Hey guys, I just heard someone talking about having a 4.4 unweighted GPA. I'm a bit confused, I thought unweighted GPAs only go up to 4.0? Can someone clarify this for me?
You're correct in your understanding that unweighted GPAs typically max out at 4.0. An unweighted GPA scale ranges from 0.0 to 4.0, with 4.0 representing an A or A+ in every class. There is a possibility that the person you heard talking about a 4.4 GPA was referring to their weighted GPA, not their unweighted GPA.
Weighted GPAs take into account the difficulty of the courses taken, such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, by assigning a higher point value to the A's earned in those classes. For example, a school might award 5.0 points for an A in an honors or AP course, while still awarding the standard 4.0 points for an A in a regular-level course. This would lead to overall GPAs higher than 4.0, which is why you might have heard the 4.4 figure.
It's essential that students check their schools' specific GPA scale, as the weighting policies can vary significantly between schools, and some institutions may even have their own unique scales. Nonetheless, an unweighted GPA will always max out at 4.0, as it does not factor in the difficulty of the courses taken.
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