Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA: What GPA Do Colleges Look At?

Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA

Out of all your stats in high school, there is one number that carries more weight than the others: your GPA. GPA, or grade point average, is a single number that represents your overall grades and academic performance. Depending on how many AP or honors classes in high school you have taken, your semester GPA may be a weighted vs. unweighted GPA. Understanding the difference between the two can help you attain the best GPA possible.

Some of the weighted vs. unweighted GPA related questions we will cover in this article include:

• What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
• What is a weighted GPA vs. what is an unweighted GPA?
• What is a cumulative GPA, and how is it different from a semester GPA?
• How do colleges review GPA in the admissions process?
• What can I do to improve my GPA in high school?
• What are the benefits of taking AP classes in high school or honors classes in high school? 

Ready to learn more about the differences between a weighted vs. unweighted GPA? Let’s begin.

What is an unweighted GPA?

First of all, what do weights have to do with it, and what is an unweighted GPA? Unweighted GPA refers to your grade point average on a four-point scale regardless of the difficulty of your courses. In short, your unweighted GPA is calculated by averaging your grades in high school. On an unweighted scale, an A represents a 4.0, and an F represents a 0.0. 

What is an unweighted GPA good for compared to a weighted GPA? We can see that it is a straightforward and simple way of looking at a students’ performance. However, it does have its limitations. An unweighted GPA does not reflect the type of courses you are taking or take into account their difficulty.

So GPA is related to grades, but how does it work exactly? What is an unweighted GPA for different letter grades? When looking at how to calculate unweighted GPA, most schools use the traditional four-point scale. There are many online tools for how to calculate unweighted GPA, one of which can be found here. For your convenience, you can also use the following table to help you.

Although this table represents the standard conversion in unweighted GPA, not all high schools use this calculation. But don’t fret. If you attend a school that uses a different system, your admissions officer will be able to interpret your GPA correctly. This chart also does not account for the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, which we will cover later on.

What is a weighted GPA?

What is a weighted GPA better for? Well, comparing weighted vs. unweighted GPA, both use a certain scale to translate a letter grade into a numerical value. However, looking at how to calculate weighted GPA, additional value is given to more challenging courses.

That’s the key to the difference between weighted vs. unweighted GPA. These courses can include honors, AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment depending on the high school you attend. Different schools offer different types of courses, and yours may not have all three. Be sure to look at your school’s course catalog to see what options are available to you.

Let’s see how to calculate weighted GPA. More points are earned for getting the same grade in a more difficult course than in an easier one. Most often, weighted GPA is calculated on a five-point scale rather than a four-point scale. This allows for the additional weight to be given to advanced courses. However, there is no national standard for how to calculate weighted GPA, so the numbers tend to vary from school to school.

If you’re curious about, “What is a weighted GPA scale that is widely used?” we’ve put together a quick reference table below. You can also check out this website for more examples.

Difference Between Weighted and Unweighted GPA

The main difference between weighted and unweighted GPA is that weighted GPA rewards students for taking more difficult classes. Most unweighted GPAs are calculated on a four-point scale, where a 4.0 represents a perfect GPA.

Meanwhile, in a weighted GPA scale, it’s possible to achieve a GPA over 4.0. The difference comes from good grades in honors classes in high school or AP classes in high school. In a traditional weighted GPA scale, a B in an AP or IB class gets a 4.0. An A- in an honors class has the same value as an A in a regular class.

For a side by side comparison of weighted vs. unweighted GPA, see the following table:

As you can see, colleges use both weighted and unweighted GPA when evaluating students for admission. This is because high schools’ uses of weighted vs. unweighted GPA vary drastically: some schools only use one or the other. Therefore, colleges and universities must be prepared to use both when making admissions decisions.

Some colleges even convert high school GPA (weighted or unweighted) to their own scale to ensure fair evaluation of all students. College admissions officers know how each of the high schools in their region calculates GPA. They can look at each student in the context of his or her academic environment.

Regardless of how your grades in high school are calculated, know they aren’t the alpha and omega of college applications. You can bet that colleges will be looking at more than just the number next to your GPA. Course rigor, test scores, activities, and much more are all considered as part of the admissions process.

Of course, you should absolutely still keep track of your GPA and strive to make it as high as you can. However, you should also fill your schedule with classes you’re actually excited to take. 

How do you calculate your GPA?

Most students will see their current GPA at the end of each academic quarter when they are given their report cards. These reports usually include letter grades along with the GPA calculation based on the scale the school uses. Students can also see their semester GPA and their cumulative GPA, which represents their performance across all of high school.

The semester GPA and the cumulative GPA are typically calculated using the same scale. The main difference is that a semester GPA is calculated based on performance only in that one semester of school. What is a cumulative GPA? Unlike the semester GPA, it takes into account multiple years of classes. This makes cumulative GPA the most useful for college admissions and therefore the one used by colleges and universities. 

Students can calculate their own weighted vs. unweighted GPA at any time. They just need their letter grade in each of the classes that count toward their GPA. Students should first decide whether they need to know how to calculate weighted GPA or how to calculate unweighted GPA. For unweighted, first match each letter grade to its unweighted numerical value as in the table below:

Then, add up all the GPA points together. In this example, the total value is 18.0. After that, for how to calculate unweighted GPA, you must divide the total number by the number of classes. In this case, that’s 5. This gives you a total unweighted GPA of 3.6. 

What is a weighted GPA for this student?

You can follow a similar process for how to calculate weighted GPA. However, the starting values should come from the weighted GPA table and should include any boosts received from taking more difficult courses. Notice how the values for AP Biology and Honors U.S. History in the table below are higher than in the unweighted example.

Then follow the same process as before: adding the numbers for all the grades and divide by the number of classes taken. In this case 19.5/5 = 3.9, which is higher than the unweighted GPA of 3.6 for the same classes. This represents the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA: the higher number rewards good performance in difficult classes.

Do colleges look at weighted or unweighted GPA?

When it comes to college admissions, there is no appreciable difference between weighted and unweighted GPA. Each student and each school are considered individually, so comparing your GPA to others’ isn’t the best way to see how you stack up. In fact, most colleges convert each student’s weighted vs. unweighted GPA to their own scale to put applicants on equal footing. Since every high school grades differently, colleges do not inherently prefer weighted vs. unweighted GPA because some schools only report one.

Even if your high school only calculates unweighted GPA, colleges are looking for rigorous classes in your schedule. Let’s say your good grades in high school are only coming from standard courses. They won’t look as good as slightly lower grades in dual enrollment or AP classes in high school. Even the easiest AP classes are generally harder than their standard counterparts. If you want to be a competitive applicant, you should look at adding these challenging courses to your schedule. 

If your school doesn’t offer the easiest AP classes, don’t worry! There are other ways to add rigor to your course schedule, regardless of the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA. Your school may offer honors classes, IB courses, or dual credit with local community colleges instead of AP classes. College admissions officers are fully aware of the offerings at each of the high schools in their region. They don’t expect every student to have the same options to choose from. The key is choosing the rigorous courses available to you and earning strong grades for your semester GPA in those classes!  

How do colleges compare GPAs?

When looking at prospective applicants, colleges know that each high school calculates weighted vs. unweighted GPA differently. Because of the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, colleges cannot directly compare GPAs of applicants from different schools. How can colleges create a standard for comparison?

Admissions officers must rely heavily on something called a school profile, which is submitted by your school counselor. This document places a student’s weighted vs. unweighted GPA in context by providing information about how the school calculates student GPAs. Here’s how the process typically works.

An admissions officer consults the school profile, taking note of course offerings and whether the school uses weighted vs. unweighted GPA. Then they look at the student’s transcript, checking their weighted or unweighted GPA, depending on what the school profile indicated. They examine the courses on the students transcript, comparing them against the overall offerings of the high school. The key question on the table is: did the student take the most rigorous courses their school offered, and how’d they do?

After examining the entire transcript, admissions officers may recalculate the student’s GPA to compare the student to other applicants more fairly. Some colleges only look at the GPA for core academic subjects. Others convert the raw data to their own scale to get more consistency across the incoming class.

At the end of the day, your GPA is just one data point among many that colleges use to evaluate applicants. Not all 4.0 GPAs are created equal, and not every student with straight As will be looked at the same way. The best thing you can do as an applicant is try to earn good grades in challenging courses your school has available.

Is it better to have a high unweighted GPA or a high weighted GPA?

By now, we know the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA stems from course rigor. Students may wonder if it is worth it to take harder classes if the resulting grade will lower their unweighted GPA. After all, what is an unweighted GPA but a reflection of only the letter grades, not the difficulty of the course?

The key is achieving balance between taking difficult classes and still earning high grades. Colleges do value rigor; therefore, a lower grade in an AP class can still benefit you, even if it lowers your unweighted GPA. However, taking too many challenging courses and struggling in them will lower your unweighted GPA too much.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

The first student has achieved a solid balance of grades and rigor. There is a difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, but it’s not too high. We can see that the student took some challenging courses and still did very well.

The second student has a significant difference between weighted and unweighted GPA. That indicates that they took lots of difficult courses, but struggled to earn strong grades to justify the extra challenge.

The third student has no difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, which indicates that they took only standard classes. Colleges will look at this student and wonder if they challenged themselves enough to prepare for the difficulty of college-level courses. 

The best advice for high school students is to choose rigorous classes that they can succeed in. Don’t take every single AP class available just to raise your GPA. After all, the AP classes you will enjoy are likely to be the easiest AP classes for you. You’ll be motivated to learn the material and more likely to retain it. Also, in challenging courses, don’t just learn the course content: cultivate study skills to perform well on assessments and other tests.

How to Improve Your GPA

There are many ways that students can improve their weighted vs. unweighted GPA. Some of the most effective ways include devoting more time to study skills. Developing systems for learning and retaining information that work for you can improve your performance and raise your GPA. This will involve some trial and error as you experiment with different methods until you find the best ones for you.

Talking to your teachers is another good way to improve your GPA. They can help you figure out how best to prepare for upcoming tests or exams. Your teachers can also explain what is a weighted GPA and help you understand how you can improve in their classes. They may even have advice on future classes to take based on your interests and academic goals. Remember that your teachers want to help you succeed and will be your best resource for improving weighted vs. unweighted GPA.

Should I worry about my GPA in high school?

In short, yes. You should be conscious of your weighted vs. unweighted GPA in high school. It is  a major factor not only for college admissions but for scholarships as well. Many schools offer merit-based financial aid based on GPA. The higher your weighted vs. unweighted GPA, the better your chances of acceptance and earning a scholarship.

It is important to remember, however, that colleges are only seeing your final transcript, not a detailed overview of every single assignment. So don’t panic because you earned a D or F on an assignment or two. The only problem is when this becomes a pattern and starts to affect your overall weighted vs. unweighted GPA. If you notice your grades starting to slip, talk to your teacher about how you can improve. If you need more support, consider seeking out extra help like tutoring or extra credit assignments. 

Since GPA is a cumulative statistic, it can be difficult to turn around a low GPA after a few semesters. That’s why it is vital to address any problems quickly. Earning all As is not a requirement for college admissions. Don’t forget the importance of rigor alongside the numerical value of your weighted vs. unweighted GPA. For a more detailed outlook on how to prepare for college that covers GPA and much more, see this article.

GPA and College Admissions: FAQs

Here are a few of the most asked questions about weighted vs. unweighted GPA:

What is a good GPA?

There is no single benchmark for a good GPA. A number that gets you into a less selective school may not be enough for an Ivy League school. You should use online tools to look at the average GPA students at your ideal schools have. When doing so, make sure you check to see if they are using weighted vs. unweighted GPA. It may be different from what your school uses.

What is the highest GPA you can get?

GPA scales are not standardized and are different across weighted vs. unweighted GPA. Most unweighted GPA scales are capped at a 4.0 and most weighted GPA scales are capped at 5.0. With that said, those are not national standards and may vary by school.

Does Common App ask for weighted or unweighted GPA?

The Common App asks students to report their GPA, what scale their school uses, and whether it’s a weighted vs. unweighted GPA. It doesn’t matter whether the student reports a weighted vs. unweighted GPA as long as the student provides all relevant information. Both metrics are considered equally in the admissions process.

What if my high school doesn’t use weighted GPAs?

Whether your high school uses weighted vs. unweighted GPA does not matter in terms of college admissions. Colleges will recalculate your GPA and consider your application in context regardless of whether your school uses weighted vs unweighted GPA.

Do Ivy League schools prefer weighted GPAs?

Ivy League schools do not have an inherent preference for weighted vs. unweighted GPA. Instead, they want to see a balance of good grades with strong rigor in a student’s academic schedule. Rigorous courses can be AP, IB, Honors or Dual Enrollment — whatever is available to you.

Should I take an easier class to protect my GPA?

Taking an easier class simply to protect your GPA isn’t a good way to approach structuring your schedule. Instead, focus on taking challenging courses in subjects you enjoy. Rather than avoiding challenges, space them out to avoid overloading your schedule and burning out. Remember that you want to be a well-rounded student, not one with just a high GPA. 

Weighted vs Unweighted GPA- Takeaways

There are many different ways to calculate a weighted vs. unweighted GPA despite the difference being rather simple. It can be overwhelming to parse the differences between weighted vs. unweighted, 4.0 vs 5.0 scale, and so on. However, you must understand that colleges look at GPA in the context of other factors such as schedule rigor and course availability. Once you get that, it becomes easier to navigate.

Whether your school uses weighted vs. unweighted GPA, your goal should be the same. That is, you should strive to take the most challenging courses possible and earn the best possible grades in those courses. In selecting courses, try to prioritize subjects and topics that interest you or prepare you for your future goals.

Finally, if you notice a downturn in your weighted vs. unweighted GPA, don’t wait until the end of the year to address it! Talk to your teachers about getting help and explore different study skills to improve your grades. Colleges don’t just want to see a high number next to the GPA section on your transcript. They want to know that you are equipped to handle the challenges of an advanced degree.

Wherever you are in the application process, CollegeAdvisor.com can help you craft strong applications. Our expert advisors can help you choose the right classes for you, improve your GPA, and strengthen your overall admission profile.

This article was written by Alex Baggott-Rowe. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.