Letter grades or percentages: Which do colleges consider?

In my high school, we get both letter grades and percentages on our transcripts. I'm curious about which one colleges pay more attention to. Do they generally look at the letter grades or the percentages when evaluating academic achievements?

In general, colleges tend to consider both letter grades and percentages when evaluating your academic achievements. However, it's important to note that they often focus more on your overall academic performance, taking into account factors such as course rigor, grade trends, and class rank.

In many cases, colleges will convert your letter grades to a GPA, which is a standard way of representing your academic performance on a 4.0 or 5.0 scale. Percentages can also be helpful in this conversion process, as they provide a more granular understanding of your performance in each class. Additionally, colleges might recalculate your GPA based on their own criteria, such as including only core courses or using a standard conversion scale for all applicants.

Keep in mind, admissions officers are well-versed in understanding various grading systems, so there's no need to worry about whether they'll be able to accurately assess your academic achievements. Instead, focus on maintaining strong performance in your coursework, taking challenging classes, and showcasing your abilities through extracurricular activities and achievements.