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The GPA Scale
The Grade Point Average, commonly referred to simply as the GPA, is a numerical average that gives a summary of a student’s academic performance in all of their courses at a given school. In the United States, a standardized GPA system is typically used to track undergraduate progress in institutions of higher learning. However, some high schools have different GPA scales that determine whether students fail a program or if they are successful at it. Despite these differences, most college candidates need to know their academic standing.
During the freshman admission process, colleges and universities will consider numerous factors before accepting a college application for enrollment. In addition to extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, and college essays, admission officers look at your grade point average scores according to the official high school transcript. High schools or secondary schools and colleges typically use different grading scales. Therefore, as a student, your main goal is to focus on maintaining a high number on the GPA scale, regardless of the scale adopted by your school. How do you do this? By participating actively in class activities, taking tutorials, and acing your classes.
Why Should You Understand How GPA Scaling Works?
High school seniors must understand that the sum of their academic achievements is measured on a grade point average scale. Secondary schools generally make it evident that the culmination of the results of all your classes plays a huge role in getting admitted to a good college. However, these schools seldom explain the importance of these digits. How do schools calculate GPA scores, and how significant are they during college admissions?
Luckily, Empowerly experts are here to give you a comprehensive overview of how GPA scaling works—and the average GPA grades that colleges and universities look for in a candidate.
Most of the time, your high school GPA scores can be obtained through a report card, your school’s transcript, or conversing with your guidance counselors. Generally, the higher the number, the better your academic standing. Different high schools adopt different GPA scaling methods, and it is important to understand how to convert these scores to a 4.0 grading scale. But first, let us discuss the types of GPA scales used by schools.
Types of GPA Scales
There are two types of GPA scales, and they are 1) Weighted and 2) Unweighted. The two scales serve the same purpose, which is to provide an accurate representation of a student’s performance in their classes. However, they go about separate ways to represent performance based on course difficulty.
In general, universities and colleges prefer a holistic overview of students’ academic performance. Therefore, an admission officer searches for good academic achievements for both unweighted and weighted GPAs. Nevertheless, let’s discuss the differences for your information.
Unweighted Scales
Traditionally, an unweighted GPA is calculated in a range, from 0.0 to 4.0. This system considers the student’s grade from letters A to D and matches it with the corresponding number on the scale. An “A” grade is given a 4.0, and the values go down by to a “D” average at 1.0 (any lower is considered an “F” for failing).
An unweighted GPA scale, however, does not consider the difficulty of the coursework in the final grading system. It directly represents a high school senior’s grades in compulsory courses and extras throughout their high school years without giving additional points to the challenging courses.
Weighted Scales
Weighted scales, on the other hand, represent a student’s ability to excel with additional and more advanced coursework. This scale gives more points to grades obtained from Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes. In other words, it does not just give a 4.0 grade to distinctions earned in these classes. Instead, it considers the levels of coursework as well. Consistently, weighted scales assign 5.0 and 4.5 for distinctions in honors and AP classes, respectively. Because more points are given to challenging courses, weighted GPA scales tend to exceed the 4.0 scale.
How to Convert Your GPA to a 4.0 Scale
Most colleges and universities in the United States adopt the four-point or the 4.0 grading scale. As a standard metric, it is used to evaluate student’s academic strength and excellence under pressure.
There are many factors to consider if you want to manually calculate your GPA on a 4.0 scale. You need to understand that honors and AP classes have higher points than traditional high school courses. An “A” in an honors course is 4.5 points on a weighted scale, while an “A” in an AP course is 5.0. We have provided a table for reference to help to complete your 4.0 GPA conversion.
Here is the 4.0 GPA equivalent for regular high school courses.
To complete your weighted grading calculations, you should add a half point to your Honors classes and an entire point to AP classes. Since these courses are more challenging, you are awarded extra points for completing them. If you get a “B” in an honors class, instead of a 3.0 grade, you get a 3.5. In the same vein, If you get a “B-” in an AP class, you are awarded a 3.7 instead of a 2.7.
Get Your GPA On a 4.0 Scale
There is quite a bit of calculation required to acquire your grade point average. Using the 4.0-grade scaling described above, you will need to multiply grade points for each earned score with each course’s unit (the course’s level of difficulty). When you are done multiplying all your courses with their units, you will have to add all the values together to get a total sum of your grades. Once you have this value, for the final step, you have to divide the total sum by the total number of credits your courses are worth.
That is the formula for how to manually calculate your GPA grade on a 4.0-grade scale. This approach works for both weighted and unweighted GPAs. It can be exhausting to manually compute your GPA, especially if you have completed quite a number of courses in high school. Fortunately, there are college 4.0 calculators available online, which you can use to speed up the process.
Average Weighted GPA Considered By Top Schools
Here is a table displaying the average Weighted GPA of Students accepted at some of the top universities in the country.
While creating your college applications, you have to check out the average weighted GPA score that your preferred institutions accept. Suppose your weighted score does not fall in the required range. In that case, you have to complement your grades with a high standardized test score, a powerfully written essay, evidence of extracurricular participation, and leadership skills. Taking extra honors and AP classes will make you stand out among your peers. Also, providing a quality internship experience is a proven way to boost the strength of your college applications.
The institutions see candidates with extensive work experience as dedicated individuals who are career oriented and take their education seriously. On the surface level, sending as many college applications as possible may sound like a good idea. However, Empowerly experts have determined the magic numberof colleges you should select.
As we described earlier, two students can have the same unweighted grade on the 4.0 grading scale but a different weighted grade. The levels of your classes can make a huge difference in your weighted GPA. Colleges may care more about weighted GPA scores, but that does not mean that they just check the numbers and approve students for admission. They will look at all available information about your coursework to get an idea of your academic strengths. The factors that they consider are the level of difficulty of classes you take in high school.
A transcript lists all your grades and subjects, including challenging classes in your coursework. Colleges are more interested in accepting applications from students that challenge themselves by opting for rigorous classes. Even if your GPA is not a perfect 4.0, your application has a better chance of getting selected than a student that follows the easy route and has a perfect GPA. To stand out entirely during the admission process, you should attempt to add honors and advanced placement classes to your coursework and make sure to excel in them. Although it is extra work, the benefits you will gain are worth it. Maintaining a high-weighted and unweighted grade on the 5.0 and 4.0 grading scales is just a part of the requirements to get into a good college.
You should also explore articles from Empowerly experts that will give you tips to prepare for an Ivy League college interview, in this case, an Harvard University interview.
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FAQs
How to Convert Your GPA to a 4.0 Scale? ›
A 4.0 represents an A or A+, with each full grade being a full point lower: 3.0=B, 2.0=C, and 1.0=D. Pluses are an additional one-third of a point, while minuses are the subtraction of one-third of a point. For example, an A- is a 3.7, and a B+ is a 3.3. An A+, however, is the same value as an A: 4.0.
How do I convert my GPA to a 4.0 scale? ›Converting your GPA is a simple process. Start by finding out your GPA Scale. If you don't know your GPA Scale, check with your guidance counselor. Then divide your GPA by that number and multiply the result by four (4).
What is a 7.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale? ›| 10 Point CGPA | Equivalent 4 Point GPA | USA Grade Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 7.4 | 3.17 | A |
| 7.3 | 3.14 | A |
| 7.2 | 3.10 | A |
| 7.1 | 3.07 | A |
| 4.0 Scale | 4.3 Scale | 100 Points Scale |
|---|---|---|
| 3.97 ~ 4.0 | 4.26 ~ 4.3 | 100 |
| 3.92 ~ 3.96 | 4.22 ~ 4.25 | 99 |
| 3.88 ~ 3.91 | 4.17 ~ 4.21 | 98 |
| 3.84 ~ 3.87 | 4.12 ~ 4.16 | 97 |
103% of 4.0 is 4.12. So 4.12 is your GPA.
Is a GPA of 2.70 good? ›A 2.7 GPA indicates that you are a below-average student since it generally equates to a B- grade.
Is 3.43 A Good GPA? ›A 3.4 is comfortably above the national average GPA for high school graduates and is considered competitive at most colleges and universities. It also approaches the 3.5 GPA that more selective schools use as an unofficial benchmark.
What is a 99.9 GPA? ›Common examples of grade conversion are: A+ (97–100), A (93–96), A- (90–92), B+ (87–89), B (83–86), B- (80–82), C+ (77–79), C (73–76), C- (70–72), D+ (67–69), D (65–66), D- (below 65).
Is a 3.36 GPA good? ›A 3.3 GPA is a strong GPA, falling within the range of the top 25-30% of students. But it may not guarantee admission to highly selective colleges.
Is a GPA of 3.58 good? ›Anything above a 2.0 indicates good academic progress. But, a grade point average of 3.5 and above is good in college. 3.5 GPA students normally qualify for the dean's list and honors programs. The average GPA in four-year undergraduate courses in U.S. colleges is 3.15.
What GPA does Harvard require? ›
The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.
Is a 4.2 GPA good enough for Harvard? ›Last year, the reported average GPA of an admitted high school student at Harvard was a 4.04 out of 4.0, what we call a “weighted” GPA. However, unweighted GPAs are not very useful, because high schools weight GPAs differently. In truth, you need close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA to get into Harvard.
What GPA scale does Harvard use? ›| A | = | 4.00 (Excellent) |
|---|---|---|
| A- | = | 3.70 |
| B+ | = | 3.30 (Good) |
| B | = | 3.00 |
| B- | = | 2.70 (Satisfactory) |
To calculate your GPA, divide the total number of grade points earned by the total number of letter graded units undertaken.
What is the highest possible GPA on a 4.0 scale? ›Most colleges and school report GPA on a 4.0 scale. The unweighted GPA scale is the most frequently used GPA scale. Basically, the highest GPA you can earn is a 4.0, which indicates an A average in all of your classes. A 3.0 would mean a B average, a 2.0 a C average, a 1.0 a D, and a 0.0 an F.
What grade is a 3.750 GPA? ›| A | 90 - 100 | Grade Points: 4 |
|---|---|---|
| A- | 85 - 89 | Grade Points: 3.75 |
| B+ | 80 - 84 | Grade Points: 3.50 |
| B | 75 - 79 | Grade Points: 3 |
| B- | 70 - 74 | Grade Points: 2.75 |
The average high school GPA is around 3.0, or a B average. This also happens to be the minimum requirement for many college scholarships, though a 3.5 or higher is generally preferable.
What is the highest GPA possible? ›The unweighted scale is most common, and the highest possible GPA on this scale is a 4.0. The unweighted scale doesn't take the difficulty of a student's classes into account. Weighted scales are also used at many high schools. Typically, they go up to a 5.0.
Is 2.8 GPA good in university? ›A 2.8 GPA is just below the national average. Most colleges and universities look for a GPA of at least 3.0 on your application.
Is a 2.79 GPA good in college? ›The national average GPA is 3.0 which means a 2.7 is below average, and so you may have to work harder to catch up.
How rare is a 3.5 GPA in college? ›
A 3.5 GPA is equal to a 90% average. Many employers and graduate programs use a 3.5 GPA as the benchmark. However, outside of the top 10 graduate schools, the average GPA for law, medical, and business graduate school are as much as 0.74 below 3.5.
Is a 3.5 GPA good enough for Ivy League? ›However, for college applicants, the average GPA is more likely between 3.5 and 4.0. If you're aiming for a top university such as one in the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, or others of the same caliber, a 4.0 GPA — or close to it — is expected.
Is a 1.000 GPA good? ›Is a 1.0 GPA Good? Considering the US national average GPA is a 3.0, a 1.0 is far below average. Generally, a 1.0 is considered a dismal GPA. Raising a 1.0 GPA to an acceptable number is extremely difficult, but possible with diligence and determination.
How is a 10.03 GPA possible? ›For example, one student actually managed to get a 10.03 GPA score. He did this by taking 17 advanced classes at his school, which awarded him many points. The most common scale is from 0 to 4. This is also known as an unweighted scale, and it provides a more general scoring system with no numbers in between.
Can I raise my GPA from 3.3 to 3.5 in one semester? ›If you have a 3.0 GPA and 15 credit hours, by earning straight A's during your next (15 credit) semester, you can bump your GPA to a 3.5. However, if you have already earned 60 credit hours and have a 3.0 GPA a straight-A semester will only bump your GPA to a 3.2.
Is a GPA of 5.0 good? ›Admission to the most prestigious schools is typically limited to students who rank in the top 5% of their class and have high GPAs. Therefore, this article is about one of the highest scores, 5.0 GPA. It is an outstanding score a handful of students can achieve.
Is 3.7 A bad GPA in college? ›A 3.7 GPA stands for a Grade Point Average of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale. It indicates that you've earned a predominantly A- average in your courses. A 3.7 GPA is considered to be a very good GPA and is often an indicator of strong academic performance.
Is 3.75 GPA enough for Harvard? ›Harvard does not have a minimum GPA requirement. However, Harvard is highly competitive, so it may be challenging to get in with a 3.7 GPA. The average GPA for entering Harvard students is 3.9.
Can I get into Harvard with a 3.5 GPA? ›A 3.5 GPA will be highly competitive, and admission can be reasonably expected at many colleges. Still, it's not the most competitive at places like Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, which, on average, accept students with GPAs exceeding 4.0.
What is the highest GPA in college? ›What is the highest GPA you can get? A 4.0 GPA is the highest possible score a student can get. This score means that a student received A grades in all of his or her classes.
What is the lowest GPA Harvard has accepted? ›
You should also have a 4.18 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Harvard, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application.
What is the lowest GPA accepted to Yale? ›Visiting campus or attending an information session can be an excellent way to learn more about Yale, but it will not affect your chances of admission. What is the minimum GPA required for admission? We do not set a minimum GPA, nor do we attempt to re-weight GPA's to any standard other than what a school provides.
What's the lowest GPA someone got into Harvard with? ›1. What's the lowest GPA Harvard accepted? Answer- Harvard requires a 4.18 to get in. However, they may accept some with a 4.0 as well.
What is the lowest GPA for Ivy League? ›Any lower than 3.5, however, you'll have to either have an impressive, relevant achievement or pray for a miracle to get an offer. Therefore, it is best to aspire for the maximum 4.0 to play it safe. But as long as you have at least a 3.7 GPA, you can still get a serious chance at consideration for an offer.
What is the lowest GPA to get into the Ivy League? ›For most of the Ivy League schools, they expect as close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA as possible. However, the actual unweighted GPAs of students admitted could vary, with many around the 3.5-4.0 range. GPA alone will not make or break a student's application — but it can play a pretty influential role.
Does Harvard accept 4.7 GPA? ›(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. With a GPA of 4.18, Harvard requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants.
Can you get into Harvard with a B+? ›Does Harvard Accept B Students? Yes, just like I mentioned above, it's completely possible to get admitted into Harvard University with B grades.
Is a 93 an A or a minus Harvard? ›The professor revealed to us after grades were finalized that the grading scale he was using was 94+ for A, 92-93 for A-, 90-91 for B+, etc. with rounding and whatever. Nothing about the scale was even mentioned in the syllabus or in lecture, and I know because I didn't skip any lectures.
What is a failing grade at Harvard College? ›Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory Undergraduate Studies
Grades of C- or higher, as well as the grades of PA and SAT, are passing and satisfactory grades. Grades of D+ through D- are passing but unsatisfactory grades. Grades of E, ABS (Absent), FL (Fail), UNS (Unsatisfactory), and EXL (Excluded) are failing grades.
The average high school GPA in the US is 3.0, which also accounts for roughly 35% of students who don't end up applying for college. However, for college applicants, the average GPA is more likely between 3.5 and 4.0.
Do colleges look at weighted GPA? ›
Colleges will look at either weighted or unweighted GPAs in your application. They do tend to prefer weighted, because it gives more information about the difficulty of your classes, but don't worry if your school uses an unweighted scale.
What's considered an A+? ›A+ (90% and above): Outstanding work that demonstrates independent thought and critical reflection and has an excellent research question as well as systematic and persuasive answers to this question.
Will an A ruin my 4.0 GPA? ›Typically, weighted GPAs will go up to 5.0 instead of 4.0. Honors and AP classes will usually assign a 5.0 instead of a 4.0 to an A or A+ letter grade. This means that you could earn an A- and still achieve a 4.0 GPA on a weighted scale if you earn an A or A+ in a class that is weighted more heavily.
Has anyone gotten a 5.0 GPA? ›Typically, high schools that employ weighted GPAs use a 0–5 scale, with 5.0 being the best score available. Although a GPA above 5.0 is uncommon, schools occasionally design their point systems so that students enrolled in difficult courses might accrue extra points.
Can you get a 6.0 GPA? ›Not All GPAs are Created Equal
There is wide variability in the scale used to calculate GPA. GPAs can be based on a 4.0, 5.0 or 6.0 scale. Also, there are different weights applied to grades used in calculating a GPA. Some schools give plus/minus grades and some do not.
A 3.6 GPA correlates to an A- average, indicative of an academic record consisting of good grades in all subjects.
Is a 3.6 GPA good for med school? ›"However...they don't need to have a 4.0.” While perfect grades are not required for medical school admission, premeds "would want to be in the mid-3.0 range and higher to feel relatively competitive," Grabowski says.
Is 1.7 GPA bad? ›Let's take a look. A 1.7 GPA is equivalent to 70-72% or C- letter grade. The national average GPA is 3.0 which means a 1.7 GPA is definitely below average and will not look good on a report card.
What is a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale? ›A 3.5 GPA, or Grade Point Average, is equivalent to a B+ letter grade on a 4.0 GPA scale, and a percentage grade of 87–89.
Is a 3.7 GPA good on a 4.0 scale? ›Overall, it's an impressive GPA and a 92% percentile grade. On a 4.0 scale, a 3.7 GPA is impressive! A 3.7 GPA on an unweighted scale will place you in good standing at many colleges.
What is the formula for calculating GPA? ›
To calculate the GPA, the unit value for each course in which a student receives one of the above grades is multiplied by the number of grade points for that grade. The sum of these products is then divided by the sum of the units. The cumulative GPA is the sum of the grade points divided by the sum of the units.
What does a 4.0 GPA scale look like? ›The 4.0 GPA Scale
A 4.0 represents an A or A+, with each full grade being a full point lower: 3.0=B, 2.0=C, and 1.0=D. Pluses are an additional one-third of a point, while minuses are the subtraction of one-third of a point. For example, an A- is a 3.7, and a B+ is a 3.3. An A+, however, is the same value as an A: 4.0.
A 3.2 GPA is a grade point average that falls between a B and a B- on the 4.0 grading scale commonly used in the United States. It represents a moderately good academic performance, indicating that the student has maintained above-average grades but may have some room for improvement.
Is 3.3 a good GPA in university? ›A 3.3 GPA is a strong GPA, falling within the range of the top 25-30% of students. But it may not guarantee admission to highly selective colleges. Admissions committees consider many factors when making their decisions, including GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and essays.
What's the highest GPA ever? ›Normally, you would expect the highest score to be the 'perfect' 4.0 score, however, there are several things that a student can do to receive an even higher score. For example, one student actually managed to get a 10.03 GPA score. He did this by taking 17 advanced classes at his school, which awarded him many points.
What GPA is required for Harvard? ›The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.
Can I get into Yale with a 3.7 GPA? ›You should also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Yale, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application.
How much is a B+ worth GPA? ›A– = 3.7 points. B+ = 3.3 points. B = 3.0 points.
How do you calculate your GPA for dummies? ›Your grade point average (GPA) is the sum of all your course grades throughout your high school career divided by the total number of credits. Most high schools (and colleges) report grades on a 4.0 scale. The top grade, an A, equals a 4.0.
What is a 97% in GPA? ›A+ GPA. An A+ letter grade is equivalent to a 4.0 GPA, or Grade Point Average, on a 4.0 GPA scale, and a percentage grade of 97–100.
Can you get into Harvard with a 4.0 GPA? ›
Last year, the reported average GPA of an admitted high school student at Harvard was a 4.04 out of 4.0, what we call a “weighted” GPA. However, unweighted GPAs are not very useful, because high schools weight GPAs differently. In truth, you need close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA to get into Harvard.