How do colleges calculate your GPA?

Hey, I know GPA is an important factor for college admissions, but I'm not sure how colleges actually calculate it. Can anyone explain the process to me? Thanks in advance!

Sure! Colleges generally look at your GPA as a measure of your academic performance throughout high school. However, every high school may calculate GPA differently, so colleges often recalculate your GPA using their own methodology to ensure a consistent comparison among applicants.

Here's a basic outline of the process many colleges use to calculate your GPA:

1. Unweighted GPA: Colleges may create an unweighted GPA on a standard 4.0 scale. In this case, A (90-100%) is 4.0, B (80-89%) is 3.0, C (70-79%) is 2.0, and so on. They'll average your numerical grades from core academic courses (e.g., English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and sometimes world languages) together to arrive at your unweighted GPA.

2. Weighted GPA: Colleges may also calculate a weighted GPA to account for the rigor of the classes you've taken. This typically involves adding extra points for honors, AP, or IB courses. For example, an A in an honors class might be worth 4.5, and an A in an AP or IB class might be worth 5.0. However, the specific weight assigned to these courses can vary among colleges.

3. Cumulative GPA: They'll compute your cumulative GPA by adding up all your yearly GPAs and then dividing by the number of years you've attended high school. Typically, this is from 9th grade to 11th, as your full senior year grades wouldn't have been available when you apply to college.

4. Core Class Performance: Some colleges also focus on your performance in core subject areas (such as English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and world languages) and may calculate a separate GPA using only these courses.

Note that colleges may treat GPAs differently depending on factors like the institution's specific grading scale, admissions policies (e.g., test-optional), program requirements, and the difficulty level of your high school. To get an accurate understanding of how a particular college calculates GPAs, it's best to check with the institution directly or ask your school counselor for guidance.

Remember that your GPA is just one component of your academic profile. Colleges also consider factors like course rigor, course selection, and extracurricular achievements to evaluate your overall academic prowess.