Weighted vs Unweighted GPA in College Applications

Hey, a bit of a panicky junior here faced with the whole college application process. I've seen my school calculate both a weighted and unweighted GPA. So, which one do colleges look at? The weighted GPA, the unweighted GPA, or both?

In general, colleges look at both your weighted and unweighted GPA, but the emphasis placed on each might differ based on the specific college.

Unweighted GPAs are useful for colleges to get a baseline understanding of your academic performance without the added influence of course rigor. It's a way to see your academic accomplishment in a standard 4.0 scale, where A equals 4.0, regardless of whether it's from AP Calculus or regular Geometry.

Weighted GPAs, on the other hand, take into account the rigor of the courses you've taken (AP, IB, Honors, etc.), awarding higher points for higher level courses. This can be a way for colleges to gauge your willingness to challenge yourself acadically and your ability to handle tougher coursework.

Some schools may opt to re-calculate your GPA based on their own system, potentially stripping away the "weight" from advanced courses or using their own weighting system. Overall, it's crucial to maintain high performance in whichever classes you take, whether they're advanced or not.

To make yourself as competitive as possible, demonstrate strong performance in rigorous classes. A higher unweighted GPA in basic classes won't hold as much weight as a slightly lower GPA in advanced courses. The reason for this is that colleges are ultimately interested in students who go above and beyond academically, and weighted GPAs are better indicators of this trait.