Your Unweighted GPA and How Colleges Read Transcripts

students sitting in a classroom

Students and parents ask all the time about how colleges value weighted and unweighted GPAs. For example, what might be a good GPA for College of the Holy Cross?
Well, the admissions office there has an answer!

The admissions office at College of the Holy Cross shared its in-house analysis form with the New York Times, allowing a peak into how carefully colleges look at your transcript.
The form can be found here.  It’s interactive, and quite helpful to see exactly how admissions officers evaluate things.

Notice that they look not only at the GPA but at the curriculum you are taking. How rigorous is it?
Also notice that the admissions offices do keep track of your contact with them, including whether you visited, attended a college fair, or spent the night.
As you can see, your curriculum, your GPA, and your class rank are all very important.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant in Denver