Hey all! I've been looking into CU Boulder, and I'm a bit confused about their GPA scale. Can anyone familiar with it help me understand how it works? I'm trying to calculate my GPA according to their system and want to make sure I'm doing it right.
Sure, I'd be glad to help! The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) uses a 4.0 GPA scale, similar to many other universities.
In their system, an "A" grade holds a value of 4.0, a "B" is equal to 3.0, a "C" is 2.0, a "D" is worth 1.0, and an "F" is 0.0. Plus (+) and minus (-) grades are also counted. So an "A-" is 3.67, a "B+" is 3.33, a "B-" is 2.67, and so on.
To calculate your GPA, you would step through each class you've taken, assign each grade its respective points (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc), including decimal points for + or - grades, then divide by the total number of classes. You might also adjust this calculation to account for classes where you earned more credits.
For example, if you've taken four classes, earned an "A" in one, a "B+" in two, and a "C+" in one, then your calculation would be [(4.0) + (3.33) + (3.33) + (2.33)] / 4 = 3.25.
Do note that some high school classes like Advanced Placement (AP) courses are often weighted differently, typically adding a point value of 1.0 to the respective grade value, but CU Boulder recalculates GPAs with unweighted scales in their admissions process.
This should give you a good estimate, though the exact details might fluctuate a bit based on specific classes and details of your school's grading policy. Since you're applying, you'll want to provide your unweighted GPA on your application, and CU Boulder's admissions officers will recalculate it according to their system.
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