2.71 just won’t be enough to get in (all other factors being equal). For others, it will be great. Some state colleges will not really look too closely at your unweighted GPA, and will focus on the weighted GPA. What’s important is for you to understand that AP European History is not considered to be as academically rigorous as gym. So while you may be getting great grades in gym, you shouldn’t be complacent that that A is making up for a D in some academic course. Keep focusing on doing the best you can, and everything will work out.
If you need help identifying great colleges that will be happy to welcome you–and that will fit you well–let me know. Visit my contact page at http://greatcollegeadvice.com/contact
I’m a junior, and I have had a 4.0 unweighted until this semester, when i got a B in pre calculus, dropping my GPA to 3.97. I live in Wisconsin, and understand that WI is the 3rd best education state in the country. With that, will colleges still value my 3.97 as high as a 4.0 from another state? I’m enrolled in 4 AP classes, all in which I have A’s, I play two varsity sports, have 75 service hours, in 5 school clubs, and am in student government. What are my chances of really getting into an Ivy league school?
Hi, Zach.
Thanks for visiting my site. My first comment: take a deep breath. It’s all going to be fine.
Second comment: remember that “Ivy League” is a football conference, not an indication of quality. Each of the Ivies is extremely different (example: Brown has no curriculum requirements, Columbia has a very strong, prescriptive core curriculum).
Third, you will not be compared to other kids in your state. Rather, you will be more usefully compared with other kids at your school. If 35 kids from your school apply to (say) Yale, I can guarantee that not all 35 of you will get in–no matter how brilliant you all are.
Finally, the fact that WI has the “3rd best” educational system (according to whom and by what measure?) will have no bearing on your application whatsoever. Let’s assume that Mississippi has one of the worst educational systems in the country. Yet Yale would like to have a few kids from Mississippi so that they can say that each of the 50 states is represented. Would that necessarily mean that the kid from Mississippi is somehow less talented, less intelligent, less worthy of getting into Yale than someone from the “3rd best state”? Nope. Your judged by your talents, not by the state you live in.
I hope that’s helpful. Remember to keep learning cool stuff and enjoying the things you do.
im a senior in high school and i really would love to go to MIT. im currently a member of the varsity football team and a member of the chess club my GPA unweighted is a 3.55 and weighted a 3.898 i have a total sat score of a 2170 with a perfect score on the math portion. I know mit doesnt usually accept students with such low gpas and i did get a “B” in one of my math classes sophmore year but ive never actually taken an algebra 2 course in either middle school or high school and i do have two years of calculus. My lowest grade on my transcript is a C+ in honors world studies my freshman year. I know how hard MIT is to get in so i am on track to graduate with 6 years of math all honors and AP classes and also 5 years of science classes which are all labs, 3 of them being AP, 1 Honors, and 1 High challenge class which is what the offered freshman year instead of honors biology. I know my GPA is low but will my high SAT scores and 11 yearsof math and science give me a realistic chance of getting accepted.
ps i only have 3 years of history becuase of all the math and science courses i enrolled in.
sorry i meant im a junior.
Hello Avery,
Thank you for your question on MIT. It is difficult for us to determine a student’s likelihood of being admitted to any school without seeing a full transcript. A school like MIT will take into consideration your grades, the challenge of your curriculum as well as how you are doing compared to the rest of your classmates (which is usually indicated by your rank). They will also look at your standardized test scores, essays, recommendations, and extracurricular activities. Good luck!
Katherine
Educational Consultant
heres my sat scores
Math 800
Reading 680
Writing 690
Class Rank 18/789 (weighted class rank)
heres what my transcript looks like
freshman year (1st sem, 2nd sem grades)
Honors English I B, B
Honors Civics B
Honors World Studies I C+
Hon Geo. trig. A,A
biology B+, B
Phys ed A+
health A+
business computer tech B+. A
Sophmore Year
HAM (honors advanced Math) B, A
Hon Chem B+, A+
World studies II A,A
English II A+, A+
intro to bus nd mkt A+, A+
Span 2 B, A
Computer Science I A
Phys ed A+
Junior year (so far)
calc A+
Ap Stat A+
Honors English III (Cyber) A
AP Chem A+
Ap Computer Science A+
Chinese I A+
US history A+
oh and as far as my activities go i’ve been involved in my schools chess club since sophomore year and i was a part of our varsity football team as a kicker and a punter.
Hello Avery,
Thank you for providing detailed information on your background, however we generally are not able to give students a definite yes or no on whether or not they will be admitted to a certain school. If we are working with a student and have the opportunity to get to know their full profile, we are able to better determine if a school is a reach or a safety for a student. Here is some information on MIT’s class of 2013: http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml. You can use it to compare it to your own profile. Also, I highly recommend you contact MIT for an interview. Here is more information on their interview process: http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/interviews_educational_counselors_ecs/index.shtml.
Best of luck!
Katherine
Hey Mark,
I’m applying to colleges next year and my high school will only let us apply to 10 schools. How many schools do you think I should apply to in each of the reach, target and safety school categories? I was thinking 4 reaches, 4 targets, and 2 safeties. Does that sound right?
Thanks!
Bob
Hi, Bob.
Here’s my take: don’t focus on the ratio of reach/target/safety. Focus on fit. Don’t just apply to “reach” schools because they are reaches, but because the fit you well. Columbia and Brown are both Ivy, for example, but are very, very different in every respect. Similarly, why would you need two safeties, when only one is really needed? You want the safety to be a good fit, not just one where you are “guaranteed” to be accepted. I have some students who apply to 10 schools. Then I have some very savvy, very bright, very focused students who apply to three–without much regard to reach/target/safety. These thoughtful students pare down the list to those schools that really fit them well. These students are guaranteed, therefore, to get into one of their “top” schools because each of the three is a top pick, irrespective of the admissions statistics.
Hope that helps, Bob. Good luck!
Hi,
I am a Junior now. I came to the U.S during my second semester of my freshman year… Since this is a new country and is completely different, i struggled at first but i soon began manage. I took an AP world History class my sophomore year and took 2 honors classes… This year, I am taking 1 AP class 2 honors classes and i also got into ASB : Student leadership… Since I have so many things going and I am still quite brand new, i couldnt handle my grades properly for the first semester… I got 2 Ds (which i am going to make it up during the summer) 2 Bs and 2 As and 1 A+. Due to the D’s my GPA had dropped way down from 3.8 – 3.1
I am just freaking out now! Will i not get into good colleges like chapman? 
Abi,
Stop freaking out. Everything is going to be fine. You just need to tell the story of your immigration to the US, and incorporate that experience into an essay. Then, on the application, where there is a space for you to “say anything else you want to say,” make sure to write a short, succinct paragraph explaining that your bad grades your first semester are a reflection of the transition you made, not on your academic abilities. College admissions officers will believe you, especially if that information is corroborated in your teacher recommendations. Go learn stuff, keep doing all your fun extracurriculars, and relax. It’s all going to work out for you.
Thanks for writing in!
Heya,
I am currently a junior in high school, and I’m stressing out about both college admissions and scholarships. Essentially, I’m worried about test scores vs GPA… My PSAT score was in the 97th percentile, and my ACT and SAT scores are estimated to be very high (at least a 33 on the ACT, more than likely higher), yet I have a really low GPA. (By the time I graduate, not above a 3.3 unweighted / 4.4 weighted.) What types of universities and scholarships should I be looking into? I am involved in school, I work, and I have a lot of service hours.
In addition, I am currently being tested for ADD. If confirmed, how will this affect my chances? [Please answer this seperately, as of yet nothing is confirmed.]
Oh, to add to my last comment, my school is #1 in the state, does not rank, and I’ve taken all APs and Honors… On my AP tests, I’ve gotten 5s so far. (AP World, Psych, Photo, Language & Compostion; taking Bio, Calc, Comparative Gov, and Latin next year.)
Thanks in Advance
Hello, Allie,
Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you’re doing the right things: taking hard courses, getting good scores, and working hard in school. Your GPA may or may not be a limiting factor: it all depends on what the transcript looks like, and I’d have to do a bit of digging around in that document to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are.
I’m sorry but I can’t really tell you much about which schools and scholarships you should seek, because that sort of advice would require that I not only review the transcript in detail, but I’d have to get to know you better. This is the sort of individualized counseling that I provide my clients. My colleagues and I would be delighted to chat with you more about your plans, and tell you and your family about the services we offer students like you. And as an aside, we do work with a fair number of students with ADHD or other learning differences. So no matter what happens, we’ll be able to help you find the schools that fit you best!
Sorry I can’t be more immediately helpful, but I do hope you’ll give me a call!
Hey, I have a 3.45 unweighted GPA, 4.2 weighted. It is skewed because freshman year I did really terrible, with straigt C’s first semester but have been working hard on bringing it up since. 2100 on my SATs, and 4-5 classes taken at college level outside of school. I am a prospective IB candidate but my GPA worries me. What are my chances for schools like UCLA, USC, UChicago, UCSD, Wake Forest, UVA, UNC, U Michigan, and UF (instate)?
Dear Kiran,
Thanks for the question. While I cannot really assess your “chances” at the various universities you list, I can say the following:
1. Trends are very important. If you were “temporarily insane” your freshman year, but have since restored your mental attitude, then your turn about will be rewarded. The rigor of your curriculum is very, very important, and you seem to have nailed that criterion.
2. Your list contains a lot of state schools that are out of state. If you want a large, state school, your best value is to stay in your home state and pay lower tuition.
3. Many, many other factors besides simply the GPA and test scores go into the admissions decision, including your ability to pay full price. Thus state schools where state budgets are a mess may actually be more likely to accept you: they want your money.
Hope these things are helpful. Essentially, as long as you pick a school that is an excellent match in every way, you should be just fine. Let me know if I can help you find those perfect matches.
Hi there, I’m a freshman in Illinois and I took 3 honors classes both semesters. I took honors English honors chemistry and honors geometry. I also took Spanish 2 ancient medieval history and orchestra. I think I really screwed up my first 2 semesters of highschool, getting a b in history and b’s and c’s in my honors classes. I finished with a 3.7 first semester and a 3.9 second semester getting a c in honors chemistry. I plan on majoring in bio in college. Can you please tell me if I screwed up badly? Do I still have a chance in making a northwestern, university of Chicago, wash u or kace western? Thanks for your help.
By the way, my highschool has eliminated class rank.
Dear Greg,
As I have written elsewhere, an A is an A and a B is a B, no matter what the course in which you earn them. However, it’s good that you have pushed yourself to take a more rigorous curriculum–colleges will like that better than the alternative of taking easy classes to boost your GPA. Would it have been better for you to earn more As and fewer Cs? Of course!
With regard to your chances at the universities you list, I can’t really say other than to point you toward statistics you already know. I would need to understand much more about you as an applicant before I could pass any sort of judgment.
I will, however, make an observation that may make you wince: your question to me is full of grammatical and spelling errors. Of course, I admit that I have made similar errors of this type on my own blog from time to time. But I never make quite so many errors in a single paragraph. I would advise you to give your messages a second read before sending the “post” button. It’s not so important here on my blog. But if I were an admissions officer at Case Western, and you were to ask a similar question, I would probably have determined that your English skills were not up to snuff. That initial impression alone could be enough for an admissions officer to push the “reject” button.
Hope this is helpful, Greg (though perhaps not everything you wished to hear!). Let me know if you need help identifying good colleges that will be pleased with your academic record. I’d be happy to try to help.
Thank you Mr. Montgomery. This really helped, especially the grammar crticism you had posted! Thanks for that. What colleges do you think would accept those grades in those classes? Also, if I get straight A’s till the end of highschool, would i have a chance of getting in a Northwestern, UChicago, Case Western, etc.? Thanks.
Hi, again, Greg.
Glad you found my last response helpful. I’m not sure I can give you the specificity you want, except to say that getting straight As from here on out will certainly help you, no matter where you apply. I really cannot give you much of a prognostication on your personal chances of admission to the schools you list based solely on your GPA. There are so many other factors that go into this frustratingly opaque admissions process. I’d really need to interview you, and get a sense of the entire “package” that you will present to admissions offices. I’d also need to know more about your goals and preferences–because colleges are looking for “fit” just as much as individual students are (or should be).
I encourage you to do things. First, follow through on your commitment to improve your grades. Second, make sure as you are looking at colleges that you are both realistic about your chances and that you focus on the right “fit”.
I can’t do much to help you with the first. But if you need help with the second, give me a shout and I’ll explain what services I can offer to eager, interested students like you.
All the best!
I was homeschooled the first two years of high school. In my junior year I started attending an online high school. They accepted about 16 of my homeschool credits yet marked them as a pass fail. I was a stellar student yet all that work is down the drain because my letter grades aren’t represented.
Now I’ve been taking tough AP classes, and a lot of languages in preparation for my majors. However my school won’t calculate my weighted gpa which again puts all my work down the drain. I’m getting really stressed out and scared I won’t be able to get into SUNY Binghamton. I’m working really hard my senior year and taking more Ap courses yet i’m getting discouraged because I feel my school is misrepresenting me.
What can I do??
Hello there. My name is Ryan and i am just wondering what colleges I can make with these scores:
act: 34
unweighted culmative gpa: 3.85
weighted culmative gpa: 4.4
I also did Spanish honors society and did traveling soccer freshman sophmore and junior year and did highschool soccer freshman and junior year. I also did science Olympiad and did band all 4 years.
Thanks.
Sorry for unweighted culmative gpa I mean a 3.95.
Hello Ryan,
To answer your question, there are hundreds of colleges out there that may fit your profile. One of the hardest parts of the college admissions process is narrowing down your choices. We work closely with students and their families to create the college list. This list will include schools that meet both your qualifications and interests. If you are interested in learning more about our services, please let us know!
Sincerely,
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
Hello,
I would call SUNY Binghamton and ask them what their policy is for home schooled students. They may want to see a more detailed transcript (such as the transcript you submitted to your current on-line high school). Also ask how they review transcripts. Do they simply look at the calculated GPA? What do they do if a student does not have a calculated GPA? Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask these questions. Hopefully you can get some answers that will alleviate your anxiety!
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
Good stuff… There are many employers who weigh HEAVILY on GPA…. I doees matter, take care Brian http://www.johnstonsearch.com
I’ve had A’s every year, but this year I received a “C+” in honors chemistry. I’m in all honors and AP classes, but I’ve yet to take the SATs, or SAT subject tests. I also have many extra-cirriculars: I’m treasurer on student council, a girl scout, etc. Though I don’t plan on majoring in chemistry would the “C” seriously effect my chances of getting into an ivy-level school?
(I’ll be a junior in the fall.)
Thanks
Hello,
I need help! Please. I am worrying if I’m still qualified to be accepted into a UC (especially my dream school UCI, I live a few miles from there) with the grades I have:
9TH GRADE (1st semester)
College Career Plan [A]
French 1 [C]
English 1-2 honors [B]
Algebra I [A]
P.E [A]
Biology honors [A]
(2nd semester)
Geography [A]
French 1 [B]
English 1-2 honors [A]
Algebra I [A]
P.E [A]
Biology honors [B]
10TH GRADE (1st semester)
Student government [A]
French 2 [A]
English 3-4 [A]
Geometry [A]
P.E[A]
Chemistry honors [B]
AP Euro [B]
(2nd semester)
Student government [A]
French 2 [B]
English 3-4 [A]
Geometry [A]
P.E[A]
Chemistry honors [B]
AP Euro [B]
* An A- or A+ in our school is still an A regardless of what percentage.
Class ranking:
Overall weight: 60/632
College weighted: 37/632
College unweighted: 39/632
My GPA doesn’t seem to be high enough to compete with all the other students who will be applying this upcoming year. Does that eliminate my chances of being accepted into a UC because of my grades? To take note of, my school makes all students take College Career Planning (first semester) and World Geography (second semester).
Lastly, my councilor has been telling me to take a third year of French, but to be honest, it’s just impossible. I can’t stand another year of being taught by the same teacher and struggling to keep up with everyone else.
I took two years because my councilor refused to let me drop it three months into the class when I transferred in from another high school. So instead, I’m taking Spanish (for summer school) , junior year, and senior year to have the required three years of foreign language. Would it look bad on my transcript for dropping French instead of taking it all three years?
Thank you.
Hello Emily,
Thank you for your question. As you probably know, it is very competitive to get admitted to an ivy league school. They will look at your grades, the challenge of your curriculum, your class rank, standardized testing scores, essays, recommendations and extracurricular activities. Every year they seem to admit the “best of the best” in all of the above stated categories. One of the best things you can do in your college application process is create a well-rounded list that may include some ivies, but should also include some non-ivies. There are great schools out there that have incredible academic programs (some would even say that they are even better than what the ivies offer). We can help you create a list that will help you meet your academic aspirations. Let us know if you would like more information on the services we offer!
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
I was wondering if Georgia Southern would accept a score of 20 (composite) on ACT?
p.s. my GPA is 3.786 unweighted after just my freshmen and sophomore years.
Hi, Bethany.
You might very well be accepted, but we are not in the business of prognosticating without a full view of all of your attributes. Have you talked to anyone directly at Georgia Southern? Also, many states publish very clear guidelines for how they accept students. You might want to hunt around for one. These are very helpful for in-state admission. but if you do not live in Georgia, the standards for admission will likely be higher than for in-state students.
Hope this helps.
Mark
Hi, Jenny,
It would seem that your HS counselor will be able to give you a good idea of your acceptability to UCI, based on your school’s previous track record. UC requirements are pretty clear. As for the question about foreign language, the usual routine is that you are required to take 3 years of the same language. If you decide to drop the French, well, that’s fine. But know that most decisions have some sort of consequence. I don’t have enough information to be able to tell you whether the consequence would be dire. Again, your counselor seems to be giving your solid advice. If you decide you cannot take it, well, that’s cool.
Best of luck to you!
Hi, Brian,
You’re right that some recruiters do look at GPA–as students leave college. And graduate schools look at GPA, of course, to decide whom to admit and whom to reject. But GPA means less and less the further away from college we travel. What matters most is what you can do, how you can contribute to a company. A polished 4.0 will not necessarily get you a job at McKinsey or PriceWaterhouseCoopers. There are other important factors, too.
Thanks for writing in!