0
4 years ago
Admissions Advice

Do colleges look at weighted or unweighted GPA?
Answered

I have a ~3.6 GPA, but if you count the 3 AP classes I've taken, it goes up to a 3.714. Which number do colleges look at, or does it vary depending on the school?

weighted
unweighted
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Accepted Answer
4 years ago

I looked at some resources and apparently, colleges typically look more at the unweighted GPA because schools sometimes have different policies regarding their weighted GPA calculation process. Therefore, the weighted GPA is inconsistent in the admission office's eyes. However, it's different for each school. And I don't mean to come off as rude or condescending, but from what I've seen in my district and other people online, it looks like your unweighted GPA is better anyway, since 3.714 out of 5 for your weighted GPA seems a bit on the lower end. But in the end, don't worry too much about your GPA. Instead, try to select your classes based on how much of a challenge you want. Some people want to take higher-level classes because it "looks better," but others might take lighter classes because they value their unweighted GPA more. It's really up to you. Secondly, colleges want to see a progression in grade, so, even though I don't which grade you are in right now, if you feel like your GPA is going to hurt your applications, you should work to start the upward trend of your high school grades. Thirdly, grades are not everything in an application, and if you worry that your grades aren't really up to the "standards" of the colleges you want to attend, direct your efforts to extracurriculars and things that you are really passionate about. That way, you can still stand out by not only showing that your life is more than just school grades, but that you also have the drive to make the world a better place.

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Duke University
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UCLA
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Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

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