Grades are often considered the single most important factor in college admissions decisions. But how do colleges compare students who come from such different high schools? You probably know your grade point average (GPA); it’s usually printed on your transcript. But what will that number mean to colleges? And what does it mean for a GPA to be weighted or unweighted?
While there are many ways to calculate a GPA, there are two major camps that are crucial to understand in the college admissions process. One is an unweighted GPA, which calculates your overall average grade out of 4.0, without regard to the difficulty of your coursework. The other is a weighted GPA, which reflects both grades and course levels.
So, which is more important? When evaluating a high school student’s academic performance, college admissions committees read weighted and unweighted GPAs differently. Read on to learn more about GPA weighting and how colleges evaluate your GPAs in the context of applications.
How Weighted and Unweighted GPAs Work: An In-Depth Explanation
As a high school student, your GPA is one of the most important factors colleges consider when reviewing your application. But not all GPAs are calculated equally. The difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs is that weighted GPAs factor in the difficulty level of the courses you take, while unweighted GPAs do not. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about weighted vs. unweighted GPAs and how they impact your academic profile.
What is GPA?
GPA, or grade point average, is a number that represents the average of all your grades from high school or college. It’s calculated by assigning points to each letter grade, then taking the average.
The standard GPA scale is
- A = 4.0
- B = 3.0
- C = 2.0
- D = 1.0
- F = 0
So if you got two A’s and two B’s in a semester, your GPA would be:
(4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 3.0) / 4 classes = 3.5 GPA
Pretty simple and straightforward, right? Here’s where weighted GPAs come in to shake things up
What is Weighted GPA?
Weighted GPA operates on the same basic principle as unweighted, but it assigns extra points for honors, AP, and IB courses to account for their increased difficulty.
Here’s an example of a 5.0 weighted GPA scale:
- AP/IB Courses:
- A = 5.0
- B = 4.0
- C = 3.0
- D = 2.0
- F = 0
- Honors Courses:
- A = 4.5
- B = 3.5
- C = 2.5
- D = 1.5
- F = 0
- Standard Courses:
- Same as unweighted – A=4.0, B=3.0, etc.
So if you got an A in AP Biology, and B’s in honors English, standard history, and standard math, your weighted GPA would be:
(5.0 + 3.5 + 3.0 + 3.0) / 4 = 3.875
Much higher than the 3.5 this schedule would produce unweighted! The more honors and AP classes you take, the higher your weighted GPA will climb.
Unweighted vs. Weighted GPA
Now that you understand the basics of each, let’s directly compare unweighted and weighted GPAs:
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Unweighted: Uses a standard 4.0 scale for all classes. Does not account for difficulty.
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Weighted: Uses extra points (often a 5.0 scale) for advanced classes like AP and honors. Rewards challenging coursework.
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Unweighted Pros: Simple and familiar to understand. Allows direct GPA comparisons regardless of school or courseload.
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Unweighted Cons: Does not demonstrate advanced coursework rigor on your transcript.
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Weighted Pros: Better rewards academic ambition through bonus points. Reflects course difficulty.
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Weighted Cons: Scales vary between schools, so weighted GPAs are not always directly comparable. May encourage overload of advanced classes.
As you can see, both unweighted and weighted GPAs have their merits. In general, a weighted GPA will present you in the best possible academic light to colleges. But an unweighted 4.0 is also an impressive accomplishment.
How Weighted GPAs Are Calculated
Not all high schools weight GPAs or use the same scales. Here are some of the most common weighted GPA systems:
5.0 Scale
The basic weighted scale adds a full extra point for AP and IB classes. So:
- AP/IB classes: A = 5.0, B = 4.0, etc.
- Honors classes: A = 4.5, B = 3.5, etc.
- Standard classes: Same as unweighted
6.0 Scale
A 6.0 scale takes things even further, with AP classes worth 6.0 for an A, honors worth 5.0, etc. This allows students to earn higher than a 5.0 overall.
100+ Scale
Some high schools use a 100+ grading scale instead of GPA. On this scale, AP and honors courses get 5-10 extra points tacked onto the standard grade percentages. So you could end up with over a 100% in a class!
Variable Scales
Many schools customize their weighted scales with different bonuses for different course levels. For example, AP classes may get a full extra point while honors get only a half-point.
The Impact of Weighted GPAs
Weighted GPAs were designed to reward students for challenging themselves academically. Taking honors and advanced classes shows colleges you’re motivated and able to handle college-level material.
In fact, weighted GPA is often a requirement for admission to top-tier schools. Ivy League colleges expect applicants to have taken 10-16 honors, AP or IB courses with a correspondingly high weighted GPA.
However, don’t overload on advanced classes just for the GPA boost. Colleges want to see you’ve been challenged but also engaged in meaningful extracurricular activities. Find an academics-life balance that works for you.
At the end of the day, GPA is just one factor in your application. Standardized test scores, essays, recommendations and extracurriculars also play a major role in admissions decisions. Work on presenting the strongest application possible across all areas.
Weighted vs. Unweighted: Key Takeaways
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Unweighted GPA offers a simple 4.0 scoring for all classes.
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Weighted GPA incorporates extra points for honors, AP and IB courses.
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Weighted GPA better reflects academic rigor but may encourage class overloading.
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Strong weighted GPA is key for admission to highly selective colleges.
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Admissions officers evaluate GPA in combination with other factors like test scores, essays and activities.
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Focus on taking challenging courses aligned with your interests and handling them well.
What is an Unweighted GPA in High School?
An unweighted GPA is simple to calculate. Each final course grade that you receive (from F to A) corresponds to a grade point out of 4.0, as shown in the table below:
| Letter Grade | Percent Grade | Grade Point |
| A+ | 97-100 | 4.0 |
| A | 93-96 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87-89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83-86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77-79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73-76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67-69 | 1.3 |
| D | 65-66 | 1.0 |
| E/F | Below 65 | 0.0 |
Note first that an unweighted GPA cannot average to more than 4.0, which means that there is no mathematical difference between an A and an A+ in unweighted GPAs. Furthermore, not all schools offer the A+, so colleges treat it as identical to an A in unweighted GPAs. Similarly, most colleges consider anything below a D to be a failing grade, so if your school does offer the D- grade, know that it will probably be the same as an F.
Second, notice that an unweighted GPA does not take into account the level of the class. Under this system, an A- in honors or Advanced Placement (AP) course is the same 3.7 as an A- in a lower level class. This erasure is a frequent source of criticism toward the unweighted GPA, and the reasons that many high schools use a weighted GPA instead. Students and parents want their GPAs to reflect the difficulty of their course load in addition to their grades. However, colleges do not just look at your unweighted GPA. College admissions committees calculate the rigor of your classes and even if they do care about your unweighted GPA, colleges will also always take the rigor of your classes into consideration.
In other words, for college admissions, you need the highest unweighted GPA and the highest level of rigor (take the most honors and AP classes that you can).
What is a Good Unweighted GPA?
A high school transcript that contains an even mix of As and A-s will produce a GPA of 3.85, exactly halfway between the 3.7/A- and the 4.0/A. More As than A-s will come out to a GPA of 3.9 and above, which is generally considered a very high GPA. Having above a 3.9 unweighted GPA is generally the GPA Ivy League schools are looking for. Please keep in mind that this must include taking the highest level of classes available at your school along with an impressive resume. More A-s than As will result in a GPA near or below 3.8, which will help students get into highly-ranked schools, but not those near the top of the rankings.
A transcript with a mix of A-s and B+s will produce a grade point average in the range of 3.5, which is an important cutoff for many colleges. In general, admissions officers want to see more As than Bs, so having an unweighted GPA of above 3.5 can make a big difference. A GPA below 3.5 indicates to colleges that you have more Bs than As, and anything below 3.2 suggests that you may have some Cs in the mix, too, which will be a red flag for many schools.
That said, even if your high school uses an unweighted GPA, colleges absolutely pay attention to how many honors and AP classes you are taking. Thus, even if your GPA is lower than a peer who is taking all regular classes, you will still be the more competitive applicant if you’re taking more honors and AP classes. The key is balance: take challenging courses, but don’t ruin your GPA by taking classes that are too challenging for you. No number of challenging classes can make up for a poor unweighted GPA. It is crucial to find the right balance of honors and AP classes that is right for you!
Weighted vs Unweighted GPA
What is an unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 4.0. It doesn’t take the difficulty of a student’s coursework into account. An unweighted GPA represents an A as a 4.0 whether it was earned in an honors class, AP class, or lower-level class. Weighted GPA is often used by high schools to better represent students’ academic accomplishments.
What is a weighted GPA?
Weighted GPA takes into account course difficulty rather than providing the same letter grade to GPA conversion for every student. Usually, weighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 5.0, although some scales go higher. An A in an AP class may translate into a 5.0 weighted GPA, while an A in a regular-level class would give you a 4.0 weighted GPA.
Is there a difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs?
Sure, I’d be happy to clarify the difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs for you. An unweighted GPA is calculated on a scale of 4.0 and only considers standard-level courses, meaning that all A’s, regardless of the course level, result in a 4.0 unweighted GPA.
How do I calculate my unweighted GPA?
To determine your unweighted GPA, you must do the following calculations: 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 3.0 = 18 Unweighted GPA = 18/5 = 3.6 However, when calculating a weighted GPA, you must consider the different academic levels of the courses.
