How Important Is GPA for College Admissions?
Two students, one number
Two juniors at different high schools both have a 3.8 GPA. One has taken the standard course in every subject. The other has taken five advanced classes, and her grades have risen every year, from a rocky start in 9th grade.
Their parents compare notes and conclude that the two students are in the same position. To an admissions reader, they are not. The number is identical, and the transcripts behind it tell two very different stories.
How much grades count
In a NACAC survey of four-year colleges, 77% rated grades in college-prep courses as considerably important in admission. That is more than any other factor. Next came the strength of the student's curriculum, at 64%. Essays came in at 19%, and extracurricular activities at 6.5%.
The first two factors are both about the transcript. One is the grades, the other is the courses those grades were earned in. Colleges look at them together.
How colleges read a transcript
An admissions reader looks at three things behind the GPA.
1. The courses, compared with what the school offered. Most high schools send colleges a school profile with the transcript. It describes the courses the school offers, how it grades, and how it calculates GPA. The reader judges the student's choices against that. Stanford describes this as evaluating how a student has "taken advantage of what is available" in their school and community. A student whose school offered three advanced classes and who took all three has done as much as a student who took eight at a school that offered twenty.
2. The direction over four years. A rising trend shows growth, and it can soften a weak start. A falling trend raises questions, especially in 11th and 12th grade.
3. The subjects that matter for the student's direction. A B in calculus means something different for a future engineer than a B in a literature class does. Readers look hardest at the grades in the subjects the student says they want to study.
Weighted and unweighted GPA
There are two common ways to calculate a GPA.
| Compared on | Unweighted GPA | Weighted GPA |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Every class counts the same, usually on a scale to 4.0 | Honors, AP or IB classes earn extra points, so the scale can go above 4.0 |
| What it shows | How well the student did | How well the student did, and how hard the classes were |
High schools do not all weight the same way, and some do not weight at all. That is why many colleges recalculate GPA using their own method. The University of California is a clear example. It counts only college-preparatory courses taken from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th grade. It ignores pluses and minuses, adds one extra point for each semester of an approved honors-level course, and caps those extra points.
So the weighted GPA printed on a transcript is not always the number a college uses. The grades and the courses behind it matter more.
Which grades matter most
- 11th gradeIt is the last full year of grades a college sees before deciding, and usually the most demanding year.
- The subjects tied to the student's directionA future engineer's math and science grades, or a future writer's English grades, get the closest reading.
- The trendA strong 11th grade after a weak 9th grade tells a story of growth.
- 12th gradeColleges see first-semester grades, and an offer of admission depends on finishing the year well.
Class rank. Many high schools no longer report rank. When a school does not, the student is not penalized for it, and colleges rely on the school profile instead.
Pursiva's recommendation
- Protect the grades that matter mostStrong, steady grades in the subjects tied to the student's direction carry the most weight.
- Do not chase the number with easy classesA higher GPA in a lighter schedule usually reads as less than a slightly lower GPA in a schedule that stretched the student. The next article explains how to find the right level.
- Answer a bad year with a better oneA weak semester cannot be erased, but a rising trend changes how it reads.
- Keep going through 12th gradeThe senior-year transcript is part of the application, and part of the offer.
Four mistakes to avoid
- Comparing GPAs across schoolsA 3.8 at one school and a 3.8 at another can mean very different things.
- Assuming the transcript's weighted GPA is what colleges useMany recalculate it their own way.
- Ignoring a slipping trendIt is easier to steady grades in the middle of 10th grade than to explain a decline in 11th.
- Treating senior year as finishedColleges see it, and a sharp drop can put an offer at risk.
How Pursiva helps
Pursiva keeps a record of the student's grades by year and by subject, so the family sees the trend as it develops, not after it has set. Because Pursiva knows the student's theme (Pursiva calls it a Core Narrative) and direction, it points out which grades matter most for that direction, and flags early when they start to slip. And it connects grades to Course planning, so each year's schedule is chosen with the transcript as a whole in mind.
The two students from the opening had the same GPA. A reader would remember only one of their transcripts.
Sources
See your transcript the way a college will read it.
$49.90 a month, every module included. Cancel anytime.
Get started