Differences between weighted and unweighted GPAs

I'm unsure about the difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs. How do they affect my college applications? Does one carry more weight (pun intended) with admissions officers, or are they both equally considered?

Weighted and unweighted GPAs are two approaches to measuring a student's academic performance. Both types of GPAs can be considered in college admissions, but they serve slightly different purposes.

An unweighted GPA is calculated on a traditional grade scale where all A's, regardless of whether they're earned in regular, honors, or AP classes, are equal to 4.0. The highest GPA a student can achieve in this case is 4.0, as long as they've earned all A's in their classes.

Contrarily, a weighted GPA takes into account grade points earned in honors, AP or IB courses. These are considered more rigorous, so an A earned in these classes might translate to a 5.0 on the GPA scale. As such, the highest GPA a student can achieve on a weighted scale is usually a 5.0, assuming they've taken all honors and/or AP courses and earned all A's. This effectively rewards students for challenging themselves with more demanding coursework.

Colleges can use either type of GPA in assessing applications, but it's worth noting that each institution may handle GPA calculations differently. Some might re-calculate your GPA based on their own criteria such as considering only academic subjects or adjusting the weight of honors, AP, and IB courses.

There is not a clear-cut answer to whether one type of GPA is given more importance over another in the admissions process. It largely depends on the specific policies of the institutions to which you're applying. Some colleges place an emphasis on the weighted GPA, recognizing the intellectual commitment involved in tackling challenging courses. At other schools, the unweighted GPA might be the primary focus, as it allows for a more direct comparison of academic performance across applicants.

An overarching principle in college admissions is that colleges prefer to see that students have challenged themselves with rigorous coursework relative to what is available at their school, which is reflected in the weighted GPA. However, excelling in those rigorous courses, reflected in both the unweighted and weighted GPA, is crucial. Therefore, a strong performance in both GPAs tends to reflect well on an applicant. To maximize your application strength, strive to maintain high grades while also challenging yourself with advanced coursework when it fits your academic trajectory.